Police Ringway Messages
Police Ringway Messages provide the latest information about local crime and crime reduction. Messages are listed below in date order with the most recent first (click here).
Police advice about safety and security in your home, your car and your environment may be found here.
The Buy with Confidence Scheme: Oxfordshire Trading Standards can provide you with details of reliable local tradesmen and women to carry out work around your home and garden. The Buy with Confidence Scheme brings together a list of gardeners, plumbers, builders and many other types of business from all over Oxfordshire, which have been individually checked for trustworthiness and compliance with consumer protection laws. For details of firms you can trust, visit the interactive consumer website at buywithconfidence.gov.uk or call 0845 051 0845 to talk with Trading Standards.
10 June 2011
Burglary - Ashbury. At about 10.30am yesterday morning Thursday 9th June there was a distraction burglary at a bungalow in The Malthouse in Ashbury. A man described as a white male with very short dark hair and of a thin build wearing dark or blue clothing called on the elderly resident and spoke about the switchover to digital TV. He then gained access to the house and whilst the resident looked for her TV licence which he had asked to see he stole money from her handbag.
If you had someone call on you with a similar story, saw an unfamiliar car parked in Ashbury around that time or saw anything suspicious please call the police on 08458 505 505 and quote URN 444 of the 9th June.
15 December 2010
Burglary - Kingstone Winslow. Sometime between the hours of 13:30 and 14:55 on Tuesday 14th December 2010 a property in Kingstone Winslow near Swindon was subjected to a burglary. The offender or offenders have gained entry to the property by taking a draining pole from the garage and using it to smash through a 10 by 14 inch toughened glass window. The offenders saw a laptop through the window and used the wires to pull the laptop closer to the window so they could steal it. If you have seen any suspicious people or vehicles in the area, please contact the Police on 08458 505 505 and quote URN 744 of 14th December 2010.
22 November 2010
Police urge people to be vigilant to mail scams - Oxfordshire. Thames Valley Police is urging people to be vigilant to postal scams after an 83-year-old man was defrauded out of more than £15,000.The man, from the Kennington area of Oxfordshire, received a letter informing him that he had won the Spanish Lottery back in July this year.The letter went on to state that in order to claim his prize, he needed to pay some expenses and taxes to both the Spanish government and EU before funds could be released. Over the past three months, the man made four payments totalling 17,646 euros. The matter came to light when the man’s bank grew concerned and told the man to speak with the police. The matter was eventually reported to Thames Valley Police on Wednesday (17/11). PC Ben Wilson said: This sort of crime exploits the most vulnerable people in society, preying on their good nature and expectations. Fraudsters hide behind the identities of companies, government bodies and legal organisations to try to legitimise their scams. In this case the victim has been left extremely upset by the incident, but wants us to publicise what has happened so that no one else falls into this trap. Sadly, this type of scam is not uncommon, but there is a lot of work being carried out by Thames Valley Police and other agencies to crack down on the criminals behind them.
27 July 2010
Police, trading standards and Vale of White Horse District Council officers are now carrying out monthly checks on manual workers to catch rogue traders in the Vale. To see how they are going about the work, copy and paste the following link into your internet browser to view a video:
www.youtube.com/user/thamesvalleypoliceuk#p/a/u/0/E6lWoeGlZgs
25 May 2010
GOOD NEWS
On Sunday 23rd May 2010 Police took action to prevent several raves. Officers in the Vale of White Horse will again be taking positive action over the Bank Holiday Weekend to prevent raves taking place. If you see or hear any activity which suggests a rave please call 08458 505 505 quote URN 755 of the 15th April 2010 if possible.
10 May 2010
At this time of year trading standards and the police see an increase in calls regarding door to door callers offering products and services.Recently there have been several incidents where suspicious people have been seen and later checks show that these people are known to the police.
Please can you let the police know of any suspicous traders when you get flyers through the door or if you have callers at your door whose behaviour or manner concerns you.Please contact the police at the time on 08458 505 505 or 999 if you suspect a crime is being committed.
15 March 2010
Between the hours of 12 noon and 13:00 on Friday 12th March 2010 a Nissan Micra was stolen in Ashbury. The passenger window was smashed and a handbag and contents were stolen. Please be extra vigilant and ensure you do not leave anything of value in your vehicle. Please make sure your vehicle is properly secure when you leave it. If you have any information relating to this message, or have seen any suspicious people or vehicles in the area, please contact the Police on 08458 505 505 and quote URN 642 of 12th March 2010
26 February 2010
HAVE YOUR SAY:
This is inviting all residents of Uffington and surrounding villages a Community Safety evening at the Village Hall at Uffington on Tuesday 16th March between 1900 hours and 2100 hours. This will be an opportunity to talk to your local Neighbourhood Policing Team, Crime Reduction Officer, Anti-Social Behaviour Officer, Neighbourhood Watch Administrator, Trading Standards, Vale of White Horse, National Trust,Vale Housing, Anchor, Oxfordshire County Council, NHS Ambulance Service and many more. There will be informative literature and items to take away.
Please come along on the 16th March - no appointment necessary.
18 February 2010
Council Tax for police services represents value for money, survey shows 16 February 10
RESIDENTS in the Thames Valley (Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire) believe the cost of policing the region is value for money. According to a recent survey of Thames Valley residents 58.4% believe the current level of council tax for police services across the region - £151.27 per year or £2.90 per week for a Band D property - represents value for money. A further 15.3% said 'don't know' and 26.4% felt it did not represent value for money.
The online survey, which was conducted between 26 January and 3 February 2010 by Thames Valley Police Authority, was emailed to over 21,000 residents via the police force's community messaging system.
Nearly two thousand people responded and took the opportunity to give their views on value for money and the Authority's proposed levels of police council tax for 2010/11. Of the 1,866 respondents:
50.6% were prepared to pay more council tax for improved services; 9.3% 'did not know' and 40.1% would not be prepared to pay an increase.
Of the respondents who would be prepared to pay an increase for improved services (50.6%), the level of increase they were prepared to pay was:
o 1% increase - 18.5%
o 2% increase - 32.6%
o 3% increase - 36.5%
o More than 3% increase - 12.4%
Khan Juna, Police Authority Chairman, said: "I want to personally thank everyone who participated in the council tax survey.
"What you say matters to us and will be taken into account, along with many other factors, when the Authority decides on the police budget and level of council tax precept to set for 2010/11."
A summary of the survey results and details of how it will be used are available via this link http://www.tvpa.police.uk/workingwithyou/consultations.cfm
Police Advice on Safety and Security
Community Safety
All residents have the ability to have an impact on improving their local community. Poorly lit footpaths, broken fences, smashed windows, graffiti, & littering, can all have a detrimental effect on community safety. If buildings or structures are allowed to fall into decline it may be a trigger for crime and anti social behaviour to increase, this is known as "Broken Windows Syndrome". We would welcome your feedback in identifying any areas of concern within your neighbourhood. Your local knowledge could have a very positive effect in reducing crimes & anti social behaviour in the future, by simply carrying out what is known as an Environmental Visual Audit and reporting any areas of concern to your local Crime Reduction Advisor at Thames Valley Police on 08458 505 505.
Anti-social Behaviour & Criminal Damage
Anti social behaviour can have a detrimental effect on community safety and quality of life. Groups of young people shouting, depositing litter, causing minor damage, can lead to more serious crime if allowed to develop unchecked. There are dedicated anti-social behaviour officers employed both in the police and at your local district councils. We want to encourage all residents to report any incidents of anti-social behaviour or criminal damage to the police on 08458 505 505 or to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 if you wish to remain anonymous.
Personal Safety
The chances of you or a member of your family becoming a victim of violent crime are low in either the VOWH or SODC. Always adopt a common sense approach when planning to go out whether on foot or in a a vehicle. If alone, try to walk in well lit populated areas. Take care when using ATMs and keep purses/wallets secure and out of site. If you do feel vulnerable when going out, consider carrying a personal attack alarm.
Security Coding of Property
As part of any security review of our homes and property it is important to ensure all valuable items are security marked. Options available to help increase the chance of recovery in event of loss or theft are: Engraving or etching, ultra violet or invisible marking, ceramic marking, punching, marking and registration services or electronically coded. If you do not have one, the coded for keeps leaflet and sticker are available, along with free ultra violet marker pens from the watch office on 01235 556957.
Identity Theft
Please take care when disposing of personal documents. Many supermarkets sell paper shredders at very reasonable prices. Shredders are an effective way of disposing of personal information. If you use a computer please ensure you have virus checkers and firewalls installed to protect against internet crime. For more information about identity theft, log on to www.identitytheft.org.uk or telephone 0870 010 2091.
Vehicle Crime
There has been a reduction in vehicle crime and with your help we can maintain this trend. Could you please ensure you carry out the following checks when parking your vehicles:
- Always remove keys, lock and properly secure your vehicles
- Never leave valuable items on display, such as sat-navs, laptop computers, mobile phones, cash, handbags, wallets, etc.
- Park with care in busy well lit area or near cc/tv cameras where possible
- Never keep car documents in your vehicle
- Never leave vehicle keys on view or near doors or windows in your home, thieves will break into your house in order to obtain the keys and then steal your car.
- It is understood that the current national crime trend of stealing metals will continue for the foreseeable future. Also being stolen are catalytic converters from cars. The catalytic converter contains an insert of platinum which has a high scrap value. Most modern cars are fitted with catalytic converters so please take precautions when leaving your car unattended. If you have to leave your vehicle in the street, try to park in areas of good street lighting. If you see any suspicious persons or vehicles, or have any information relating to this message, please call the Police on 08458 505 505 and say you are responding to a Ringmaster Message.
For further information on vehicle security please contact your local crime reduction advisor at Thames Valley Police on 08458 505 505.
Our homes are the biggest investment we make and quite often the overall security of the property is overlooked. In order to assist you in carrying out a security survey of your home, please use the following guidelines:
Check that door locks are in good working order and that there is no excessive play if you push the door when locked on either the top or bottom.
Patio doors and French windows are often the preferred entry point for a potential burglar so again make sure locks are effective.
Window locks should be in operation at all times when the house is unoccupied and never leave the keys in the window locks. All ground floor windows should have locks and any second story windows which may be accessed via an extension roof, drainpipe or veranda.
Never leave vehicle keys close to the front door or on view via a window as it may provide the incentive for a burglar to break in and steal car keys.
Keep all tools and equipment such as ladders stored away securely so they cannot be used to gain entry.
Should you require assistance regarding the security of your home, please do not hesitate to contact your local Crime Reduction Advisor via 08458 505 505. If you have any information about the above message that is of an urgent nature please contact our police enquiry centre on 0845 8 505 505 and state you are responding to this Ringmaster message.
Burglary - Kingstone Winslow. Sometime between the hours of 13:30 and 14:55 on Tuesday 14th December 2010 a property in Kingstone Winslow near Swindon was subjected to a burglary. The offender or offenders have gained entry to the property by taking a draining pole from the garage and using it to smash through a 10 by 14 inch toughened glass window. The offenders saw a laptop through the window and used the wires to pull the laptop closer to the window so they could steal it. If you have seen any suspicious people or vehicles in the area, please contact the Police on 08458 505 505 and quote URN 744 of 14th December 2010.