"I truly hope no investigation like this must ever take place again"
Essex police commemorate the deaths of 39 Vietnamese people who were found unresponsive in the back of a lorry five years ago.
Essex police have said they "truly hope no investigation like this must ever take place again" - five years after the bodies of 39 Vietnamese men, women and children were found unresponsive in the trailer of a lorry in Grays.
On 23 October 2019, lorry driver, Maurice Robinson, found the bodies of 31 men and 8 women in the back of his lorry.
The lorry had travelled from Zeebrugge in Belgium to the Port of Purfleet, in Essex.
Each of the 39 victims, and their families, had paid significant sums of money to an organised crime group whose members promised them a safe passage to the UK.
Detective Chief Superintendent Stuart Hooper, who commanded the Essex Police investigation, called it:
"the most complex and far-reaching investigation ever undertaken in Essex."
He continues, "for many, myself included, we still think about the 39 victims and their families very often."
"There many heroes and heroines in this investigation but it is really hard to look past those first responders who had no idea what situation they were about to step into.
“They opened the container doors and saw 39 people who had lost their lives in horrific circumstances.
“And despite what they were faced with, they checked each and every person to see if there were signs of life to see if they could save their lives", says Det Hooper.
“I truly hope no investigation like this must ever take place again.”
The victims' belongings were returned to Vietnam in August.
"When we visited Vietnam recently to return the victims’ personal possessions we were reminded by the Vietnamese delegation of a promise we made early on in this investigation; that we would bring this cowardly, criminal group to justice", says Detective Hooper.
11 people have been convicted in the UK and 18 people were convicted in France last year.
"Today, Wednesday 23 October, we remember each of the 39 victims and their families", says Detective Hooper.
A memorial service is due to take place this weekend in West Thurrock.