Neighbourhood Policing

January 2012

Here is the latest Chalgrove neighbourhood update from Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) Chris Ratcliff.

Neighbourhood Priorities

Anti-social behaviour (ASB) - reports of ASB on the Chalgrove neighbourhood are few and far between. During December we only received one call for ASB which was for under aged drinking by The Crown bus stop in Chalgrove. The persons involved were spoken to by officers but no alcohol was found and noise levels were acceptable. We continue to patrol high risk areas on a daily basis to help reduce ASB.

Emerging Crime Trends - although at the moment there is no real pattern of location to crimes on our area, generally the majority are occurring overnight and mainly are burglary to out buildings (sheds and garages) and theft from vehicles (mainly vans for tools). We are still actively patrolling areas and giv-ing advice to residents who leave items on display in their vehicles.

Crime Information

Chalgrove: Overnight on the 23 to 24 December an unlocked garage was entered in Bower End and meat stolen. The youth centre was entered overnight on the 20 to 21 December and dam-age caused.

Stadhampton: A vehicle was broken into on the 20 December between 11:45am and 1:45pm. The van was parked outside Brookhampton Cottages on the Newing-ton Road and tools were stolen.

Great Milton: A digger was stolen overnight on the 19 and 20 December from Le Manoir restaurant.

Chiselhampton: Overnight on the 6 and 7 December two properties on Marylands Green had their sheds broken into and tools stolen and another house opposite on the Clifton Hampden Road was burgled the same night. It is believed the offend-ers parked in the driveway of the empty thatched cottage opposite Marylands Green and walked in the field alongside the houses to gain entrance to the back gardens and sheds.

If you have any information on the crimes listed above, especially if you saw any vehicles parked in the driveway of the thatched cottage in Chiselhampton, please contact us on the new police non emergency number 101. Alternatively, to call anonymously with information about crime - Crimestoppers 0800 555 111 or log on to the Crimestoppers website:- http://www.crimestoppers-uk.org.

Crime Reduction

Taking the following steps below can help against being a victim of burglary.

Install lights with plug-in automatic timer controls - timer lights convince any potential burglar that you're at home. Have the lights switching themselves on and off in the bedroom, hall, kitchen, lounge and bathroom.

Use a plug-in timer on your radio to make it sound as if someone is at home. Choose a radio station that has more talking than music.

If you're out or going away, ask a trusted neighbour to close your curtains for you. If curtains are not going to be drawn while you are out, consider using timer switches on low table lamps around the room, rather than the main ceiling light.

Doors and Windows

• Always remove keys from door and window locks. This stops someone from smashing the glass and reaching through to grab the keys to enter your property. Keep all keys in a safe place.
• Do not leave spare keys lying around the home. Never leave any keys under the doormat, in a flowerpot or behind a loose brick - burglars know to look in those places. Ask a relative, friend or neighbour to look after your spare keys.
• If you use only one type of window lock in your home, keep the key on your main key ring and not near every window.
• Make sure that you know where your keys are located (preferably in a hidden place) just in case there is a fire and you need to unlock doors or windows to get out of your property.
• Check that your door frames are securely fixed to the brickwork and that there are no weak wooden door panels.
• Before fitting any additional locks, ask a reliable builder or joiner to further secure the door frame to the brickwork.
• Some traditional back doors which are glazed at the top with a plywood panel at the bottom can be vulnerable. Screw a piece of half-inch exterior grade plywood to the panels to strengthen them. Paint the plywood in the colour of your door so that you can hardly notice it.
• For added security, bolt the new panel straight through the door itself using round-headed bolts on the outside.
• Fit a mortise dead lock - one that conforms to British Standards (BS) 3621 - to all external doors. Mortise locks need a key to open from either side of the door. Choose one that has at least five levers. Contact a qualified locksmith for advice, or contact your local crime prevention and reduction adviser on the police non-emergency number 101.

Patio doors and French windows

• Fit one or two purpose-made locks or a security bar to sliding patio doors. Ask a qualified locksmith for advice, or contact your local crime prevention and reduction adviser on the police non-emergency number 101.
• If you have a patio door that slides on the inside of the fixed panel, place a piece of wood in the full length of the floor track between the door and the frame (on the inside). The piece of wood can be made to match the wooden sill. This makes the door difficult to force open, even with a crow-bar.
• You should not be able to lift patio doors that slide on the outside of the fixed panel off their runners. Contact a double glazing company to enquire about fitting a metal block onto the frame, just above the door in its closed position. This makes it impossible to lift a locked door off its runners.
• With French windows, fit mortise bolts to the top and bottom of each opening glazed, wooden door. Fit bolts into the frame and not the other door. Remember: the lock which secures one door into the other is only as strong as the door.
• If the wood in the doors of your French windows is not thick enough to allow mortise bolts to be fitted, or the style of the doors does not allow it, consider traditional draw bolts or surface-mounted bolts which lock.

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.

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:-

December

Great Haseley - opposite Village Hall, Rectory Road, Thu 15/12/11, 1pm to 2pm

Great Milton - near the post office, High Street, Thu 15/12/11, 2:15pm to 3:15pm

Chalgrove - outside the village shops, High Street, Tue 20/12/11, 11am to 1pm

January

Chalgrove - outside the village shops, High Street, Sat 21/01/12, 10am to midday

Stadhampton - Village Green, by the Church entrance, Thu 26/01/12, 10am to 11am

Little Milton - Village Post Office, Thame Road, Thu 26/01/12, 11:15am to 12:15pm

These meetings are an ideal opportunity for local residents to speak to their local Police Officer and PCSO's about any local issues, no appointment is necessary just turn up and speak to your local officers. Further meetings will be publicised locally and on the force website at http://www.thamesvalley.police.uk.

If you want any advice or would like to contact the neighbourhood team you can call us on the Police non emergency number 101 or email WheatleyNHPT@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk. Please note this email address cannot be used to contact Thames Valley Police to report crimes or for any urgent matters. Alternatively you can visit the force website at http://www.thamesvalley.police.uk to view information on your neighbourhood.