Bracknell

The arrival of a new inspector in Bracknell on 13 February 2006 marked an important step in the process that will bring policing closer to the community.

Inspector Simon Bowden, aged 38, has been appointed to the post of Neighbourhood Inspector, Bracknell North. Based at Bracknell police station, Insp. Bowden intends to become a familiar face to residents in the Northern parishes of the Bracknell district.

He heads a team of fourteen community beat officers, two sergeants, and four PCSO’s, whose beats cover Bracknell town centre, Priestwood Garth, Bullbrook, Crown Wood and Forest Park, Martins Heron and Harmanswater, The Warren, Winkfield, Binfield and Warfield.

“I joined Thames Valley Police as a constable in Maidenhead and Burnham in 1988,” says Insp. Bowden. “After seven years, I was promoted to sergeant and moved to Amersham and Wycombe as a patrol sergeant. In 1998 I moved to Windsor where I was a sector sergeant, then inspector working with the communities of Windsor followed by Slough. For the past four years I have working at the Criminal Justice Department at Headquarters, where I was a member of the Force Custody Team and was responsible for rolling out witness care units across the Thames Valley, as well as implementing the Code of Practice for Victims of Crime.

” Neighbourhood policing provides much more than high visibility policing. It is about using local knowledge and intelligence from local people to target crime hotspots, allowing the police and community to work together to detect and reduce crime. I believe that long-term engagement with members of the community is absolutely fundamental to maintaining law and order.

“Over the coming months I plan to concentrate on the needs of the Neighbourhoods that I am responsible for, providing the effective and efficient service that people want by tackling those issues that are important to local residents. Three particular areas that I intend to focus on are, anti-social behaviour, the quality of service provided to members of the public and ensuring that we can bring about justice for as many people as possible.

“I am keen to meet as many ‘key people’ as possible, policing is about partnerships, whether that be with Bracknell Forest Council, local councillors or local youth groups. Nationally crime is much lower than it has ever been and I hope that with the help of our statutory partners and community members we can reduce crime levels even further and bring more offenders to justice – that has to be good for everyone concerned.”

Thames Valley Police ~ Bracknell