Thames Valley Police Update
To receive an update from Thames Valley Police.
Minutes:
PC Matt Gleave, Neighbourhood Officer for Windsor East, Datchet, Horton, Wraysbury and Old Windsor (Thames Valley Police, TVP), firstly informed that he was assigned to the meeting at the last minute. Starting off by giving the crime statistics in the last three months:
· Windsor West (including Dedworth and Clewer): antisocial behaviour (ASB), 14; business burglary, 2; residential burglary, 11; criminal damage, 18; theft from vehicle, 20; theft of vehicle, 16; and theft of pedal cycle, 2.
· Windsor Central: antisocial behaviour (ASB), 12; business burglary, 6; residential burglary, 9; criminal damage, 29; theft from vehicle, 19; theft of vehicle, 7; and theft of pedal cycle, 10.
· Town Centre: Shoplifting, 51.
The Chair raised that she had seen a large amount of graffiti everywhere from Clewer East to Clewer and Dedworth East and West in the last month; and when she reported it to TVP, they responded that they could not do anything. She asked what could be done. PC Matt Gleave replied that graffiti should still be reported to TVP as it allowed them to record them and build a picture of where its most prevalent. Graffiti was still nevertheless considered criminal damage.
Richard, a resident, asked to what extent had crimes had been resolved. PC Matt Gleave replied that Land Rovers and Jaguar cars were particularly targeted for theft whereby organised gangs exploited vulnerabilities in the car design and would often then dismantle them for parts. He anticipated that many were sent to a chop shop in Slough, which was revealed to be the largest chop shop in the UK. Some stolen vehicles were retrieved due to having trackers attached on them.
When Richard asked how many vehicles were recovered, PC Matt Gleave replied that he did not know the specific number, but it was a high percentage for stolen vehicles. Richard then asked if any statistics get published, stating that a neighbour of his was waiting for their stolen vehicle to be recovered; by which PC Matt Gleave replied that this was not the case and that the crime statistics were based on reported crimes which were ongoing.
Nigel Griffin critically commented that the Forum were not doing police/crime updates properly, namely crime data not being published in advance of the meeting and being assigned to an officer at the last minute, and asked whether the Chair would notify TVP on the format of updates. The Chair responded that there was no desire for a lengthy presentation for the meeting due to receiving many presentations already, but nevertheless suggested that the format could be improved upon.
PC Matt Gleave highlighted that the TVP website gave details of crime within specific areas, including an illustrative map.
Sarah Walker raised that there was an announcement before the May 2023 local elections of 4 new police officers being recruited and asked what happened. PC Matt Gleave answered that 3 were recruited with one due to arrive shortly. PC Oscar Ross was for Dedworth alongside another officer who was due to start in April/May 2024. The Town Centre had two new officers, with a third one going to be added. Meanwhile, PC Matt Gleave would be assisted by a new officer in Windsor East, Datchet, Horton, Wraysbury and Old Windsor, hopefully by May/June 2024. Overall, the officers were being recruited but the process was slow.
Sarah Walker heard that there was a new communication system with town shops to help reduce shoplifting and asked for further information about this. PC Matt Gleave stated that he was not aware of this as the Town Centre was not his area. He speculated that this was referring to Shopwatch whereby the Town Centre Team sent photographs every month of the top 30 ‘targets’ (i.e., individual perpetrators), with constant updating, and that each retailer had a radio to directly communicate with TVP officers, including officers on patrol, to inform ‘Target One’ had committed an offence and their location. This helped reduce the timing for 999 calls and police officers getting a description of the perpetrator.
Councillor D. Davies heard that the police would be visiting shops which had experienced theft and would actively arrest shoplifters, asking whether this had started and how effective it had been. PC Matt Gleave answered that this had always been the case. If the perpetrator was a child and first-time shoplifter, they would be dealt with in a certain way. Other than that, shoplifters in Windsor tended to be ‘career shoplifters’ and would always be arrested, remanded, and then go to court. He highlighted that officers also had to prioritise risk-and-life crimes (e.g., assaults) over shoplifting if there was a limited number of officers in area.
Councillor W. Da Costa raised that a lot of police work were not reflected in police statistics, such as tending people with mental health issues. He asked about non-stat activities which significantly take up police time, such as mental health. PC Matt Gleave answered that it was the case, by which the police handled non-crime mental health incidents (alongside mental health crime incidents), namely the police and ambulance services investigating mental health incidents, particularly if there was an immediate risk to life, as helplines like Samaritans were only accessible on the phone. He heard a national statistic whereby 75% of police time was focused on non-crime mental health issues. He added that lack of funding meant there was a lack of resources in police and ambulance services to help manage mental health issues.
(PC Matt Gleave left the meeting at 8:02pm)