Crowthorne & Sandhurst

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

Thames Valley Police is advising residents in the Crowthorne area to be vigilant following a scam letter that is in circulation.

Neighbourhood Sgt for the Crowthorne 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.

Thames Valley Police ~ Crowthorne

Here is the latest Crowthorne neighbourhood update from Police Community Support Officer Lauren Byrne C9131.

Thames Valley goes live with 101

Thames Valley Police has gone live with 101, the new national single non-emergency number from 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.

Please use this number from now on to speak with us

Crime figures are still decreasing in the Crowthorne area which is great news for all of the community. This month a 19 year old man has been charged with Public Order offences, whilst a 20 year old woman and 22 year old man have been given a formal warning for cannabis possession.

There has been a recent trend in plant pots being stolen from various driveways in the Crowthorne area. If you know any information about these offences or can shed any light on this please get in contact with us via the non emergency telephone number 101 or by popping in to Crowthorne Police station.

Monica’s on the High St Crowthorne was broken into on 22 November 2011 around 02:30hours and lots of clothing items taken. It is believed a Grey Vauxhall VXR made off from the scene. If you d have any information on the incident or saw anything suspicious around the time, please get in contact with Thames Valley police via the usual methods.

This month PCSO Houska has delivered a greenhouse and various planting equipment to Wildmoor Heath School as part of the “For The Future” campaign. This is all part of the flower planting initiative that runs along Crowthorne High Street which has been a great success. This gets the school really involved and means they have their own way of growing plants they select, and to then plant onto the High Street to keep it looking blooming.

The Hope Zone and Library’s Arts and Crafts Club have also been making christmas decorations for the local village.

Crowthorne’s Christmas shopping evening will be held on 6 December 2011 at 18:00, please come along and see what all the shops have to offer.

PC Botwright has been undertaking speeding enforcement, using the laser speed gun to catch speeders, and this took place on Waterloo Road, Crowthorne on 10 November 2011. One vehicle was reported due to the speed, whilst other drivers who were speeding were stopped and spoken to and given words of advice. Speeding enforcement will continue throughout the coming months.

As the Christmas and New Year Period is fast approaching, I would like to remind all residents to keep all valuables safe and well hidden within cars and houses. Try to keep all your presents away from windows so that peeping passers by do not take the opportunity to stock up on their Christmas gifts It is not uncommon at this time of year for thieves to target cars and houses, particularly in car parks of shopping areas.

Operation Lioncub continues to run over the weekend evenings to deter Anti Social Behaviour in the neighbourhood, with regular visits to all the local known hotspots. If you are experiencing any ASB please let us know where and when and we can incorporate this into our patrols and into operation Lioncub. We have had no incidents of note over the last month to report in regards to ASB problems within the area.

Operation Level continues to run over the whole of Bracknell Forest, with specific locations in Crowthorne to target speeding problems along particular roads. This has been a great success so far and will continue to run into the future. If you believe there is a speeding problem in your local road or nearby please let us know so we can target this road.

The next Have Your Say Meeting will be held on Monday 12 December 2011 at 16:00 at Crowthorne Library, Crowthorne High St with PCSO Houska. These meetings are a great way to meet your local Neighbourhood team and discuss any issues you have in the neighbourhood. The first HYS meeting for 2012 will be held on 23 January, also at Crowthorne Library with PCSO Houska.

If you would like to contact your Neighbourhood team please email us at: CrowthorneNHPT@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk, Alternatively please ring us on the Non Emergency telephone number of 101.

Community messaging has been used successfully to locate vehicles of interest to the police.

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 ~ Crowthorne

Here is the Neighbourhood Update for the Finchampstead and North Crowthorne areas from Police Constable Andrew Roberts.

Crime

Crime in the area continues to be at a relatively low level. If you log on to the Thames Valley Police website and follow the links to Neighbourhood Policing, you can see your individual neighbourhood figures.

Arrests this month have included two persons arrested in connection to house burglaries in the Crowthorne area. Arrests have also been made for thefts by shoplifting and one arrest for a breach of Anti Social Behaviour Order (ASBO).

Regarding home security, please make sure that you keep all doors and windows locked when you are not around, keep house and car keys hidden from view and if you have a shed or garage, make sure they are securely locked. We have started our Winter burglary campaign and you may see us out and about meeting and greeting people off buses or trains, as well as putting leaflets through doors, to raise awareness of the darker evenings and if at all possible not to leave your house in darkness whilst you are out.

Anti Social Behaviour (ASB)

We are working with a number of families in the area to try and reduce the ASB caused by their children and new Acceptable Behaviour Contracts (ABCs) will be written to make the young people aware of the problems they are causing and try to stop this behaviour.

An ASBO recently granted against a young male in Finchampstead has resulted in his first arrest for breaching it. The case is still ongoing in court at the time of writing this update. Details of the young male are dotted around the area in shop windows and on parish notice boards.

Parking and Speeding

PC Steve Cubbage has been out with the speed enforcement device and issued two tickets and reported four people for offences around the area. Inconsiderate parking on Greenwood Road is still an issue on the yellow lines around the Tesco store. The team attends the area regularly and Fixed Penalty Notice tickets are issued where appropriate. Parking is also causing problems around the Finchampstead Baptist Centre on Gorse Ride.

Finchampstead Neighbourhood Action Group (NAG)

The Finchampstead NAG is holding their next meeting at 10am at Gorse Ride school on Gorse Ride South in Finchampstead.

The Finchampstead NAG and the Crowthorne NAG, held jointly with the Bracknell half of Crowthorne, are very well attended by police, district and parish councillors and residents. For those who don’t know, a NAG gathers at regular intervals to discuss local issues and where there is a problem, try to find a solution. Speeding and ASB are always top of the agenda and we all do our best to tackle these robustly. We go out at regular intervals with the speed enforcement device for speeding and every weekend we deal with ASB via Operation Lion Cub where every PC and PCSO is out on the streets until 2 am.

Other News

Thames Valley Police went live on 14 November 2011 with 101 – the new national single non-emergency number which will replace the 0845 8 505 505 number.

Calls to 101, from landlines or mobiles, will cost 15 pence per call, no matter the time of day or the duration of the call. Everyone calling the new non-emergency number will know exactly how much a call will cost, and can be assured of equal access whether they are on a pay-as-you-go mobile or a home landline. Calls will be routed to the Force in the same way as 999 calls. If a caller is using a landline the routing will be based on the caller’s postcode and the call will be directed to the local police force. If a caller is using a mobile telephone, the call will be routed according to the location of the mast from which the call is being transmitted. Calls made to 101 from another police force area that has yet to ‘go live’ with the new number, will hear a recorded message telling them to redial using the relevant non-emergency number.

Have Your Say Meetings

Have Your Say meetings are held every Monday from 9am to 12pm at the Community House, 17 Billing Avenue, Finchampstead.

Community Messaging

Community Messaging is a free service which 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.

Contact us

If you want any advice or would like to contact the neighbourhood team you can call us on the police non emergency number 101 but if your call is an emergency then dial 999. You can also contact us via email: FinchampsteadGroupNHPT@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. If you have information about crime or Anti Social Behaviour in your area but you do not want to speak to the police, please call the Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555111.

Thames Valley Police ~ Crowthorne North

Here is the December up-date from Police Community Support Officer Alastair Willcocks for Owlsmoor & College Town.

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.

Christmas Crime Prevention Tips

Here are some Christmas crime prevention tips which should help deter thieves and burglars.

Most break-ins are opportunistic burglaries and Christmas is the time when many thieves are looking out for the insecure home.

You can help prevent a thief targeting your home by carrying out a few simple preventative measures:

•Lock all outside doors and check that windows are closed when you go out.

•Lock garage windows and doors especially if the garage has an internal door leading to the main house.

•Lock your garden tools away and always keep your house keys in a safe place. Burglars are always happy to look under a mat, pull the string and key through the letter box, and move the large stone near the front/back door.

•Put a light on if you are out for the evening, put the radio or TV on and leave a small gap in the curtains so that a light can be seen.

Don’t keep large stashes of Christmas shopping cash at home. Why not consider paying for your festive goods

Don’t leave Christmas presents in your car. Retail therapy is great, but having your newly purchased gifts stolen from

•When you are shopping don’t leave your valuables on the trolley unattended.

Lock away valuable goods that are hard to replace over the festive period like cash, credit cards, passports, jewellery, cameras, etc. Permanently marking valuable Christmas presents you receive helps safeguard them in future. Marking kits are inexpensive and could get help get your possessions back if they’re stolen. Another good idea is to keep photographs of your valuable belongings and a short written description noting any unusual details.

I would remind residents of the importance of double locking your door particularly at night to prevent “letter box” break-ins. This is where the door can be opened from the outside by putting an implement through the letter box to open the door handle on the inside. Double locking your front door will prevent this, but keep the key handy where it can easily be found by any person living in the house.

Safety if you are planning to spend time away from home at christmas

Please remember these other sensible precautions:

Activate your alarm when you go away. Remember to give the police a list of your key holders. Don’t forget to tell key holders how you can be contacted in an emergency.

Put some of your interior lights on timers so it looks like someone is home. You might consider leaving a radio playing. Signs of occupation help deter intruders.

Lock up your garden shed. Don’t make it easy for would-be thieves to have access to ladders and tools which they can use to break into your house.

Cancel regular deliveries like newspapers and milk. Ask a neighbour to keep an eye on your house and check your mailbox frequently so any letters and leaflets are pushed through. And as it’s the season of goodwill make sure you’re on good terms with your neighbours. Let them know.

Police have been carrying out targeted patrols in the day time and at night in the Sandhurst area following a slight increase from theft of tools from work vehicles. Please secure your vehicle and think about where you are parking i.e. ideally on your driveway with the rear of vehicle parked close to the wall or garage or where there is good lighting. Make sure your property is marked up and not on display.

Myself and colleagues have been carrying out Clear Car Campaign and advising members of the public not to leave valuables in their vehicles and report any suspicious behaviour to Police.

A shopper left an Ipad and bag in their vehicle, which was stolen from Marks and Spencer car-park on 2nd November at The Meadows.

Please report any suspicious behaviour right away or think about joining a Neighbourhood Watch Scheme in your area.

If you have any information which might assist the Police with their enquiries, please telephone 101 or if you wish to remain anonymous, contact Crimestoppers Charity on 0800 555 111.

Operation Lion Cub is proving to be successful over Friday and Saturday nights helping to reduce anti-social behaviour and providing faster response times to incidents and providing reassurance and confidence to the public.

During the holiday period officers have been patrolling hotspots on Op Lion Cub 2 extended during these times.

If you are affected by ASB please contact your local neighbourhood team or go through the Thames Valley Police Non-emergency number at the bottom of the page.

Reassuring Facts

The crime figures for the period April to July 2011 continue to show a downward trend in Bracknell Forest. There have been 161 reported crimes of violence in this period compared with 238 in the same period last year; a reduction of -32%. There has also been a reduction of Serious Acquisitive Crime (burglary, vehicle crime & robbery) from 319 offences to 231 a reduction of -27% . Reports of criminal damage to property fell from 405 to 231, a reduction of 12%. Reports of anti-social behaviour are down by 13% over the same period.

All these reductions follow substantial reductions last year and numbers aside, mean fewer people have suffered at the hands of criminals and become victims.

Further information on local crime figures is available on the Governments website www.police.uk

Offenders brought to justice

A 31 year old man was charged with a burglary in Yeovil Road. The offenders entered through an insecure garage, and then through an internal door stealing cash and electrical items.

A 29 year old man was charged with a burglary which occurred in Fairmead Close where entry was gained through the bathroom window in 2009.

A 25 year old man was arrested and charged with shoplifting on 20 November from Waitrose store in College Town regarding theft of four bottles of Bacardi worth £70.

A 14 year old boy was issued with a Youth Reprimand for criminal damage at Sandhurst school in Owlsmoor.

A 52 year old woman was charged with theft of alcohol which occurred in August worth £344.

Myself and my colleagues have been liaising with local stores to improve security and communication between the stores. On Friday 25 November myself and colleagues gave out crime prevention advice to shoppers at The Meadows in College Town. We had the mounted section patrolling the car-park for a couple of hours to show visibility and reassure members of the public. The Royal Military Academy kindly let us have the use of their stables. The horses made their way down York Town Road from College Town gate to the Meadows retail park.

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. A number of shopliftings have occurred this month from The Meadows Retail Park, and some have been dealt with by way of fixed penalty or an adult caution.

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 mark 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 December between 16:00 – 17:00

Venue: Waitrose store, College Town.

Contact: PCSO Alastair Willcocks

The first 2012 meeting will be on 5 January from 18:00 – 19:00 in Waitrose Foyer, 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.

If you want any advice or would like to contact the neighbourhood team you can call us on the police non emergency number 0845 8 505505 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

Christmas is round the corner and Bracknell Forest Libraries have a host of festive fun planned for visitors of all ages.

Crowthorne Library, in High Street, is inviting children to meet a special visitor in the shape of Santa Claus. He will be at the library as part of the village’s late night shopping event on Friday, December 2.

And on Tuesday, December 6, mums, dads and carers can join in some Christmas rhymes and songs for babies and toddlers between 9.30am and 10.30am.

Sandhurst Library, in The Broadway, is offering Christmas stories, rhymes and crafts for pre-school children on Monday, December 5 at 9.30am, and a reminiscences session for older residents on the same day, starting at 2pm.

Sandhurst ~ Crowthorne & Sandhurst

Here is the latest Sandhurst neighbourhood update for December from Police Community Support Officer Lauren Byrne C9131.

Thames Valley goes live with 101

Thames Valley Police has gone live with 101, the new national single non-emergency number from 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.

Please use this number from now on to speak with us

Crime figures are still decreasing in the Sandhurst area which is great news for all of the community. This month a 46 year old man and a 19 year old man have been given a formal warning for possession of cannabis, whilst a 25 year old man has been given an adult caution for fraud.

There has been a recent purse theft from Sandhurst Day Centre Charity Shop, and we are reminding all of our local community to be aware of your belongings and valuables that you carry with you and keep them safe at all times.

Kings and Sons DIY store have recently suffered a burglary from their metal cages at the back of the store. If anyone knows of any information on the incident please call us on the non emergency number or pop in to the Sandhurst Police Point.

Between Sunday 20 November at midnight and Monday 21 November at 1.30am two stone greyhound statues were stolen from a property on the High Street in Little Sandhurst. These statues were worth around £100 and are very heavy to lift. If you know of any suspicious activity at the time or saw/heard anything, or if you know the whereabouts of these statues please get in contact with Sandhurst Neighbourhood Team via the usual methods.

As the Christmas and New Year Period is fast approaching, I would like to remind all residents to keep all valuables safe and well hidden within cars and houses. Try to keep all your presents away from windows so that peeping passers-by do not take the opportunity to stock up on their Christmas gifts It is not uncommon at this time of year for thieves to target cars and houses, particularly in car parks of shopping areas.

We have recently held a talk with the Guides group in Sandhurst regarding internet and girl safety. This was received with great success and is becoming something we do on a regular basis to all outer communities groups. If you run any group and would like input from your neighbourhood team regarding any issues please do not hesitate to contact us.

Operation Lioncub continues to run over the weekend evenings to deter Anti Social Behaviour in the neighbourhood, with regular visits to all the local known hotspots. If you are experiencing any ASB please let us know where and when and we can incorporate this into our patrols and into operation Lioncub. We have had no incidents of note over the last month to report in regards to ASB problems within the area.

Operation Level continues to run over the whole of Bracknell Forest, with specific locations in Sandhurst to target speeding problems along particular roads. This has been a great success so far and will continue to run into the future. If you believe there is a speeding problem in your local road or nearby please let us know so we can target this road.

The next Have Your Say Meeting will be held on Wednesday 21 December 2011 at 14:15 at Sandhurst Police Point, Memorial Ground, Yorktown Road with PCSO Kennedy. These meetings are a great way to meet your local Neighbourhood team and discuss any issues you have in the neighbourhood.

If you would like to contact your Neighbourhood team please email us at: SandhurstNHPT@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk, Alternatively please ring us on the non-emergency telephone number of 101. Furthermore, you can always pop by Sandhurst Police Point where our friendly volunteers can help you and get in contact with us.

Community messaging has been used successfully to locate vehicles of interest to the police.

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 ~ Sandhurst

Here is the Neighbourhood Update for the Finchampstead and North Crowthorne areas from Police Constable Andrew Roberts.

Crime

Crime in the area continues to be at a relatively low level.

Regarding home security, please make sure that you keep all doors and windows locked when you are not around, keep house and car keys hidden from view and if you have a shed or garage, make sure they are securely locked. We have started our Winter burglary campaign and you may see us out and about meeting and greeting people off buses or trains, as well as putting leaflets through doors, to raise awareness of the darker evenings and if at all possible not to leave your house in darkness whilst you are out.

Anti Social Behaviour (ASB)

The Anti Social Behaviour Order recently granted against a young male in Finchampstead seems to be having the desired effect with reports of ASB greatly reduced around the Gorse Ride Estate area. Details of the young male are dotted around the area in shop windows and on parish notice boards.

The weekend of Halloween is historically one of the busiest weekends for Police and this year, although quieter than previous ones, was very busy with reports of ASB across the area. Calls to police ranged from egg throwing to illegal setting off of fireworks in the street.

Parking

Inconsiderate parking on Greenwood Road is still an issue on the yellow lines around the Tesco store. The team attends the area regularly and Fixed Penalty Notice tickets are issued where appropriate.

Finchampstead Neighbourhood Action Group (NAG)

The Finchampstead NAG Annual General Meeting (public meeting) took place on Monday 17th October 2011. Over thirty local residents came along to Gorse Ride School on Gorse Ride South. Chief Inspector Christian Bunt, your Local Area Police Commander, spoke on a variety of issues and other guest speakers also gave informative talks on subjects ranging from the NAG priorities for the coming year to what will be happening at the Finchampstead Baptist Centre (FBC) during Olympic year.

The Finchampstead NAG and the Crowthorne NAG, held jointly with the Bracknell half of Crowthorne, are very well attended by police, district and parish councillors and residents. For those who don’t know, a NAG gathers at regular intervals to discuss local issues and where there is a problem, try to find a solution. Speeding and ASB are always top of the agenda and we all do our best to tackle these robustly. We go out at regular intervals with the speed enforcement device for speeding and every weekend we deal with ASB via Operation Lion Cub where every PC and PCSO is out on the streets until 2 am. The team has been around with the Speed Indication Device and Speed Enforcement Device as usual and tickets issued where appropriate. Targeted roads this month included Evendons Lane, Nine Mile Ride and over in Crowthorne the Old Wokingham Road.

Thames Valley Police to go live with 101

Thames Valley Police went on 14 November 2011 with 101 – the new national single non-emergency number which will replace the 0845 8 505 505 number.

Calls to 101, from landlines or mobiles, will cost 15 pence per call, no matter the time of day or the duration of the call. Everyone calling the new non-emergency number will know exactly how much a call will cost, and can be assured of equal access whether they are on a pay-as-you-go mobile or a home landline. Calls will be routed to the Force in the same way as 999 calls. If a caller is using a landline the routeing will be based on the caller’s postcode and the call will be directed to the local police force. If a caller is using a mobile telephone, the call will be routed according to the location of the mast from which the call is being transmitted. Calls made to 101 from another police force area that has yet to ‘go live’ with the new number, will hear a recorded message telling them to redial using the relevant non-emergency number.

Community Messaging

Community Messaging is a free service which 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.

Contact us

If you want any advice or would like to contact the neighbourhood team you can call us on the police non emergency number 101 but if your call is an emergency then dial 999. You can also contact us via email: FinchampsteadGroupNHPT@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. If you have information about crime or Anti Social Behaviour in your area but you do not want to speak to the police, please call the Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555111.

Here is the November up-date from Police Community Support Officer Alastair Willcocks for Owlsmoor & College Town.

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 is due to go live with 101, the new national single non-emergency number on 14 November 2011, which will replace 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.

I would remind residents of the importance of double locking your front door particularly at night to prevent “letter box” break ins. This is where the door can be opened from the outside by putting an implement through the letter box to open the door handle on the inside. Double locking your front door will prevent this, but keep the key handy where it can easily be found by any person living in the house.

I would also like to remind residents to ensure that windows are securely locked at night or when the property is left empty following a report of burglaries at dwellings where windows have been left insecure.

You can take some simple and cost-effective steps to tighten your home security and reduce your chances of being a victim of burglary.

Some facts: at least 80 per cent of burlaries are committed by amateur opportunists who take advantage of open or vulnerable doors and windows, keys left in insecure “hiding places”, and unlocked side gates, for example. In around 25 per cent of break-ins, particularly those that take place in the spring and summer, entry is gained through insecure doors and windows, especially at the rear of the property. More information is on the Thames Valley Police’s Safer Homes Campaign which aims to raise awareness among householders about what you can do to prevent and reduce burglary.

Please remember to lock your sheds to protect lawn mowers and garden equipment including fishing gear which are a favourites to be stolen during the summer months. Garages have also been targeted and officers are patrolling in the area. Please report any suspicious behaviour and pass details to the Police.

Police have been carrying out targeted patrols in the day time and at night in the Sandhurst area following a slight increase from theft of tools from work vehicles. Please secure your vehicle and think about where you are parking i.e. ideally on your driveway with the rear of vehicle parked close to the wall or garage or where there is good lighting. Make sure your property is marked up and not on display.

Theft from a vehicle in Peterhouse Close occurred on Wednesday 12 – 13 October from 15:00 to 09:00. Entry was gained via the front passenger door and items stolen including Ipod and Sat nav.

One garage was half opened on 5 – 6 October between 20:00- 11:00 and no items stolen. The other attempted on Thursday 6 October between 02:00 – 06:00 at Crake Place in College Town. Please ensure you secure your garage and keep a record of serial numbers of any items of property.

A padlock was prized off a garage door on Wednesday 5 October between the hours of 17:00 on 5 October – 14:00 on 8 October.

Myself and colleagues have been carrying out Clear Car Campaign and advising members of the public not to leave valuables in their vehicles and report any suspicious behaviour to Police.

On 19 September tools were recovered from a stolen vehicle in Moray Avenue.

Please report any suspicious behaviour right away or think about joining a Neighbourhood Watch Scheme in your area.

If you have any information which might assist the Police with their enquiries, please telephone 0845 8 505 505 (or 101 from 14 November) or if you wish to remain anonymous, contact Crimestoppers Charity on 0800 555 111.

Operation Lion Cub is proving to be successful over Friday and Saturday nights helping to reduce anti-social behaviour and providing faster response times to incidents and providing reassurance and confidence to the public. In the run up to Halloween shops and supermarkets have been visited and advised not to sell eggs and flour in large quanties to children and posters displayed. No Trick or Treat posters for those wishing not to get a visit on Halloween i.e. elderley have been left in shops and community places. Targetted patrols conducted in hot spots.

During the holiday period and summer months officers have been patrolling hotspots on Op Lion Cub 2 extended during these times.

If you are affected by ASB please contact your local neighbourhood team or go through the Thames Valley Police Non-emergency number at the bottom of the page.

Reassuring Facts

The crime figures for the period April to July 2011 continue to show a downward trend in Bracknell Forest. There have been 161 reported crimes of violence in this period compared with 238 in the same period last year; a reduction of -32%. There has also been a reduction of Serious Acquisitive Crime (burglary, vehicle crime & robbery) from 319 offences to 231 a reduction of -27% . Reports of criminal damage to property fell from 405 to 231, a reduction of 12%. Reports of anti-social behaviour are down by 13% over the same period.

All these reductions follow substantial reductions last year and numbers aside, mean fewer people have suffered at the hands of criminals and become victims.

Offenders brought to justice

A 19 year old man was charged and summonsed with conspiracy to steal motorbikes in Millins Close, Owlsmoor.

Three other men of the same age were also connected with offences in the local area.

Following forensics evidence a 17 year old was arrested in relation to a burglary dwelling at Sterling Gardens which occurred six years ago. The glass was taken out of the front door in an attempt to reach the lock and was foiled by the second lock.

Two youths were issued with section 59 warnings for anti-socal driving in the Sports Centre car park in Owlsmoor by PCSO Ivana Houska on Operation Lion Cub. Details were entered into the Police National Database after the warning was issued. If caught again offenders will have their vehicles seized by Police and will have to pay a large recovery fee.

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. A number of shopliftings have occurred this month from The Meadows Retail Park, and some have been dealt with by way of fixed penalty or an adult caution.

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 can not only cause accidents with other cars but may cause injury to members of the public, yourselves and your children.

Please ensure you do not mark 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.

One advisory ticket was issued this month for obstruction to the junction at Richmond Road. We have an agreement with Sandhurst Sports Centre, off Owlsmoor Road, to park in their car park at school times to pick and drop off. You can walk down the Greenways to Branksome Hill road to College Town Schools.

PCSO Katherine Bullen and myself attended Bracknell Forest Council Team in action day around Owlsmoor including Moor Close flats. We were there to support residents and listen to any concerns they had and were able to work with Bracknell Forest Council. Residents were given advice over A.S.B. and meet their local neighbourhood team.

You can contact your local neighbourhood policing team through a number of methods:

The next Have Your Say Meeting is held by PCSO Willcocks:

Date: Sunday 6 November from 11:00 – Midday

Venue: Yeovil road shops, Owlsmoor

Contact: PCSO Alastair Willcocks

If you want any advice or would like to contact the neighbourhood team you can call us on the police non emergency number 0845 8 505505 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.

Thames Valley Police ~ Owlsmoor

Here is the November update from Police Community Support Officer Ivana Houska-Mitchell.

Your neighbourhood policing team, Neighbourhood Specialist Officer PC Alex Hillan,

PC Steven Botwright and PCSO Ivana Houska-Mitchell

Thames Valley goes live with 101

Thames Valley Police is due to go live with 101, the new national single non-emergency number on 14 November 2011, which will replace 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.

The crime figures for this period compared to last year have just been released by Thames Valley Police and continue to show a downward trend. There has been a reduction to the total of all recorded crime by 26.4%. Burglary dwelling has reduced by 40%. Reports of criminal damage are reduced by 62%.

All these reductions follow substantial reductions last year and numbers aside, mean fewer people have suffered at the hands of criminals and become victims.

Further information on local crime figures is available on the Governments website www.police.uk

Two 19 year olds are appearing at Reading Court in November in connection with a burglary in Pinehill Road, Crowthorne, where a vehicle and other valuables were stolen. They are due to be sentenced later this month.

A local man from Crowthorne, has been sentenced this month for his part in a robbery at a local newsagent in Crowthorne which occurred in April of this year, he received an indeterminate sentence, serving a minimum of 33 months.

Operation Level, a speeding awareness operation taking place in local roads using the Speeding Indication Device (SID), has been going on for just under a year. It was recently held on 13 October and on 24 October both on Crowthorne Road, towards Sandhurst. 39 Vehicles recorded speeding and doing in excess of the 35MPH in a 30MPH limit on 13 October and 35 vehicles recorded on 24 October, this was carried out over a 2 hour period when approximately 500 cars had driven past.

Wildmoor Heath and Edgbarrow school will be taking part in growing seeds into plants using greenhouses provided from the ‘For the Future Campaign’. The plants grown by the schools will be transferred into the large plant pots in the High Street. This is an ongoing project and we desperatley need people all over Crowthorne to help with the watering/weeding and give general TLC to the plants throughout all seasons. The aim is to get people involved in caring for their local community and to help youngsters take pride. If you would like to help support the ongoing project eg by donating plants, seeds, weeding, watering etc please contact me.

You can contact your local neighbourhood policing team through a number of methods:The next Have Your Say Meeting will be held by PCSO Houska on 14 November between 16:00-17:00 at the library on the High Street.

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.

If you want any advice or would like to contact the neighbourhood team you can call us on the police non emergency number 0845 8 505505 or email CrowthorneNHPT@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 has been used successfully to locate vehicles of interest to the police.

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 ~ Crowthorne