Thames Valley Police’s Neighbourhood Inspector gave a brief overview on the issues of the Night Time Economy (NTE) and violent crime in Windsor. The main points highlighted were:

Ø  Thames Valley Police (TVP) had embarked on a full review of the NTE and a meeting was scheduled to establish safety hubs so that violence resulting from the NTE had a multi-agency hub to tackle issues.

Ø  The Neighbourhood Inspector reviewed all crim that went on and there were long term objectives to improve staffing levels and to make Windsor a safer environment

Ø  She attended meetings which address Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) which occurred in Victoria Street Car Park.

Helen Price said rapes and a murder had occurred more recently which had been very disconcerting; she therefore, did not use car parks at night. Young people were using taxis to get home late at night instead of taking a very short walk home, because they did not feel safe to do so. Helen Price wanted reassurance that violent crimes were one-offs and that people could feel safe walking at night. The Neighbourhood Inspector stated that the murder as a one-off event, and although there had been a number of sexual assaults, some of those had resulted in prosecution; although sadly, others had not. After each case, she reviewed how that area had been policed and to see if any improvements could be made.

The Neighbourhood Inspector stated she acknowledged there had been a number of incidents in a short time frame but, there had been no significant incidents of violence in the last month. She assured the Forum that every incident was investigated thoroughly and measures were put in place each time to improve safety during peak times between 1am and 4am.

Helen Price mentioned that the Street Angels played a role during the NTE. The Neighbourhood Inspector stated they were looking to extend their role and had recruited 26 volunteers. They currently worked Fridays and payday weekends and were looking to merge with the Safety Hubs; they also interact with Ascot race goers during Ascot week looking after approximately 4,000 people. Their service was vital.

Councillor E. Wilson said the Council was about to finish its LED lighting programme. At that point, it would be useful to review how the lights were working to reduce crime or the fear of crime. He wanted to identify if the lights had made any difference. The Neighbourhood Inspector stated audits of street lighting were conducted. During the NTE, if lights were not working, they would be reported to make areas safer. The police did look at lighting in locations to see if it could prevent crime but, she was unable to tell the Forum if the new LEDs had reduced crime. Councillor Da Costa said some street lights had been in the same place for a long time. The Neighbourhood Inspector responded auditing was carried out to see if lighting was in the right place. It was part of that the Police did to reduce the recurrence of crime. There was a post that looked at what measures needed to be in place to prevent crime and that included lighting.

One resident stated he made astronomical observations from his home but, he could not do that with the new lights in place. Newspapers had said that burglars did not like the dark and Towns across the country turned their streetlights off at certain times of night; he did not know why Windsor had to keep them on. Councillor Bicknell said all of the new lights were adjustable. If there was a light that a resident wanted dimmed, it could be done remotely by a computer. Lights could also be shrouded to reduce leaking light.

v  Action – The Chairman to look into if street lights in the Town could be turned off altogether at certain times of the night to reduce light pollution.

Councillor Alexander suggested with regards to the NTE, the Police could be looking at the crime and not the causes of crime. The Neighbourhood Inspector stated the Police worked very closely with partners and the Borough and carried out weekly visits with NTE teams to licensed premises. The Council supported those activities and also supported the Police with objections to specific licensing applications.

Susie Shearer asked for the double lamps in Peascod Street to be checked as some of them did not appear to be working. The Lead Member said his team relied on the public to spot failing lights and report them. He would go back to the depot and speak to officers to survey the lights and fix any that were not working. Susie Shearer also mentioned there was no lighting in the passage at Queen Anne Court. However, officers said the passageway was privately owned and therefore, not the Council’s responsibility.

v  Action – Councillor Bicknell to request officers check lights work in Peascod Street.

Councillor Bowden stated he lived in the Town Centre and there were three hotspots where noise and ASB occurred. The first action of the Police was to move people away from the area before issuing a dispersal notice. However, once people were moved away, no further action was taken, but the behaviour of the individuals that get moved on continued but, in a more residential area away from Town. The Neighbourhood Inspector confirmed dispersal notices were very rarely used; they needed to have an Inspectors authorisation every time they were issued. The first option an officer used was to ask people to leave the area. If they refused, the next option was to arrest them. Dispersal notices needed to be used for specific incidents. The Police did not have the resources to personally escort people from the Town Centre so they would usually direct people to the nearest taxi rank; the Police did not have the capacity to drive people out of the area.

Councillor Bicknell requested to know if there were any crime black spots where lighting had been an issue or, a contributing factor to a crime being committed. He was open to stalling extra lighting where necessary to reduce crime. He understood crimes were captured on CCTV so there must be good lighting. The Neighbourhood Inspector confirmed CCTV was of benefit and very useful for policing the NTE, it captured the majority of incidents. The Town Manager stated with regards to the two incidents of sexual assault mentioned earlier, CCTV was being reviewed for that area. He added that 90% of the people that enjoyed the NTE came to have a good time and went home quietly. The Town Centre had a very good community radio and taxi marshalling scheme but, it was always under review.