25/11/10….Thame Area Crime update from Insp Martin Ford

THE Thame Police Teams have been running a range of operational activity from intelligence gathering through to prevention and deterrence, as well as enforcement activity. This has been a busy year that started with a concerning initial increase in distraction burglary in the Thame area which was halted by the effective arrest, charge and remand of offenders.

CCTV

The operator saw and reported three males climb onto a roof at the rear of a shop in High Street. Police attended and one of the males was arrested for Breach of Bail.

CCTV is part of an integrated, multi-agency approach to reduce crime and disorder and the fear of crime. In addition, the cameras play a role in the prevention of incidents and proactive policing.

CCTV is an additional tool that has a significant impact in crime reduction. This includes deterring crime, the detection of crime and a reduction in the fear of crime. There are currently 61 operational CCTV cameras in South Oxfordshire. The CCTV control room is a council run service located at Abingdon Police Station, where camera operators are employed to monitor the cameras.

The district council, town councils and police all contribute to paying for the CCTV service.

The Neighbourhood Teams continue to engage with local communities with advertised monthly ?Have Your Say? meetings and the team welcome meeting people at these events to tackle their community safety issues. A range of operational activity including Operations Merlin, Mickle and Maginot have been running to tackle serious acquisitive crime. Operation Merlin led by Sergeant Hookham has been active in tackling autocrime, lead thefts and graffiti within the Thame and Wheatley area. One prolific offender was arrested and charged with disqualified driving, receiving a six month custodial sentence. Six persons have been arrested and are currently on police bail for lead thefts and six persons have been arrested in relation to graffiti in the Wheatley area.

We are actively promoting Country Watch and have been running Operation Muddy which included 4X4 off road patrols in the more remote rural communities. Bollard placement on the Ridgeway has successfully restricted access in liaison with Local Estates and Oxfordshire County Council.

Local police have taken a robust approach in relation to Raves, successfully disrupting events at an early stage and last year resulted in a successful prosecution of a Rave organiser and seizure of a significant amount of amplification equipment.

Operation Shovel has also been running to tackle the theft of agricultural plant and machinery.

There was a tragic murder at Oxfordshire Golf Club. The police response was effective with police on scene within four minutes and a prompt arrest with the offender now charged and remanded, awaiting trial in January. This was an isolated and shocking incident.

A robbery took place at Gatwards the Jewellers in Thame, arrests and prosecutions have resulted from this offence.

Thame has experienced a 27% reduction in reports of anti social behaviour in the current year 2010.

TRICKSTER – Burglary play proves a distracting attraction?Thame and Henley

Hundreds of elderly and vulnerable people in South Oxfordshire have been given advice on how to avoid falling victim to criminals. Police in the area, working alongside partners and the Solomon Theatre Company, gave a presentation and play at the Thame Leisure Centre and the Christchurch Centre in Henley on 13th October, spelling out how distraction burglars operate and gain entry to homes.

Those attending had been identified as needing support through existing networks established by the police, Oxfordshire County Council and Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue.

They were given simple, easy to remember advice through musical production in which a distraction burglar attempts to take cash from an elderly man.
The event, organised by Crime Reduction Advisor Malcolm Wills and PC Paul Gregory, was a huge success. It was funded by South Oxfordshire Community Safety Partnership.

At the end of the event all those who attended were presented with a bag containing emergency numbers and information about what to do if they are a victim of crime.

PHOTO: Courtesy of www.oxfordmail.co.uk