Officers were on the tail of a car 15 minutes after its owner reported it stolen from a driveway in Chelmsford.

Working together with our Metropolitan Police colleagues and using a range of tactics, one suspect has been arrested and the car has been recovered.

Our control room took the call shortly before 4.40am on Tuesday 7 October, reporting the theft of a Range Rover from a driveway in Chelmsford.

Some quick work tracing the vehicle’s likely route led to an officer catching up to it on the A12 just 15 minutes later.

A pursuit followed, with the stolen vehicle reaching high speeds as it headed towards London, first on the M25 and then onto the M11.

We worked with Metropolitan Police colleagues to bring the pursuit to a stop.
The vehicle was seized and one arrest was made.

A man, aged in his 20s, will be questioned on suspicion of theft of a motor vehicle.

A lane closure was in place on the M11 between Junction 5 and Junction 4 while the vehicle was recovered and the incident cleared.

This closure has since been lifted.

Our part in the pursuit and stop was carried out by our dedicated Roads Policing Unit and Dog Unit.

Adam Pipe, head of roads policing, said:

“I know some disruption would have been caused on the M11 early this morning while this incident was dealt with, but hopefully the public will understand that we prioritise vehicle theft and dangerous driving.

“Such incidents must be responded to robustly and utilising every tactic we have available.

“Due to the nature of the driving in this incident, a stinger was deployed to bring the vehicle to a safe stop.

“It was boxed in by both Essex and Met officers, who were able to swiftly detain a suspect.

“It was important we then put a lane closure in place to ensure the safety of all other road users.

“My officers are out patrolling our county’s roads every day, tackling incidents of poor driving but also responding to calls of burglaries or thefts in progress.

“This work with other forces proves there are no limits or borders when it comes to tackling crime”

Our work has seen an 11% reduction in reported incidents of theft of motor vehicle across Essex in the 12 months to September 2025.

This article originally appeared on essexpolicemedia.co.uk and was republished with permission.