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EASTERN REGION PROTECT TEAM
Awareness. Protection. Prevention.
There are seven dedicated Cybercrime Units across the Eastern Region (Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent, Norfolk & Suffolk) who work to support organisations and communities when they have been victims of cybercrime and fraud. The Cybercrime Units are regionally coordinated by the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU) and come together to form the Eastern Fraud and Cyber Protect Network.
Francesca Mudford
Cyber Crime Prevent and Protect Officer
Essex Police
Francesca joined Essex Police in 2014, starting with Essex Safer Roads Partnership, before moving into the role of Investigating Officer with the Domestic Abuse Team. After several years in this team working with domestic abuse victims, she joined the SCD Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Team, assisting on complex investigations. She also worked on the SCD Organised Immigration Crime Team before transitioning into the intelligence department as an OCG co-ordinator.
Francesca is now a Cyber Crime Prevent and Protect Officer within the SCD intelligence department, engaging with individuals and businesses providing cyber security advice.#
Tammy Blest
Prevent & Protect Fraud Officer
Essex Police
Tammy joined Essex Police in 2019 as a Police Community Support Officer. After attending many Bank protocols and providing support to victims of fraud, along with the vast array of community engagements and crime prevention presentations, Tammy felt she had gained enough knowledge to apply for the role of Fraud Prevention Co-ordinator and successfully joined the team in 2022.
Tammy is responsible for the prevention, education, awareness and safeguarding for residents in the North of Essex; covering Braintree, Uttlesford, Chelmsford, Maldon, Colchester and Tendering.
Emma Swietochowski-Hay
Prevent & Protect Fraud Officer
Kent Police
Emma joined Kent Police in 2016 and served as a PCSO in various Ashford wards for three and a half years. With a strong interest in fraud prevention, Emma transitioned to the SCD as a Fraud Prevention Coordinator in February 2020. Since then, her team have implemented numerous protocols within the organisation and regularly engage with and present to the community and vulnerable victims of fraud.
David Gillies
Prevent & Protect Fraud Officer
Essex Police
David Gillies joined Essex Police in 1987, serving in diverse roles across modern policing. His strength in Community Policing helped build lasting support networks. After promotion, he returned to proactive policing and, upon retirement, became a nationally recognized expert in vehicle crime and crime prevention.
He developed a community garden safety program, earning the "Ray Stannard" award, and later became the Prevent & Protect Fraud Officer. His work with Essex’s Romance Fraud Peer Support Group earned him the Tackling Economic Crime Award.
David leads initiatives using Specialist Fraud Prevention Volunteers and pioneered the Digital Multi-Agency Approach to Fraud Group. He’s currently advancing fraud prevention through contactless tag technology and collaborates with universities and national steering groups to enhance community safety.
Fraud Prevention Team
Cambridgeshire Constabulary
We are a team of four Police staff working within the Force, we are not a first line of response, but we engage with victims and assist in safeguarding and providing prevention advice and support following the initial report / referral. We react to referrals arriving in Force from a variety of internal and external sources.
The main part of our role is engagement with victims of fraud reported to Cambs Police or to Action Fraud that reside or are based within Cambridgeshire. This engagement can be anything from initial contact by letter / email, phone call, visit or multiple visits, to provide prevention and support information. We also engage with other agencies from a safeguarding perspective and provide advice and support to families of victims where appropriate.
We engage in awareness and education events and presentations both internally and externally. This includes giving presentations to a range of groups, covering a variety of fraud and cybercrime prevention awareness of current trends and prevention advice.
We attend community events to provide literature and advice in partnership with other agencies, including Local Authority, banks etc.
Arran Ostridge
Cyber Protect Officer
Kent Police
Arran joined Kent Police in September 2020 as a Police Community Support Officer (PCSO), gaining experience across various areas of Kent throughout his tenure. After several years in the PCSO role, Arran developed a keen interest in cybersecurity and sought a position that aligned more closely with his evolving career aspirations. In July 2023, he transitioned to the Serious Crime Directorate, where he now serves as a Cyber Prevent & Protect Officer, working alongside his colleague, Lee. In this capacity, Arran has further expanded his expertise in the field of cybersecurity.
Gavin Saunders
Cyber Protect Officer
Essex Police
Gavin is also a part of a national Cyber Protect network ,engaging with everyone from school children to the older generation, individuals and businesses providing bespoke cyber security advice. This is conducted by delivering sessions at community events and talks for groups, networking and online training using materials and guidance from the National Cyber Security Centre and other sources.
Chen Tsui
Cyber Protect and Prevent Officer
Hertfordshire Constabulary
Chen is the Cyber Protect and Prevent Officer and works for the Serous Fraud and Cyber Unit in Hertfordshire Constabulary. As part of Team Cyber UK network, Chen is responsible for delivering the ‘Protect’ and ‘Prevent’ strands of the Constabulary’s Cybercrime strategy and more generally the National Cyber Strategy, collaborating with partners in both the private and public sector, including peers at a regional and national level.
From a ‘Protect’ perspective, Chen delivers awareness, education and prevention advice to businesses, charities, and local communities to help reduce the impact of cybercrime against both the public and businesses.
Chen also works closely with partners and the educational sector to identify and divert young individuals who commit cybercrime offences and offer them alternative paths within the commercial world to steer them away from hacking and committing cybercrime.
Veridiana Granger
Cyber Protect & Prevent Staff Officer
Bedfordshire Police
Veridiana Granger is a Cyber Protect & Prevent Staff Officer working for Bedfordshire Police.
The role has multiple strands; to engage and provide Protect information to individuals, businesses, community groups and the education sector regarding the threat of Cybercrime, online safety and ultimately protecting and preventing people from becoming victims of Cybercrime.
Veridiana also works with partners to educate and prevent young people who may be at risk or already involved in this type of criminal activity, working with them to guide them away from crime and educating them on how their skills can be used within the boundaries of the law.
Lee Edwards-Gee
Cyber Prevent and Protect officer
Kent Police
Lee Joined Kent police in 2004 as a PCSO and has covered many roles including supervisory within Neighbourhood Policing for the past 19 years. Also working jointly in Kent police alongside Kent County council for 2 years on serious youth violence project.
Lee is the cyber prevent and protect officer and works within the intelligence section of the Serious Crime Directorate and has been in this role since December 2022.
PREVENT
Lee works with young subjects in relation to Prevent matters, working with partners to educate and prevent young people becoming involved in cyber related criminal activity with a national programme led by National Crime Agency. Providing diversionary methods to encourage the young person to use their skills and knowledge to be used within the boundaries of the law.
PROTECT
Lee is also a part of a national Cyber Protect network, which requires her to engage and provide information to businesses and local communities about the local threat of Cyber dependant crimes by delivering awareness, education and prevention advice and making referrals.
Gemma Theobald
Cyber Security Advisor
Norfolk & Suffolk Constabularies
Gemma works for the Cybercrime Unit in Norfolk and Suffolk Constabulary which sits in the Cyber, Intelligence and Serious Crime Directorate within the Protective Services.
Her role has three strands; to engage and provide information to individuals and businesses regarding the threat of Cybercrime, ultimately protecting our communities. This work includes identifying vulnerabilities and conducting assessments and bespoke security advice.
In the second strand Gemma works with partners to educate and prevent young people becoming involved in this type of criminal activity.
Finally, she supports projects which focus on improving the management and threat of Cybercrime through the Regional and National Framework.
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