To hear from Inspector Tracey Croucher on the use of fireworks and Covid restrictions in Maidenhead.

Inspector Tracey Croucher, Thames Valley Police, updated the Forum with figures on crime in Maidenhead. Overall, the number of incidents that were reported to the police was lower than last year, although lockdown played a significant factor in this. The latest figures on crime were from the period 1^st September to 16^th November 2020:

·         In Maidenhead Central, there were 7 reported burglaries, down from 14 last year.

·         In Maidenhead South, there were 18 reported, down from 28 last year.

·         In Maidenhead West, there were 14 reported, which was up from 13 last year.

A lot of hard work had been put into this by the team and there was a good overall picture on the figures. Last weekend, Inspector Tracey Croucher and other colleagues had been invited to the Remembrance Day commemorations and she passed on her thanks to RBWM. TVP had recently taken part in Operation Spectre which was a national initiate designed to tackle knife crime. Updates on the operation could be found on the TVP Windsor and Maidenhead Facebook page.

Considering enforcement of Covid restrictions, Inspector Tracey Croucher explained that the police were still issuing fines for non-compliance. However, this was now in the form of a summons to court which would then decide on the level of the fine, rather than it just being a blanket £10,000 fine. TVP had a ‘Covid car’ which had been patrolling Maidenhead and was available 24 hours a day. The idea was to try and manage the pressure and allow the neighbourhood teams to respond to any Covid compliance issues. The borough had been very good at complying with the guidance and enforcement had been targeted at the very small minority that disregarded the legislation. The car was an opportunity for TVP to get out into the community and engage with residents.

The Chairman said that one of the PSPOs had been a great help to him and his wife recently when they hosted a Halloween party. Inspector Tracey Croucher said that Halloween had been a wonderful opportunity for people to come together and celebrate the event safely. TVP did not receive many complaints of anti-social behaviour over the period.

Jeff Pick, Community and Engagement Officer, said that TVP were currently promoting a winter burglary campaign designed to make residents aware that they needed to make sure their homes were secure and protected. Before Covid, TVP had been doing home surveys where officers looked at improvements that could be made to the security of a home. Additional security could be installed as part of the survey, with the help of Neighbourhood Watch. It was hoped that this would be restarted in the near future.

Regarding fireworks, the rules and regulations surrounding them had not changed since 2004. Between 11pm and 7am no fireworks were allowed to be set off, with a midnight cut off for some special events. Information and guidance would be circulated to members of the Forum after the meeting.

The Chairman said that in his view there had been less fireworks this year but he had received a number of emails from residents who wanted to see more restrictions.

Councillor Baskerville asked a number of questions:

·         What powers did the police have to enforce firework regulations?

·         During Operation Spectre, how many knives did the police seize?

·         How many people had been taken to court so far over a breach of Covid restrictions?

Jeff Pick said that enforcement came in the form of warnings or fines that could be issued, but it was often hard to locate exactly where a firework had been set off from. A knife bin had been put in Maidenhead police station along with numerous sweeps of various parks across the borough, but no knives had been located. Further information on this operation was available on the TVP Windsor and Maidenhead Facebook page.

Inspector Tracey Croucher said that they did not know the number of people taken to court, once a ticket had been issued it was in the hands of the court and the police played no further role.

Councillor Stimson, Lead Member for Climate Change, Sustainability, Parks and Countryside, passed on her thanks to the team for all their hard work. She said they had been able to facilitate people having fun whilst ensuring that everyone was kept safe. Inspector Tracey Croucher thanked Councillor Stimson for her support and kind words.

Councillor G Jones asked if the spy hole services were provided free of charge. Jeff Pick confirmed that they were, with different types available which could help elderly residents in particular. There was a local builder that volunteered his services free of charge. Jeff Pick also recommended that video doorbells be installed as they could provide vital footage of streets and cars and could be used as evidence if any crimes had been committed.

Councillor Baldwin said that there had been 88 stop and searches recorded by TVP in Maidenhead, with 24 arrests. This seemed like a very high arrest figure and asked why this was the case.

Inspector Tracey Croucher explained that the stop and search power was under scrutiny at all times to ensure that it was being used correctly and legally. Stop and search was an intelligence led tool available to TVP, which was based on both people and location. This also was the same for vehicles, information would be used to stop a vehicle if it was deemed a crime could be committed or there was reason to search the vehicle.