Priorities
Burglary: The pro-active good work around burglary has continued during the month of June and we have seen another month with zero growth compared to the same period last year. The neighbourhood team have continued to work hard promoting crime reduction advice and targeted patrols in vulnerable locations. We had a fantastic result in Wheatley in May with the arrest of a male for burglary who was subsequently charged and taken court.
Theft from vehicles:
We have seen a sharp increase in thefts from motor vehicles during the past two months. Please do not leave valuables on view and be especially mindful when parking in remote locations or busy areas that there is a possibility that you may be being observed whilst you place all your items of value in the boot of your vehicle.
• Always ensure that items of value are not left on display.
• Try and place any valuable items in the boot before reaching your destination or take them with you.
• Do not leave electronic devices in sleep mode or on standby in your vehicle. They can be detected!
• Be mindful that you could be being watched.
• Ensure that your vehicle is actually locked by trying the door handles. Key fob blockers are available online.
• Be vigilant and report any suspicious people or vehicles by calling 101.
ASB:
You told us you were concerned about anti-social behaviour in and around Thame town at night. The neighbourhood team continue to patrol the town and engage with the youths. Warning letters have been issued to many youths with vehicles advising them to ensure they are not driving in an anti-social manner. Additionally the youths are being advised to keep their music to a minimum when parked up and to be respectful to other members of the public. The Thame neighbourhood team have future operations planned which are aimed at detecting anti-social behaviour and crime in and around the Thame area at night.
Following the challenging summer last year in the public spaces around Thame, we have worked closely with the Town Council and the District council to prevent a reoccurrence this year. The PSPO (Public Spaces Protection Order) is now in place in Thame preventing the consumption of alcohol and enabling us to disperse groups committing ASB, further we have targeted a number of our core offenders with enforcement work and disrupted their offending, violent crime in the town has reduced and Anti-Social Behaviour is down 41% year on year. Again we urge the public to report incidents to the police, share intelligence with us either by reporting to the police or Crimestoppers.
Operation Sceptre 18th to 25th September
This is the national campaign to reduce knife crime and begins on the 18th September and runs until the 25th. According to figures from our crime recorded system, knife crime continues to increase. As part of the activity taking place across Thames Valley, members of the public will be able to dispose of any dangerous knives between these dates with amnesty boxes placed in schools and other locations across the region. We will post more details of the locations of the Amnesty in next month’s update. PCSOs Di Jackson and Maya Brien will be attending Lord Williams to present a weapons awareness talk to the students.
Home security advice
Burglaries are still being reported in our area. There are simple crime prevention tips to keep your property safe;
• Lock all front and rear doors and windows at night and when you are out.
• Keep all valuables and keys, including car keys, out of sight and out of reach of windows and letterboxes. Double check your vehicle is locked too.
• Ensure side gates are locked to prevent access to the rear of your property. Move bins away from side walls and fences.
• Keep ladders and tools stored away. Don’t leave them outside where they could be used to break into your home.
Are you going on holiday?
• Please do not advertise that you are going away on social media – wait until you get home to upload your holiday snaps!
• Check that your home insurance policy, as some may pay out less or not at all, if you have posted that you are away on social media.
• Use a timer switch to make your house look occupied, even when it isn’t.
• Ask someone you trust to keep an eye on your house while you are away.
• Don’t leave spare keys in obvious places such as under doormats and plant pots.
Neighbourhood team news
• We have two new PCSOs who have joined the Thame Neighbourhood Team, PCSO Maya Brien and PCSO Jorden Ede who I am sure you will meet out and about on patrol in the near future.
• PCSO Graham Davey has done a sterling job in tracking down the offenders who caused damage to the allotments in Watlington. Graham will be completing a Restorative Justice meeting, where the youths accompanied by their parents are given the opportunity to apologise in person for any damage caused.
• Arrests have been made in relation to the recent ATM theft at the Coop store in Watlington
• PCSO Graham Davey will be presenting a Scam / Security talk at Lord Williams Lower School youth centre at 10:30 on the 4th July for the Partially sighted and visually handicapped so if this is of interest to you please come along and join in.
• Don’t forget to come and visit your local team on Sunday the 29th of July at the Emergency Services fun day which will be taking place on the Southern Road recreation ground, Thame. It will give you and the family the opportunity to engage with different teams from various different strands of the emergency services
