Your neighbourhood policing team, Neighbourhood Specialist Officer PC Alex Hillan, PCSO Alastair Willcocks and PCSO Katherine Bullen, have been busy working with local people and partners identifying and tackling local crime issues, anti-social behaviour (ASB) and on-going concerns.
Thames Valley goes live with 101
Thames Valley Police has gone live with 101, the new national single non-emergency number on 14 November 2011, which has replaced the 0845 8 505 505 number. Both numbers will run side by side until the end of March, but if demand for the 0845 8 505 505 number drops it may be discontinued earlier.
Calls to 101 (from both landlines and mobile networks) cost 15 pence per call, no matter what time of day the call is made, or the duration of the call.
Police Warn of Scam Letter
Thames Valley Police is advising residents in the Crowthorne and Sandhurst area to be vigilant following a scam letter that is in circulation.
Neighbourhood Sgt for the area, Graham Thorne, said: “A letter is currently being sent to people asking them to contact its author in Hong Kong concerning a possible inheritance of $10.5 million US dollars. This is clearly a scam letter and I’m concerned that someone vulnerable may well respond and be out of pocket soon.
“I’ve personally been made aware of about half a dozen of these letters being received by local people so far but I’m sure many others have been sent.
“I would urge people to be vigilant and not fail victim to this type of scam, but to report the incident to police.
“Where there is any doubt, people should never respond to letters of this nature or emails and certainly never pay any money or fees. You should never reveal your identity, financial or personal information such as bank accounts, drivers license number, passport or credit card details.”
Anyone with information should contact Sgt Thorne via 101. Alternatively, those who do not wish to speak to police or leave their name should call the Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555 111.
Police launch Christmas drink and drug drive campaign – Is it worth the risk?
Party-goers are being warned to think before they drive in the morning after enjoying a night out during the festive season.
Operation Tipple, a joint Thames Valley Police and Hampshire Constabulary campaign against drink and drug driving, began on 1st December and will run until 1 January 2012. It aims to make our roads safer by detecting motorists driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
The crackdown follows last year’s successful enforcement activity, which saw more than 5,156 drivers breathalysed by Thames Valley Police between 1 December and 31 December 2010. Of those, 261 drivers (less than six per cent of those tested) provided positive results. Nationally, during the 2010 campaign, 169,838 drivers were tested, resulting in more than 6,613 arrests.
Inspector Colin Clark, who is leading Operation Tipple for Thames Valley Police, said: “We will target all drivers suspected of drink driving or being influenced by drugs. This will be carried out by holding dedicated road checks, testing all drivers involved in collisions, and testing anyone who has committed a traffic offence or is suspected of drug driving.
“Many people think they have to be involved in a collision or commit an offence to be stopped and breathalysed. However, police officers can stop any vehicle at any time, day or night. If they then suspect drink driving they can administer a breath test and if the result is positive the driver would be arrested.”
He continued: “We will also act on information from the public, targeting those areas or drivers where there is a problem. More officers are now trained to test for drug use at the roadside, so we are well equipped to deal with all drivers that come our way.
“The high-profile road checks are taking place to raise awareness of drink and drug driving, making sure drivers and their passengers understand that we are dealing with this offence robustly.”
Superintendent Chris Brown, Head of Roads Policing in the Thames Valley and Hampshire, said: “We are asking the public to be safe rather than sorry. Collisions involving alcohol or drugs not only devastate the lives of victims and their families, they also ruin the lives of offenders, who could face a lengthy driving ban or imprisonment.
“As well as having to live with the lifelong guilt of having killed or injured someone through their reckless behaviour, offenders could also lose their job, home and their livelihood.
“If you are going out and know you will be drinking, organise alternative transport or a designated driver to ensure everyone is able to enjoy the festive period safely.”
If you see anyone who drinks or takes drugs and then drives, call the police on 999. To report any other incidents of drinking or drug taking and driving, where there is no immediate threat to the public, call the police non-emergency number 101 or call the charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Police Deter Crime at The Meadows
Officers are conducting high visible patrols at The Meadows and carrying out Clear Car Campaign, part of Op Labor, advising car owners not to leave valuables in their vehicles. Myself and other officers have been working from The Police Office at Tesco, The Meadows. This is not open to the public. It allows officers to conduct more visible targetted patrols on site as well as using the office to detain shoplifters and hold meetings.
Offenders Brought to Justice
A 39 year old man was charged with shoplifting alcohol worth £137 from Marks and Spencer which was concealed in his rucksack.
A 25 year old man was charged with shoplifting from Waitrose alcohol worth £70.
A 15 year old man was charged with possession of cannabis in Owlsmoor.
Operation Locomotion
Thames Valley Police, in cooperation with the British Transport Police and major train line companies across Thames Valley have joined together to provide crime prevention and reassurance messages in the run up to Christmas.
Around forty PCSOs from across Thames Valley and twenty from British Transport Police took part on Operation Locomotion on 8th December. Along with Police Constables and Special Constables they travelled on a number of major train lines providing a visible presence at various train stations across the Thames Valley to warn commuters of the increased risk of burglary over the winter and Christmas season.
Leaflets were also distributed and many thousands spoken to on the train journey. The public were reassurred by the Police presence and hope they have taken on board the simple crime prevention message, and be far less likely to become a victim of crime, both on the run up to the festive period and thereafter. Also, encouraging people to follow us on our brand new Twitter account for Bracknell.
Romy Freiburghaus, crime reduction advisor for Bracknell, said:” Thieves really enjoy Christmas, not for the reasons most of us do but because at this time of year thieves take advantage of any opportunity to steal Christmas presents.
“Most burglars are opportunist but this is made easier by people leaving doors and windows insecure so that they don’t even have to force their way in. You can reduce the risk of being burgled by making sure you take some basic and sensible precautions. To reduce the risk to a minimum, I offer the following advice to residents:
•Don’t leave any valuables, especially Christmas presents on view in your vehicle
•Although Christmas presents look great under the tree, please make sure they cannot be seen through a window
•If you are out for the evening, try to make your home look occupied. Visit a local retailer to pick up a 24 hour segment timer for under £5. The timer can be used with a lamp, radio or TV to give the impression that someone’s home. Remember to use an energy efficient light bulb
•Register your valuables on www.immobilise.com its free and takes just a few minutes and if your valuables are stolen, will allow you to tell the police, your insurer, and the second-hand trade to assist in recovering your property and catch the thief
•Keep valuables out of sight
•Look your doors and windows, if you have a UPVC door make sure you have double locked it
Police on School Patrols
My colleagues and myself have been patrolling the local schools i.e. College Town schools and making sure people park correctly. One of the concerns for residents is vehicles obstructing the pathway, the rule of thumb, if a person pushing a pram for example has to divert into the road the vehicle would be considered to be causing an obstruction. Obstruction also includes blocking dropped kerbs in front of residents’ houses where they need access to their property and parking inappropriately at junctions. This kind of parking cannot only cause accidents with other cars but may cause injury to members of the public, yourselves and your children.
Please ensure you do not park on any of the Zig Zag markings outside the school as you could incur a £60 fixed penalty. A letter has gone out to all the parents, please be aware of where and how you are parking so as not to cause problems for other residents as well as the pedestrians.
We will continue to monitor the parking situation, and if you are obstructing the pavement, dropped kerb or junction, we will be issuing £30 Fixed penalty tickets if necessary.
You can contact your local neighbourhood policing team through a number of methods:
The next Have Your Say Meeting is held by myself, PCSO Willcocks:
Date: Monday 5 January 2012 between 18:00 – 19:00
Venue: Waitrose store, College Town.
Contact: PCSO Alastair Willcocks
These meetings are an ideal opportunity for local residents to speak to their local police officers and PCSO’s about any local issues, no appointment is necessary just turn up and speak to your local officers. Further surgeries will be publicised locally and on the force website at www.thamesvalley.police.uk
If you want any advice or would like to contact the neighbourhood team you can call us on the police non emergency number 101 or email Owlsmoor &CollegeTownNHPT@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk. Please note this email address cannot be used to contact Thames Valley Police to report crimes or for any urgent matters.
Community Messaging
This free service provides information to subscribers about crime and police activity in their area via phone or email. It also includes information on what we and our partner services are doing to bring offenders to justice or combat anti-social behaviour, and information on opportunities for local residents to raise concerns with their local policing teams.
Thames Valley Police ~ Owlsmoor