Public meetings held with Thames Valley Police

The issue:

In order to better understand the concerns of residents of policing issues, Alok is organising a series of public meetings across the Reading West constituency with senior officers from Thames Valley Police.

Meetings to date:

  • Thursday 29th November at Tilehurst Methodist Church - around 80 people were present. Questions included: the priorities of the new Police and Crime Commissioner, traffic management and road speeding, knife crime, anti-social behaviour, harassment, Police visibility, litter and fly-tipping, Police morale, cycling on pavements and the Police complaints procedure.
  • Thursday 31st January at the Curzon Club in Battle - over 50 people attended. Alok chaired the discussions, which included questions on: drug dealing, street prostitution, licensing issues, police patrols, the application for an adult gaming centre on Oxford Road, Sexual Assault Referral Centres, and the number of frontline police officers in the Thames Valley.
  • Thursday 21st March at Southcote Primary School - in excess of 35 people attended. The meeting gave local residents from Southcote and Norcot wards the opportunity to raise local policing issues with the Reading Policing Area commander, Superintendent Stuart Greenfield, and the head of the local Neighbourhood Policing Team, Inspector PJ Binns.
  • Thursday 2nd May 2013 at The Well Church in Whitley - Superintendent Stuart Greenfield was able to open the meeting with good news that there had been a 17% decrease in crime in Whitley. Issues raised at the meeting included dog fouling, Police engagement with young people, the visibility of Police officers in the community, noise complaints and speeding on Buckland Road.
  • Thursday 30th May at The Cornwell Centre in Theale - Alok Sharma chaired the discussions, which included questions on flytipping, drug related crime, the logistics of 999 calls, police response times, dangerous cycling, engagement with young people, burglary from sheds and garages, speeding and the definition of reasonable force for defending properties.
  • Thursday 20th June 2013 at Kennet Valley Free Church in Calcot - attended by over 50 people. The panel were questioned on a number issues including: the need for security lights on garages, anti-social driving issues, what the public can do to help the police, the priorities of the Police, enforcement of bus lanes, speeding and incidents of anti-social behaviour.
  • Thursday 17th October 2013 at Purley Barn - West Berkshire Policing Area Commander, Superintendent Robin Rickard provided residents with an update on the work police have been doing to combat local crime in Purley including anti-social behaviour and burglary from garages.
  • Friday 7th March 2014 at Pangbourne Village Hall – Police updated residents on the work they have been doing to combat local crime in Pangbourne, including anti-social behaviour, fly tipping and traffic offences including speeding and parking.
  • Thursday 24th March 2016 at Lifespring Church - Panel included Sergeant Jennie Fox, Thames Valley Police, who gave an update on some of the major issues TVP encounter on the Oxford Road and surrounding areas, including combating drug dealers, reducing prostitution and reducing the number of burglaries.
  • Thursday 28th April 2016 at St Mary’s Church in Purley – Panel included West Berkshire Policing Area Commander, Superintendent Jims Weems and the head of the local Neighbourhood Policing Team, Inspector Chris Ward. Police gave an update to residents on the work they have been doing to combat local crime in Purley.
  • May 26th 2016 at St Matthew’s Church in Southcote – Panel included Simon Briggs, Neighbourhood Inspector for South, North and West Reading from Thames Valley Police and Joe Northcote, Neighbourhood Initiatives Officer at Reading Borough Council. Panel gave an update to residents on the work they have been doing to combat local crime in Southcote, including traffic issues, drugs, litter and fly-tipping. 

Next steps:

Alok will be holding future meetings with a purpose of reviewing crime and policing in other wards of the constituency.

Alok says:

 “These meetings are an excellent opportunity to hear residents’ concerns about local policing issues and to enhance the dialogue between the police and the wider community and I will continue to follow up the issues raised at the meetings by local residents.”

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