Policing

Thames Valley Police and Thames Valley Crime Stoppers

Boys cautioned for criminal damage to swimming pool -

Thames Valley Police has cautioned five teenagers who damaged the swimming pool at John Colet School, in Wendover last summer. The boys, who were aged 17 at the time and cannot be named for legal reasons, were cautioned following an investigation into the incident by Wendover neighbourhood police officer PC Paul O’Connell.

Insp Emma Garside said: “I would like to pay tribute to the efforts of PC O’Connell, who used all his experience and contacts in the town to identify those who were responsible. My team took the investigation into the incident, which caused thousands of pounds of damage and closed the pool for months, extremely seriously. My officers have spoken to the boys responsible for this both in a formal interview and subsequently, and I can assure people they are in no doubt about the impact their actions had on the community.

“They are all from Aylesbury Vale and were all were extremely upset about damage this had done to the pool and the reputation of their families. They were also surprised and dismayed that what could be described as an alcohol-fuelled prank – throwing a number of items into the pool - had caused such extensive damage. I appreciate that people may feel that these individuals should face court proceedings, but having taken their ages, full admissions of guilt and remorse into account, along with the fact that had no previous criminal records, the decision was taken to caution the individuals responsible rather than to proceed with criminal charges. I am confident that by taking this approach, they will never repeat what they did again.

“I would also like to thank the local media for their support for our investigation into this. Two witnesses come forward who were vital in identifying the individuals responsible.”

The Neighbourhood Priorities are Speeding & Anti Social Behaviour.

The Wendover Neighbourhood Team would like to take this opportunity to inform you that Paul Evans has now joined the team as a PCSO. Some of you may have already met Paul who has done some shifts in our neighbourhood already covering some illness over the last few months. Paul has previously worked as a PCSO based at Wing Police Station and will a permanent addition as of 1st January 2012.

Christmas and the New Year has come and gone, the Wendover Neighbourhood Team hope you had a wonderful time during the festive season without too many unwanted surprises.
Please do remember to remain vigilant all of your new purchases and gifts still look enticing to criminals.

A limited number of free UV property marking pens will be available to residents. These can be used to mark valuable items; the marking is invisible to the naked eye but can be read under UV light. You can obtain your UV property marking pen by either dropping into Wendover police station during opening hours or by emailing the Wendover Policing Team at Wendover&AstonClintonNHPT@Thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk.

You can also register any valuable items on the UK National Property Register at www.immobilise.com. This free and secure service allows you to submit a list of valuables that will be checked by police whenever they recover stolen property.

PCSO Mandy Aplin

Some advice for motorists driving during the winter months

PLEASE DO NOT LEAVE YOUR VEHICLE RUNNING WITH THE KEYS IN THE IGNITION UNATTENDED WHILST DEFROSTING YOUR CAR - THERE WILL ALWAYS BE OPPORTUNISTS TAKING ADVANTAGE OF MOTORISTS DURING COLD SPELLS.

Make sure the windscreen is completely clear of ice and snow before setting off.
Drive slowly making any movements slowly and calmly.
If you have to brake and the wheels lock just pump the brake pedal gently this will help to reduce skidding.
If you skid then turn the wheel into the skid that should help to correct your car's position.
Always leave plenty of room between you and the car in front.
Make sure you have a shovel, blanket and water in the car in case of emergencies.
Move off in second gear to get a better grip on the road surface.
Try not to brake hard if you are on a patch of ice unless necessary.
Call ahead and let someone know your expected time of arrival.
If you are going up hill use as high a gear as possible to stop your wheels from slipping.
Make sure battery is fully charged.

Fog -

Drive slower and beware and watch carefully the road in front of you because fog can appear and disappear in an instant.
Use rear fog lights when visibility reduced to 100m or less.
Only use front fog lights when visibility is seriously reduced.
Turn the radio off and open your window slightly so you can hear other vehicles.
Do not follow the car in front too closely.
Do not use full beam head lights but dipped as these point to the road making it easier for you to see and for others to see you.
Use windscreen wipers and demisters.
If visibility reduced to less than 20/30m then your speed should be 20mph.

Crime Update

Last month there were a total of 48 reported crimes.

Below is a break down of some of the crime that has occurred on the neighbourhood in the last month:-

Burglary dwelling (house) - 5
Burglary non – dwelling (Shed / Outhouse / Barn) - 4
Theft of motor vehicle / Taking a Motor vehicle Without Consent - 1
Theft from motor vehicles - 10
Criminal damage - 5
Non vehicle thefts - 1
Making off without payment of fuel - 2

You will notice that there has been a rise in thefts from motor vehicles over the last months. The vast majority of these took place over night. Please can we urge vehicle owners not to leave valuables in vehicles at any time. As a team we have often checked vehicles and been astounded that we have seen all sorts of valuables on view which include laptops, purses, and sat navs. If we can see them so can the thieves. Please be vigilant and if you see anyone looking around your area acting suspiciously then please contact us. It would be most helpful to record any vehicle details and a detailed person description.

Offenders Brought to justice in December

A male was arrested and has now received a caution following a burglary in Stoke Mandeville overnight on the 4th / 5th December 11.

On 7/12/11 a male driver was stopped in Weston Turville by police regarding a traffic offence and then became abusive shouting and swearing in the earshot of local children. The male was warned about his behaviour however he continued and was arrested. He was later given a fixed penalty notice for disorder.

A male youth has been charged with 2 assaults following an incident that occurred on 19/12/11 in Stoke Mandeville.

An adult male from Weston Turville has been charged with criminal damage and a public order offence following an incident that occurred in the village on 23/12/11.

Anti-Social Behaviour

In the month of December no complaints were received regarding the previous problem behaviour on the central park/play area of the Princess Mary Gate Estate in Wendover. The local officers will continue their regular patrols and would ask residents to report any ASB behaviour or suspicious activity.

More good news concerns the previous complaints of youths congregating at the bus stop in Tring Road, Wendover. Activity has reduced dramatically there, and complaints have ceased. Once again, your local neighbourhood team will continue to monitor the situation and will keep patrols in place.

Speeding

During December the speed indicator device (SID) was deployed at Longcroft Avenue and Lambe Road on the Princess Mary Gate Estate in Wendover. On each occasion it was found that speeding was not a problem on these roads at the times the device was deployed.

How to contact your local police

Visit us at Wendover police station in Aylesbury Road. Our opening hours are as follows:

Monday 9am      to         1pm
Tuesday            9am      to         1pm
Wednesday       9am      to         1pm
Thursday           9am      to         1pm
Friday   9am      to         1pm

Contact your local team by phoning 101 asked to be put through to the Wendover neighbourhood team or e-mail Wendover&AstonClintonNHPT@Thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk. Or Monday to Friday 9am to 1pm 01296 621916 front counter Station Duty Officer.

The new non emergency contact number for Thames Valley Police will be 101 from the 14th November 2011. This replaces the 0845 8 505 505 number. This number is 15p per call no matter how long the call is.

999 is still to be used for emergency calls.