In the know

Another successful County Lines Intensification Week has come to an end, with 18 arrests, 152 wraps of cocaine seized and 16 phones seized including two relating to deal lines. 

Nearly a week into our winter crackdown on drink and drug drivers and officers have been hard at work patrolling the county’s roads. Overnight the Roads Policing Unit arrested a total of four drink drivers, including a motorcyclist who blew 105 at the roadside following a collision with a van on the M25 between J9 and J8 (the legal drink drive limit is 35). We are relentless in pursuing drink and drug drivers. 

Local teams are aware of an increasing number of scams targeting high-value vehicles for sale online. These offences typically involve individuals visiting a private seller for a viewing and test drive, either distracting the seller or asking them questions which force them away from the vehicle. Once alone, these individuals tamper with and cause damage to the vehicle, typically by pouring oil or liquid into an engine. Officers are reminding the public to remain vigilant online, and offer the following advice when selling your vehicle privately:

• Never leave potential buyers alone with your vehicle – consider organising to have someone with you when a viewing is arranged.

• Listen to any advice offered by a company through which you are selling – online platforms occasionally provide information on private buyers which might make you think twice about who you are selling to.

• If a potential buyer claims your vehicle is damaged and tries to haggle on the price, do not accept this and notify police.

• If you have a Ring doorbell/CCTV system, make sure these are activated and working prior to a viewing.

• Ask to see a copy of the potential buyer’s driving licence before they attend the viewing.

Borough Commander for Elmbridge, Inspector Lucy Marriott said: “We are seeing an increase in the number of reports concerning vehicle crime, particularly involving the private sale and viewing of high-value cars.

“Whilst our enquiries remain ongoing to identify those associated with these reports, we want to remind the public to be mindful as to who they might be selling to and complete all the necessary checks ahead of any vehicle viewings. If you feel you might have been the victim of this scam, or know someone who has, please report it to us as soon as possible.”

Yesterday (11 December 2024), Urfan Sharif, 42, and Beinash Batool, 30, the father and stepmother of 10-year-old Sara Sharif, were found guilty of her murder following a ten-week trial at The Central Criminal Court in London. Faisal Malik, 29, Sara’s uncle, was found not guilty of Sara’s murder, but was found guilty of causing or allowing her death. During the trial, the court heard how Sara had been brutally mistreated, abused and subjected to violent assaults which eventually resulted in her tragic death. Sara’s body was found at the family home in Hammond Road, Woking, in the early hours on Thursday, 10 August 2023, after her father, Urfan Sharif, called police and told them that he had killed his daughter and left her at the address. The call was made after Sharif, Batool and Faisal left the UK to fly to Pakistan with five of Sara’s siblings, aged between 1 and 13 years at the time. An investigation was launched by the Surrey Police and Sussex Police Major Crime Team, which involved working with Interpol, the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office, the National Crime Agency, the Crown Prosecution Service and the Pakistani authorities to locate Sharif, Batool and Malik in connection with Sara’s death. On 13 September 2023, Sharif, Batool and Malik left Pakistan and returned to the UK. They were arrested on suspicion of Sara’s murder and causing or allowing the death of a child as they disembarked at Gatwick Airport. Detective Chief Inspector Craig Emmerson from the Surrey Police and Sussex Police Major Crime Team, which led the investigation, said: “Sara was a bright and lively little girl who loved singing and dancing, and on behalf of Surrey Police, I would like to extend my deepest condolences to her mother, Olga, her siblings, and all those who knew and cared for her.  “Sara’s spirit, bravery and resilience in the face of suffering she endured has shone through from the vast enquiries that have been undertaken in this case. “Sara’s death has been one of the most difficult and distressing cases that Surrey Police has ever dealt with. “The murder of a child is shocking, but the horrific nature of the abuse that Sara suffered during her short life has made this case particularly disturbing.”