To receive the above item.

The forum noted the written report that had been provided by Jeff Pick, Thames Valley Police.

Jeff Pick suggested that an enormous number of catalytic convertors had been stolen in recent times from the Legoland Windsor Resort. The issue that existed was the barriers to the car parks. These opened upon approach, which allowed drivers to drive in and out of the car park with pure ease, allowing them to commit crime whilst going undetected. The resort said that they could not change this due to public transport needing access to the car park such as coaches, buses, and Ubers. He said that it had been Thames Valley Police’s advice that the resort should increase security presence and install additional CCTV cameras.

Councillor Davies asked about policing over the Jubilee weekend and how it went.

Jeff Pick admitted that they had been overwhelmed in terms of attendance, however this was simply due to the fact that everybody wished to be in Windsor for the celebrations as it was the hub. He then stated that it was a calm and family-orientated atmosphere and there were no real issues for the Police to report, admitting that they had enjoyed it as much as the public had.

The Chairman thanked Jeff Pick and the whole of Thames Valley Police for the hard work that they had put in, to make the celebrations a success.

Councillor Price asked Jeff Pick if there was anything he could do in terms of working with Legoland Windsor to address the issues of the catalytic convertor thefts, it would be much appreciated. She added that there had been increased social media posts of car thefts and asked if anything could be done about this.

Jeff Pick had asked Alice, who was a member of his team to contact local Ward Councillors and keep them updated on what was going on, in order to put pressure onto Legoland to aid the Police with the situation. Jeff Pick also issued caution about social media posts, suggesting that some posts may have been untrue, or they may have been true stories, but the incidents had not been reported to the Police. Videos are usually put on social media to inform their neighbours, but they are sometimes not reported to the Police via the 101-telephone number, or more easily via the Thames Valley Police’s website.

Councillor Hilton said that there had been an increased number of car thefts in the south of the borough, with many being keyless entry. He asked if this differed from issues in Windsor.

Jeff Pick said that this varied, with the majority of vehicles that were being stolen being Range Rovers and Land Rover Discoveries for example. In Windsor there were many of these cars, making the issue more prevalent. Many residents had never heard of a faraday cage for keyless fobs. Councillor Hilton asked for some written information on this, to which Jeff Pick agreed too.

ACTION: Jeff Pick to send clerk information on faraday pouches and safe storing of car keys.

Councillor Price asked if the issues that were being seen on Sundays had been sorted out. Jeff Pick replied by saying that the 2 previous Sundays had seen virtually no incidents and wished for this to continue.

(Councillor Singh and Councillor Baldwin joined the meeting)

Councillor Muir said that his car had been broken into recently and wished to inform his neighbours to be vigilant. Jeff Pick said that the main means of entry for thieves now was to try door handles, rather than smashing car windows.

The Chairman thanked Jeff Pick for his report and his attendance.