We have spoken to Police Sergeant Andy Poole who assures us this is an isolated incident which appeared to be initially motivated by a dispute over a right of way.
A police officer will attend the next Ward Focus Meeting on 31st July at All Saints Church House, please come and ask any questions you may have.
Thames Valley Police is appealing for information regarding the whereabouts of two men who are wanted in connection with burglaries in Oxford.
Lewis Felton, aged 27, and Kane Jones, aged 21, are wanted in connection with a number of burglaries that happened in Oxford on the same day last year.
The first burglary happened in Coniston Avenue, Marston, at about 2.10am on Tuesday 14 November.
During the burglary five offenders, all wearing hooded tops with the hoods up, forced their way into the property and stole a set of car keys to a Mazda 3 VRM SL54 KVZ.
Two of the offenders then drove the Mazda, which has tinted windows and gold alloy wheels, towards Headley Way.
The other three offenders walked away from the scene towards Ambleside Drive.
A purple coloured Adidas rucksack was also stolen. The rucksack contained a BMW employee pass and a 50ml bottle of DKNY gold perfume.
The second burglary happened in Valentia Road at about 2.30am.
During the burglary the offenders forced open a door to the property and stole a set of keys to a Land Rover with a 2014 number plate.
Subsequently, the Land Rover was stolen.
The third burglary occurred in Hill Top Road at about 2.45am.
The offenders forced their way into the property through a window and stole a set of keys to a BMW X5. The vehicle was later recovered in Prospect Path.
A set of house keys, watch and a Samsung phone were also taken.
Investigating officer, PC Sian Lewis of the Local Policing Area team in Oxfordshire, said: “I would appeal to anyone who has any information about the burglaries or the whereabouts of Lewis Felton and Kane Jones to contact police immediately.
“Felton has links to Berinsfield, Kidlington and Oxford and Jones has links to Kidlington and Oxford.
“It is believed that the offenders may have used a silver Vauxhall, possibly an Astra or Corsa, during the burglaries.
“If anyone has any information please call the 24-hour Thames Valley Police enquiry centre on 101 and quote reference 43170338429.
“If you do not want to speak directly to the police you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. No personal details are taken, information is not traced or recorded and you will not go to court.
“I would like to reassure residents that the force takes burglary extremely seriously. We realise the impact that such an intrusive crime has on its victims.
“This type of burglary is generally committed with the sole intention of recovering car keys so that the victim’s vehicles can then be stolen. As such the force advises motorists to place their car keys out of sight.”
We have received this message from the Police and Crime Commissioner, Anthony Stansfeld:
On Tuesday 19th December the Home Secretary announced a substantial £450 million increase in police funding across England and Wales. However, this funding package assumes that all Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) will raise the police element of council tax by £1 a month (or £12 a year) for a band D property which, collectively, will raise £270 million of the £450 million increase. This will allow forces to continue to provide an effective service in their critical work to fight crime and protect the public.
At present around 60% of Thames Valley Police’s £393 million annual policing budget is funded by central government, with the policing element of your council tax making up the remainder. Since 2010/11 the police grant has been cut by around 38% in real terms which has resulted in Thames Valley Police (TVP) having to make £99 million of savings in order to balance the budget. These cuts have already led to a manpower reduction of over 1,000 full time equivalent posts, including more than 450 police officers.
Setting the budget for 2018/19 needs to be considered in the context of an already constrained financial position as well as the additional pressures policing faces as demand in some of the most complex and challenging areas continues to increase. This includes rising reports and cases of hidden crimes such as domestic abuse, child abuse, sexual offences, serious violence and exploitation have all increased the pressure on police resources.
Needless to say this is proving to be extremely challenging and without the increase of £12 per year in council tax, as recommended by the Home Secretary, we would have to make further significant reductions in police officers and staff which will affect the level and quality of policing service we are able to offer you.
In November 2017 TVP was judged by the Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) to be ‘outstanding’ in the efficiency with which it keeps people safe and reduces crime. This includes an ‘outstanding’ for its understanding of demand and its use of resources to manage demand, and its planning for future demand was judged to be ‘good’. Thames Valley Police was one of only two forces nationally to have been awarded an overall rating of outstanding.
Ideally I would not choose to consult over the busy Christmas and New Year period and particularly on such an important issue, however, the Chief Constable and I only received the provisional police grant settlement for 2018/19 from the Home Office on Tuesday 19th December. Unfortunately due to budget decisions needing to be finalised by the end of January I am only able to run the consultation until midday on Thursday 11th January. I apologise for the timing and length of the consultation period but I hope you will take the time to complete the survey which will help the Chief Constable and I to make an informed decision on the budget for 2018/19.
Today I have launched a short online survey to seek your views on this increase, which can be found on the below link and I would encourage you to complete it and share widely:
https://www.thamesvalley-pcc.gov.uk/get-involved/police-funding-survey-have-your-say/Those residents who do not have access to the internet can write to the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, Thames Valley Police Headquarters, Oxford Road, Kidlington, Oxon, OX5 2NX with your answers to the below questions.
Question 1
Do you think an extra £12 per year in council tax, for a Band D property, to help protect operational policing in Thames Valley would be money well spent?Yes / No
Question 2
If you have answered No to question 1 will you please explain why and propose an alternative annual increase that you believe is justified and will enable the Force to do their job effectively?Please note that all responses needs to be received by midday on Thursday 11th January 2018
Police and Crime Commissioner Anthony Stansfeld recently launched a new website to support victims of crime. Victims First www.victims-first.org.uk is a new online resource for victims of crime which has advice on what to do and how to get help. It includes information and advice for victims including signposting them to services to help them cope and recover from the impact of the crime. It also includes a section on the Victims Code explaining clearly what help victims can expect from the police and other criminal justice agencies if they report the crime.
The focal point of the website is a directory which allows victims to find relevant support in their area. Members of the public are able to use the website to refer themselves directly to the PCCs own support services or find information and contact details for other organisations. This support is available regardless of whether or not the victim has reported the crime to the police.
We have received a reply from the PCC following concerns raised by Headington residents about the amount of time it takes for 101 callers to get a human response. Here it is.
Dear Councillor Wilkinson,
I will get this looked into. Usually we respond quickly to 101 calls, and we do measure this, so it is not difficult to find what the delay in response is. I am aware that we have had unprecedented demand over the last three weeks. This has been mirrored nationally. I believe that calls are about 20% above the normal, so response times may well have been below what I would expect. I will be talking to the Chief Constable about this, we have already been discussing the high rate of demand.
One of my main problems is the inequality of police funding between police forces. TVP gets £160 per head of population, Manchester and Birmingham nearly £200, and Merseyside £210. With a population of 2.3M that is a deficit in funding of around £100m which would pay for 2000 extra police officers and staff. If I had that I would not have a problem! I am doing my best at a national level to address this anomaly, but the recent terrorist attacks in major cities make it less likely we can get this sorted out,
Yours sincerely
Anthony Stansfeld |Police & Crime Commissioner for Thames Valley
The Farmhouse
Force Headquarters
Oxford Road
Kidlington
Oxford OX5 2NX
Tel: 01865 846104 | Internal: 700 6104
You can raise any issue with the Police on Monday 10 July at the venues below:
11:00-12:30 – Churchill Hospital
1:00-3:00 – Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre
3:30-5:00 – John Radcliffe Hospital
Thames Valley Police is delighted to announce that the Thames Valley Alert App has been launched and is free to download now.
|
This letter has been sent to parents and carers of schoolchildren following the incident last week.
Dear Parents and Carers,
I know you will be aware of the recent incident in North Oxford involving a 14 year old girl. Whilst these types of incidents are very rare, we understand that it has created a heightened level of anxiety amongst parents, carers and young people. We want to reassure you that there is a large team of specialist detective resources investigating the incident. The investigation team have received a really positive response from the public and are following up information, witnesses and video footage provided following their appeal.
Thames Valley Police in conjunction with Oxfordshire County Council are giving the following advice to school pupils:-
Where possible travel to school in groups and stick to the busier roads, avoiding alleyways and under passes.
Be alert and aware of your surroundings and avoid the use of head phones as this can be a distraction.
Please report anything suspicious via 101 quoting URN 1631 28/09/2016 or 999 if in immediate danger, or inform the Safeguarding Officer in your school as soon as possible.
Thames Valley police have increased their patrols so please speak to the officers if you have any concerns.
Regular up-dates can be found on the Thames Valley Police website. www.thamesvalley.police.uk
POLICE & CRIME COMMISSIONER HUSTINGS
Date: Tuesday 26 April
Time: 8:00-9:00 p.m.
Address: St Margaret’s Institute, Polstead Road OX2 6TN
Chair: Professor Paul Klemperer
On 5 May we will vote for our Police & Crime Commissioner (PCC)
Put your questions about Thames Valley Police and how the candidates view their role as Commissioner to
Anthony Stansfeld
Conservative Candidate
John Howson
Lib Dem Candidate
Labour and UKIP PCC candidates have also been invited to attend
Hustings independently organised and chaired.
Thames Valley Police have informed us:
We are proposing to close a number of front counters in the county as we improve our communication with the public by other means while ensuring that in the main you will never be further than ten miles from a front counter.
The following changes are scheduled to come in on 1 April 2016:
- Abingdon, St Aldates and Banbury front counters will now be open from 8am and 10pm, seven days a week.
- Meanwhile, front counters at Witney and Bicester will be open from 10am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, while Kidlington will be open from 8am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.
Previously, each front counter would offer a different level of service but these counters will offer all services to the public.
- Front counters at Cowley, Henley, Didcot, Thame, Wantage, Faringdon, Wallingford, Carterton, Woodstock and Chipping Norton are scheduled to close.
The public can still contact the police by telephone, via our website, social media accounts or our community alert system.
View larger
View larger