Bracknell

I am responsible for supervising the policing teams in three neighbourhoods in the south of Bracknell: Great Hollands; Easthampstead and Wildridings; and Birch Hill and Hanworth.

In the last two weekly columns, PC Foot from Birch Hill, and PCSO Francis from Great Hollands, reported on some of their recent activities. I would like to add an update from their sergeant’s point of view.

The neighbourhood team has been doing a lot of preventative work at Easthampstead Park conference centre, where we have had a problem with thefts from motor vehicles. Because the centre is used by many different organisations, it can be difficult to get crime prevention messages to the people who park there.

We’ve been carrying out extra patrols of the area to deter criminals and to check that no valuables are left on display in parked cars. Our PCSOs have been speaking to drivers, as well as handing out crime prevention advice and leaflets. In addition, a state-of-the-art CCTV system has been installed, covering the whole car park. I’m pleased to report that this combination of measures has resulted in a significant decrease in vehicle crime at the conference centre.

In Great Hollands, parking is one of the neighbourhood priorities. Neighbourhood Specialist Officer PC Michael Parker says it is the single issue that generates the most complaints, including many from disabled residents who are forced to go into the street to get past, and people unable to leave for work as they are blocked in by parked cars. We would like to appeal to the entire community of Great Hollands to park more considerately. The neighbourhood team will be responding very robustly to this problem and we will be removing illegally parked cars at the owners’ expense.

At the end of March, neighbourhood officers arrested a 17-year-old boy in Great Hollands on suspicion of drug dealing. We have been carrying out uniformed and plain clothes patrols to combat drug use and supply in the area, in response to residents’ complaints.

Drug use does not exist in isolation: it is directly connected to acquisitive crime and receiving stolen goods. I would like to warn people not to buy items such as satellite navigation systems, mobile phones or laptops which may be offered for sale at low prices and be of doubtful origin. These will have almost certainly been stolen from vehicles or from peoples’ homes during burglaries, often by drug users who sell them to fund their addiction. Buying things on the cheap may seem harmless, but by doing so you may well be perpetuating drug-related crime and feeding the drug habits of criminals.

Finally, I would like to remind everyone that Operation Lion Cub, our anti-social behaviour initiative, is being stepped up during the school holidays and on into the summer months with extra numbers of officers patrolling hotspots to prevent youth disorder and underage drinking. We will be making contact with the parents of youths found to be involved in such behaviour, which disrupts the quality of life of people in the Bracknell area.

If you have information about crime or anti-social behaviour in your area, please call the neighbourhood team on 0845 8 505 505. In an emergency, always dial 999.

Thames Valley Police ~ Bracknell