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Jeffrey Pick, Community Engagement and Resilience Officer, Thames Valley Police began by stating that the crime statistics for December 2021 were not as bad as expected over the Christmas period, the report had been shared in advance of the forum. He had also asked all neighbourhood teams to study the most recent figures with a focus on cars being entered by unknown means. Lots of recordings had been seen on doorbell cameras of persons walking past and shining torches into cars and trying to open cars. 3 reports had been made of car thefts on the same road in Ascot, with the owner of one of the cars claiming they were positive that it had been locked, only to find the car door open in the morning.

Jeffry Pick stated that PCSO’s had been told to photograph cars with valuables left inside, to warn the public of the risks of doing this. These campaigns were seen to be occurring 3 or 4 times per day and he added that these campaigns would commence soon.

Councillor Davey asked about an incident that was posted on Facebook at the Pirate Park recently abusing commuters. He asked if there was a police employee who monitored social media constantly to prevent incidents like these from occurring in the future and what was the best way forward. Jeffery Pick responded by stating that the police could only register on Facebook community pages if they lived in that specific area as a local resident. He added that currently any disturbances that were reported went down as a suspicious incident. This would then be passed onto the neighbourhood team, who would then investigate. He reiterated that it was important for residents to report incidents at the time of the event, and that this could be done easily via the front page of the Thames Valley Police website.

Councillor Rayner asked about the status of bikes that had been recovered and if there were plans to distribute these out. Jeffery Pick said that there were currently none left and had all been distributed through various means. He said that it was difficult to re-distribute recovered bikes as technically they were not the police’s property to give away. He noted that this issue had been escalated to see if a solution could be identified. He also encouraged all residents to photograph their bikes and note down the serial number in case they were stolen, as too many people who have their bikes stolen were unable to describe or identify their bike accurately.

Councillor Bateson asked for clarification on what road Jeffery Pick was referring too in Ascot where the 3 cars were broken into. Jefferey Pick confirmed that this road was called Royal Victoria Gardens.

Councillor Tisi asked if it was possible at the next forum meeting to get an update on violent crime. Jeffery Pick said that Sergeant Catherine Griffiths dealt with this and that he would invite her to the next forum meeting.

ACTION: Sergeant Catherine Griffiths to update forum on violent crime at next meeting.

Councillor Carole Da Costa said that it was important that residents reported crime in the right places and not on social media. She pleaded with her fellow members to encourage residents to report crimes in the correct manner. Jeffrey Pick and Councillor Cannon both agreed with this and reiterated that the correct process should be followed.

Councillor Cannon asked why the 101 number asked residents for numerous pieces of personal information when reporting a crime. Jeffrey Pick replied by stating that this was a requirement of the Home Office and not Thames Valley Police to assist with the monitoring of diversity and equality issues.

Councillor Sharpe asked for comparisons of crime seen in Windsor compared with neighbouring areas of similar size. David Scott, Head of Communities said that the overall headline position was that Windsor compared favourably, however he added that residents should not become complacent because of this.

ACTION: David Scott to investigate what ways there are to compare the borough’s crime statistics to neighbouring locations.

The Chairman asked about Smart Water crime prevention material and if it could be brought into areas such as Windsor. Jeffrey Pick replied by saying that the Deputy Area Commander purchased £15,000 of Smart Water in 2021 and that key roads that were most targeted for theft and burglary had been offered this and that this initiative was ongoing.