Crime figures falling in Thame

POSITIVE news on crime in the Thame area has been delivered by the town’s Local Neighbourhood Sergeant, Sergeant Neil Anns.

Reporting in person to Thame Town Council, Sgt Anns said that crime figures were down with a year-on-year reduction of 20% in violent crime and a 41% reduction in anti-social behaviour. During the summer months, he said, there had been a targeted effort by his team resulting in a number of offenders being arrested and charged. Some have received custodial sentences and others restraining orders preventing them from visiting the town.

Shoplifting offences down

The officer reported that burglary from dwellings was down, bucking the national trend and that vehicle crime figures remained stable. Also, much work had been done to reinvigorate Shop Watch and as a consequence, there was evidence that there had been a marked reduction in shop lifting in the town. He said that the the number of Officers in the Neighourhood Policing Team had increased, and that there was now two PCs and seven PCSOs. The increase in numbers allowed the police to have a more visible presence and to deal more effectively with criminality. (Ed. PCSO Ryan Dollery has left the Thame Neighbourhood team and begans his training for his new PC role with TVP on Monday, November 5)

Warning of ‘huge impact’ of police pension changes

Sgt Anns acknowledged an increase in Precept (the force’s share of the Community Charge money raised from households across the district) this year for police funding of £432m. On a less positive note however, he said that recent information suggested that the Government intends to change the way the counting and collecting of police pension funds takes place which, if agreed, will equate to a cut of £450m in police budgets. Considering 92% of police budgets goes on staffing this will have a huge impact, he said. (See LINK)

Working with youth

Sgt Anns said the police were working the Thame Youth Projects Group and supported their ambitions for an outreach worker and to have a permanent home at Southern Recreation Ground. The police had also provided funding for the group.

Cllr questions police’s ‘disproportionate’ response to Park Street collision

Cllr Mike Dyer asked Sgt Anns about the police response to an incident in Park Street, Thame, recently, when a pedestrian was in collision with a taxi. Cllr Dyer praised the quick actions of residents and the prompt response of the Emergency Services, but ask whether to appearance of ‘at least seven police cars was a little disproportionate!’ Sgt Anns replied that he would be very surprised if that number of police cars had been available that night, but that an investigation into the incident is on-going and that there was a suggestion of criminality associated with the incident, to which there is ‘more than meets the eye’. The pedestrian is fine, he confirmed when asked about the man’s medical condition.

A crime-free Thame fair

The Mayor of Thame, Cllr Ann Midwinter, congratulated the local policing team on a crime-free Thame fair this year.

Parking enforcement

Sgt Anns reported that in Berkshire and Buckinghamshire the local authorities are responsible for on-street parking enforcement, and that South Oxfordshire District Council is currently looking into taking over parking enforcement from the police in our district. The officer said that he would expect the change to happen within the next 18 months.

NB The local police have made it clear in the past that, because of a lack of resources and pressure to deal with more major criminality, illegal parking in the town has not been a priority for them. (See LINK)

Meet the local policing team to talk about any policing concerns you may have – The next sessions are being held at the Co-op Thame: 06/12/18 at 10am and at Waitrose Thame: 21/11/18 at 3pm & 14/12/18 at 11am