To receive the annual presentation from Thames Valley Police. The Chief Constable and the Police & Crime Commissioner will attend the meeting and Panel Members are provided with an opportunity to consider the work of the police and to ask any questions following the presentation.

If Panel Members have specific questions in advance of the presentation, please send them to mark.beeley@rbwm.gov.uk before 31^st January, so that a response can be prepared for the meeting.

Jason Hogg, Chief Constable at Thames Valley Police, and Clare Knibbs, Superintendent at Thames Valley Police, provided the Panel with a presentation on the work undertaken by the police over the past year. Thames Valley Police was the largest non-metropolitan force in England and Wales, covered three counties and had a total population of 2.5 million. The force was made up of 4,970 officers, 3,571 staff and 261 police community support officers. Data was shared for the Windsor and Maidenhead Local Policing Area:

• 1,284 incidents of crime.
• 1,302 cases of domestic abuse.
• 275 cases of burglary.
• 743 cases of violence with injury.
• 24 incidents involving knife crime.
• 261 sexual offences.

Actions and outcomes were shared from retail theft in the town centre, theft from vehicles, and rural crime.

Councillor Grove felt that there was more focus on tackling retail crime, she asked how the police would ensure that progress was not lost in tackling violence against women and girls.

Jason Hogg said that there had been an increase in neighbourhood officers to tackle both areas and resources could be allocated as and when required. Each offence of shoplifting did not need to be investigated, it was repeat offenders which needed to be apprehended.

Councillor Baskerville considered retention of police officers in the Thames Valley, particularly given the proximity of the Metropolitan Police in London who could offer higher salaries.

Jason Hogg said that there had been a focus on attraction rather than what the life of a police officer was really like. In November, the bar had been raised and extra checks had been brought in to make sure that new officers joining the force understood what the job was. There were not many officers lost to the Metropolitan Police but the higher London weighting on salaries was an issue and there were also a number of officers who moved to the private sector. Jason Hogg wanted to ensure that Thames Valley Police was a great organisation to work for and that all staff felt valued.

Councillor Walters asked for confirmation on the number of burglaries which took place across the Windsor and Maidenhead area.

Clare Knibbs confirmed that there had been a 9% reduction in burglary compared to the previous year.

Jason Hogg added that there had been a significant reduction in home burglaries since Covid and this had not gone back to its previous level.

Councillor G Singh commented that it was disappointing the Police and Crime Commissioner was unable to attend the meeting but thanked the officers present for their work and presentation. He felt that the good figures shared was different to reality and that there was a lack of frontline police on the streets. Councillor Singh suggested that there was a priority on Windsor and more support needed to be given to Maidenhead, particularly in relation to the night time economy.

Jason Hogg explained that due to the learning and training required for some officers, neighbourhood teams could be stretched and may not be seen by communities and residents for certain periods of time. He encouraged Councillors to report issues or areas of improvement to the team so that they could explore what could be done to be more proactive.

Clare Knibbs said that Windsor was a full operation for the night time economy as there were night clubs, there was not the same level of demand in Maidenhead.

Councillor G Singh said that he was comparing Maidenhead to twenty years ago, when there was a significant number more police on the streets. He asked if the high skilled resource hubs to tackle the more specialist crimes were still based in the local area or whether it was now regionally based.

Jason Hogg confirmed that in Windsor and Maidenhead there were dedicated officers for sex offenders, child abuse and detectives. The regional teams were the Serious Organised Crime Unit and Counterterrorism teams. There were plans to increase the capacity of the holding cells in Maidenhead and this would mean an increase in the number of detectives in the town.

Councillor Douglas noted a piece of legislation making its way through Parliament which would allow the police to address homeless activity where it was causing damage, disturbance or distress. He asked if there would be any changes to policing in this area should the legislation become law and would the policy apply at a national or local police level.

Clare Knibbs explained that the police were involved in the drafting of a Homeless Strategy and an increase in powers in this area was welcomed. The strategy needed to be a joint partnership approach with other relevant agencies and organisations.

Jason Hogg said that the police could not solve the issue of homelessness on their own. The arrest powers were something that could be used if they were required.

Councillor Carpenter highlighted the issue of pavement parking outside of schools in Dedworth which had been problematic for local residents.

Jason Hogg said that the powers available to the police depended on the type of road. Tickets could be issued but this was a short term solutions, increasing the amount of parking could be explored by the Highways authority, for example.

Clare Knibbs confirmed that pavement parking was on the patrol plans for the neighbourhood teams and could be picked up as part of PCSOs engagement with local schools.

Councillor Blundell asked how policing of e-scooters had been so far.

Clare Knibbs said that enforcement had been targeted with the first thing being engagement and discussion to raise awareness. For repeat offenders, tickets could be issued.

Jason Hogg continued that the legislation around e-scooters was clear; helmets, a driving licence and insurance was required. The police also had the power to confiscate e-scooters. Any hotspots could be passed on and targeted appropriately.

Councillor Majeed noted that there was a big difference between check 25 and check 18, with check 25 having an approximately 50% failure rate.

Clare Knibbs was unsure of why there was a significant difference. Once a failure occurred training, education and awareness took place with the premises.

Councillor Majeed asked if there was anything that the council could do to help with the retention rates of officers in Thames Valley Police.

Jason Hogg suggested that the police did a lot of good things and this positive news would be great to promote, along with things like open days.

Councillor Majeed questioned what the policy was for cases of mental health.

Jason Hogg confirmed that it depended on the situation, if a crime was being committed or there was an imminent risk to life it was a police matter. For other mental health cases, the ambulance service would be the first to respond.

Councillor Baskerville asked who the mini-police were.

Clare Knibbs explained that neighbourhood PCSOs went into schools and ran mini-police sessions with primary school aged children.

Andrew Durrant, Executive Director of Place, thanked Jason and Clare for attending the Panel meeting. The council were working closely with the police, for example on homelessness sleeping in multi-story car parks. The Homeless and Rough Sleeper Strategy was something which would be brought forward in future for adoption and could be reviewed by the Place Overview and Scrutiny Panel.

Jason Hogg concluded that it was vital local communities and residents felt safe. If there were issues that were a concern, Jason Hogg appealed to Councillors and residents to let the police know.