Local News: Appeal After Break-in at Douai Abbey Car-park

On Saturday 28th December a blue Volkswagen Golf was broken into in the car-park of Douai Abbey in Aldermaston ward.

Police said an iPhone, purse and bracelet were stolen, and have made a public appeal for witnesses who may have been in the area of Cod's Hill, Upper Woolhampton from 1-3pm that day.

If you were there and saw anything suspicious please contact PC Goodfield at Newbury Police Station via the Thames Valley Police Enquiry Centre on 101. Or if you'd prefer to remain anonymous you can contact Crimestoppers by freephoning 0800 555 111 or online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org.

Although our villages are generally a very safe area a number of residents have expressed shock that an opportunist would stoop to commit a crime on church grounds let alone during daylight hours of the festive period. Let's makes sure it doesn't happen again.

Residents Frustrated With 'Neighbourhood' Policing In Rural Areas

As residents of West Berkshire we are lucky to live in a local authority area with relatively low levels of crime. And as residents of Aldermaston ward we are even luckier that our villages are among the safest in the district - at least, that's what we are led to believe!

While out campaigning members of your local Focus team attended several 'Have Your Say' [ref] events to meet local PCSOs (Police Community Support Officers). These 'Police surgeries' are intended to demonstrate engagement with communities and gather feedback regarding local policing priorities, yet they are often scheduled at times and places when members of the public are least likely to be able to attend and we found that they are also regularly cancelled without notice.

As a result engagement and feedback can be less than expected, and LibDems continue to receive occasional complaints that residents' concerns are overlooked. Since promises of accessibility fail to match public demands this may be leading to misidentification of local priorities by the Police authority.

In Aldermaston ward (Aldermaston, Brimpton, Midham Wasing and Woolhampton parishes) worries are compounded by the way neighbourhood policing teams are divided - after recent reorganisations Brimpton and Aldermaston villages are now included in the renamed 'Thatcham West' patrol area, while Midgham and Woolhampton are designated part of the 'Bucklebury/Downlands' area (although crime statistics are collected along different lines, see links below).

This has the consequence that Police resources become concentrated where priority reports are made - in Thatcham, and in Hermitage and Upper Bucklebury - meaning our villages fall between between two stools.

Almost 1/4 of all reported crime in Bucklebury/Downlands occurs in our ward, yet this is completely ignored in the Neighbourhood Policing Newsletter!

And since incidence of crime can quickly flare up as Police visibility falls your local LibDems are concerned that the neighbourhood policing boundaries do not reflect the needs of residents.

Aldermaston ward campaigner James Spackman commented,

"the way neighbourhood patrol areas are currently organised is failing both Police Officers and members of the public. Particularly during a time of austerity it's important to make sure we make the best use of available resources."

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Check out Thames Valley Police performance figures from 2010-2013

Look the crime maps for:

• Thatcham, Aldermaston & Brimpton
• Bucklebury/Downlands

Check Policing priorities for:

• Thatcham, Aldermaston & Brimpton
• Bucklebury/Downlands

Signs o' the Crime

While out campaigning your local Focus team has been made aware of a particular local phenomenon - a spate of posters independently pinned to telegraph poles and noticeboards asking for information about different local crime incidents.

 
Here are photos of just two:

While the posters identify relatively minor incidents, they also reflect widely-expressed concerns about deprioritisation of crime levels in rural areas - such as the village parishes in Aldermaston ward.

Local campaigner James Spackman said,

"it's important to keep our eyes open for signs of crime, as the ability to share information will help pin-point local needs and prevent potential escalation in the future."