05/12/11….Latest from the Thame Community Policing team

HERE is the latest Thame neighbourhood update from Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) Chris Hollis, Richard Howard, Lucy Thorne and Diane Jackson.

Anti-social behaviour (ASB) Information

We have received reports of ASB in the Cuttlebrook, where young people are gathering creating noise nuisance. This area is on our patrol plan and will be monitored regularly.

The most common way we can deal with incidents of ASB is by issuing ASB warning letters, acceptable behaviour contracts (ABCs), anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs), Section 27 orders ? direction to leave locality, and Section 59 orders – contracts issued for using a vehicle in an anti-social manner.

One Section 59 order has been issued this month for using a vehicle in an anti-social manner.

Two young people under the age of 16 were issued a warning letter from the ASB team following an incident where they were smoking in a park.

Four Youth Restorative Disposals (YRDs) have been issued this month by PCSO Richard Howard. Two young boys were issued a YRD each for theft, and two were also issued to two young girls who had committed criminal damage.

PCSO Richard Howard identified two offenders that had caused criminal damage to a bench in the Cuttlebrook. Two YRDs have been issued and the graffiti has been removed from the bench.

Priorities

Our Local Priority for Thame is ASB. To prevent ASB, we conduct high visibility patrols in and around the town, engaging with members of the public, listening to local people?s community concerns/issues. Where problems are brought to our attention, we conduct home visits with parents present, issue warning letters and work with offenders to encourage them to move forward.

Offenders brought to justice

In November eight offenders have been brought to justice for the following;

Driving with no insurance, no MOT, no tax and displaying false plates
Two illegal immigrants were caught after exiting a lorry in Thame
Three x thefts
Two x criminal damage
Crime Mapping

The Home Office national crime mapping website gives the public access to street-level crime information as well as information on their Neighbourhood Policing Teams, Neighbourhood Priorities and Events – details of Have Your Say and other neighbourhood activities. Log on to www.police.uk, type in your local postcode or neighbourhood name and then click on ?Find out more?.

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. More information can be obtained via our website, and you can sign up here too: http://www.tvpcommunitymessaging.org/rmwebportal/startup.aspx.

Partnership Activity

We continue to work with our partners, ensuring that we liaise on a regular basis with the schools on our sector to maintain the good rapport we have built up.

PCSO Lucy Thorne has been working closely with the schools over the past month promoting Education Watch and Caretaker Watch; these have been passed to the Watch office to be implemented.

The Neighbourhood Policing Team has worked with the local community to target a persistent nuisance neighbour. Numerous reports of loud music were received relating to an address in Thame so we worked together with Environmental Health to issue a noise abatement order to prevent such ASB.

We conduct monthly site inspections with Soha, South Vale Housing and Sovereign Housing, tackling low level neighbourhood disputes.

We continue to engage regularly with the local Town Council, picking up any local concerns people raise and events which are taking place over coming months.

Pubwatch meetings continue to be held every two months and Country Watch meetings are held quarterly.

Non-partnership Activity

PCSO Richard Howard has been working with local businesses on the industrial estates in Thame in an effort to set up a Business Watch. This would better inform local businesses of crime in the area and has been received well in the areas he has approached so far.

Planned Activity

We have participated in the following operations during November:

Maginot – this operation continues to run, tackling travelling criminals entering and leaving our area. Due to an increase in thefts from vehicles in the Thame area and surrounding villages, we have been deploying the Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) device at dedicated times and providing a highly visible police presence aimed at deterring and preventing offences taking place, offering reassurance and assisting in the capture and prosecution of offenders.

ANPR is a powerful tool that can help prevent crime by identifying flagged vehicles.

Benefits of ANPR

ANPR identifies suspect vehicles that may not normally attract police attention.
Unlicensed or uninsured vehicles are likely to be seized on the spot by ANPR equipped officers.
It can be used to gather intelligence on known criminals and for running pro-active operations using dedicated Roads Policing intercept teams.
ANPR cameras are not safety cameras – they are not used by Thames Valley Police to catch speeding or otherwise law abiding motorists. ANPR cameras are not used to generate money for the Government or other agencies.

Magpie – This operation involves checking parked vehicles in local car parks for valuables left on display.

Mangrove – this was set up as a result of fuel thefts from heavy goods vehicles in our local area. This operation involves us carrying out static patrols in key areas at key times in marked vehicles.

Moonlight – this operation will be running continuously and is working to protect the night time economy of Thame Town centre by preventing and detecting ASB/violent assaults and managing licensed premises. PCSOs are working with police officers to conduct high visibility patrols in the town centre and liaising with the pubs, carrying out licence checks.

Thames Valley Police goes live with 101

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

Have Your Say online

You can now send non-emergency messages to us using the online form that is available on the Thames Valley Police website. A number of people have already sent their concerns using this method. For you to do that please follow the link: http://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/yournh/yournh-about-nh-pol/yournh-tvp-pol-area-n153-hys. Please allow some time for us to get back to you as we do check our mail box only at certain times of the day.

There is also the opportunity to attend Have Your Say meetings in person. Upcoming Have Your Say meetings are:-

Saturday 12 December 2011 from 3:30pm ? 5:30pm at the Co-Op Caf