Crowthorne and Sandhurst

When I first started working at Crowthorne police station nearly three years ago, I worked with three police officers and two newly recruited PCSOs (Police Community Support Officers). My current team has expanded considerably with the arrival of neighbourhood policing and now consists of Neighbourhood Specialist Officers Gary Campion (who covers Sandhurst and Little Sandhurst), Amanda Price (Owlsmoor and College Town), Neighbourhood Officers Justin Barton (Owlsmoor and College Town), and Steve Botwright (Crowthorne).

My PCSOs are Ivana Houska (Crowthorne), Rebecca Swann (Sandhurst and Little Sandhurst), Katherine Bullen and Alistair Willcocks (both Owlsmoor and College Town). Also stationed at Crowthorne on a temporary basis are two student officers under training, who will shortly be transferring to response (shift) work at Bracknell and a PCSO under training, again who will eventually work from Bracknell.

We can all be contacted on the main 0845 8 505 505 police non emergency number, or by calling in at Crowthorne police station or the Sandhurst police point.

Crowthorne police station is open 9am to 1pm Monday to Thursday, Wednesday evenings and most Saturday mornings. Sandhurst police point (adjacent to the Sandhurst Town Council offices in the Memorial Park) is open 10am to 2pm Monday to Friday, plus Monday evenings and some afternoons. Details of opening hours are shown on the entrance door.

During these times, the front desks at Crowthorne and Sandhurst are manned by volunteers, who provide an excellent service for callers. We are always looking for more volunteers and if you feel you could assist with this role please contact me or call in and speak to a volunteer directly. Full training, as they say, will be given!

As well as dealing with calls from members of the public (assaults, shop theft, road collisions and the like) we deal with issues which have been raised by the public as neighbourhood priorities. These are currently speeding and anti-social behaviour. We carry out weekly speed enforcement checks across the area. We have also had considerable success in many areas in dealing with anti-social behaviour. As always there is more to be done so if you suffer from either of these issues please contact me.

Thames Valley Police ~ Crowthorne and Sandhurst

A Crowthorne Indian restaurant is to pay £5,000 in fines and costs after substituting spirits with cheaper brands and serving watered down vodka.

Khalid Miah, a director of Chillies Restaurant, in Dukes Ride, Crowthorne, appeared in Bracknell Magistrates’ Court on April 16 and pleaded not guilty to four offences under the Food Safety Act.

It follows a routine visit by trading standards officers on October 25, 2006, who carried out checks on the spirits. They found Bells scotch whisky had been substituted with the MacAndrews brand, Gordons Gin was actually Grosvenor Gin, and Smirnoff vodka was Chekov vodka.

They also found the vodka had been topped up with more than 22 per cent of water.

Chillies was found guilty and was fined £2,000 and ordered to pay £3,000 costs.

Rob Sexton, Head of Trading Standards and Services, said: The substitution of branded spirits for cheaper spirits misleads customers and provides an economic advantage for the business concerned.

"We are hopeful that the fines imposed by the court will discourage other businesses from using such practices."

Cllr Iain McCracken, Executive Member for Crowthorne Public Protection, said: "It is unacceptable for restaurants to serve customers with cheaper brands and charge higher prices.

”The Council will continue to carry out routine tests at other restaurants in the borough to make sure customers are getting a fair deal.”

Bracknell Forest Borough Council