Where are we with local crime? What are the police doing about it?
It has been announced by Matthew Barber, Police and Crime Commissioner for Thames Valley that they are investing in 80 additional officers from April 2023. This follows the recent poll, as featured in Wraysbury.com, which generated 373 responses for the entire TV area.
Thames Valley has 4832 police officers, presumably with the additional 80, giving a total 4912. However in an analysis of new Home Office statistics from the House of Commons, it has been found that in the past eight years there are 171 fewer PCSOs in Thames Valley, which might suggest the additional 80 won’t be additional boots on the ground.
An additional 80 officers to cover Thames Valley Area, covering 2,000 square miles of 3 counties, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire, with a combined population of 2.34 million, plus being required to police the 6 million visitors we receive each year.
So it wouldn’t on the surface look like a great boost…
Of this total it is understood that an additional 4 officers will be allocated to Windsor and Maidenhead, at a cost of £240,000. These officers, who will be tasked jointly by the local authority and Thames Valley Police, will be deployed as part of the council’s neighbouring policing team, and will help address anti-social behaviour, fly-tipping, and more in both urban and rural areas. Which will definitely please local residents
The four additional officers will be policing the entire area above, with 153,500 people (2021 census) over an area of 77 sq miles.
However, although it might be suggested the additional officers will have limited impact, our local crime picture is definitely improving, maybe as a result of better household crime prevention, maybe from more effective policing, but over the last 6 months crime in our area (Windsor East, pop15,000) has decreased:
Neighbourhood Team
Every neighbourhood in Thames Valley has a dedicated Neighbourhood Policing team.
Neighbourhood Policing teams can be contacted via 101, the Thames Valley Police non-emergency number. Always call 999 in an emergency.
Neighbourhood Policing teams…
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- Are led by senior police officers and include police community support officers (PCSOs), often together with volunteer police officers, volunteers and partners.
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- May serve one or several neighbourhoods.
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- Work with local people and partners to identify, tackle and prevent local, low-level crime, anti-social behaviour, and any ongoing concerns.
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- Provide you with a visible, accessible and accountable police service and aim to make your neighbourhood safer.
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- Have been present in every Thames Valley neighbourhood since 1 April 2008.
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- Focus all of their efforts on their dedicated neighbourhoods, building relationships with local people.
Neighbourhood Policing…
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- Needs you to tell us about the issues that concern you in your area.
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- Has transformed policing at a local level, to meet the needs of local communities.
From the start of 2010, Thames Valley Police extended its neighbourhood consultation by introducing a wider range of publicised opportunities to meet neighbourhood teams.
We will provide open monthly meetings to allow the public to influence our priorities. These meetings will be branded as Have Your Say opportunities, and in many cases will be held in conjunction with partners. We will advise you through Wraysbury.com when local events are happening.
Once local priorities have been identified, a broader ‘toolkit’ of problem-solving tactics is being made available to ensure crime and anti-social behaviour is tackled effectively.
Across the Thames Valley area, there are many successful Neighbourhood Action Groups which will continue to deliver local problem solving, but the introduction of Have Your Say meetings will allow neighbourhood teams to identify more quickly those specific local priorities that need attention.
Thames Valley Police views the introduction of Have Your Say meetings as a positive step in tackling issues that matter most to the public. I welcome your support and engagement in this endeavour.
Local Crime in Context
As of 2023, the crime rate in Wraysbury is 9% lower than the South East and 15% lower than the England, Wales & Northern Ireland overall figure. But lets all work together to moving the crime rate in the right way.
