Thames Valley Police is appealing for witnesses after two fires in the Carterton area on Sunday 13th September.
At around 7pm, a fence panel was set on fire in Stanmore Crescent in Carterton. A group of people, believed to be around 18 to 19 years old,were seen running off in the direction of town. About an hour later, a moped was seen driving around town towing a mattress.
Then at 8:30pm, the fire service was called to the recreation ground in Alvescot Road, where a mattress had been placed on the play equipment and set on fire, destroying the equipment.
Anyone with information is asked to contact PC Marstin on 0845 8 505 505.
Police are appealing for witnesses after a burglar was disturbed breaking into a home on Friday 11th September at Burford Road in Carterton.
At approximately 2:25am the victim was woken by a noise and saw someone escaping through her window. The offender was possibly male and wore a light coloured top carrying a black rucksack.
If you have any information on this incident please contact police on 08458 505 505 quoting URN 87 11/9/2009.
Residents are warned about an incident which occured yesterday (Monday 24 August) in Ramsden, near Chipping Norton. At approximately 7:45pm a man called at a house and tried to sell items to the occupant. He said he was from Nottingham and is described as 6 foot tall with a large build and gold front teeth. You are advised not to buy items from callers at your door, they will often be of poor quality and you will be charged more than it is worth. If you do receive a call please try to note down their description and any vehicle they were using, and then contact Oxfordshire Trading Standards on 0845 051 0845.
This is a message for neighbourhood watch schemes only, in particular co-ordinators. West Oxfordshire is launching the 'Nominate A Neighbour' scheme which is used to protect vulnerable residents from bogus callers. The scheme involves people holding a unique card up to their window if an unexpected caller comes to their door. The card refers the caller to a 'Nominated Neighbour' who can check on their behalf if their identification is genuine. The nominated neighbour will also be able to be present during the visit. The occupant will be encouraged not to enter into a conversation with the unknown caller but to just hand over or show the card. It is hoped this will deter a potential bogus caller immediately and they will leave the area. A genuine caller will not mind following the instructions on the card.
We are initially looking for neighbourhood watch members to volunteer to become nominated neighbours for vulnerable residents in their street. The scheme has proven extremely successful in Cherwell. If you would like more information on the scheme please telephone the neighbourhood watch office on 01993 861640 or reply to this email.
Residents are warned about an incident which occured yesterday (Monday 24 August) in Ramsden, near Chipping Norton. At approximately 7:45pm a man called at a house and tried to sell items to the occupant. He said he was from Nottingham and is described as 6 foot tall with a large build and gold front teeth. You are advised not to buy items from callers at your door, they will often be of poor quality and you will be charged more than it is worth. If you do receive a call please try to note down their description and any vehicle they were using, and then contact Oxfordshire Trading Standards on 0845 051 0845.
Get advice on staying safer in your community and find out how partnership working is reducing crime in West Oxfordshire during a week of activities starting Monday 27 July. 'Your Community, Your Call' has been organised by the Safer Communities Partnership to promote the crime reduction work taking place across the district. A range of issues will be covered from domestic violence and drugs and alcohol to burglary, criminal damage and environmental crime.
Supporters at the events will include the Neighbourhood Police Teams, West Oxfordshire District Council, Trading Standards, Oxfordshire Fire & Rescue and Oxfordshire Primary Care Trust. Each day runs from 10am until 1pm.
Monday 27 July: Witney marketplace
Tuesday 28 July: Chipping Norton (outside the town hall)
Wednesday 29 July: Burford high street
Thursday 30 July: Carterton marketplace
Friday 31 July: Woodstock market square
Help the police to reduce vehicle crime in West Oxfordshire. If you see a vehicle with valuables left on show then please note down the make, registration number and location of where you saw it. Then email these details to crimereduction@whosmybobby.co.ukcrimereduction@whosmybobby.co.uk The local crime reduction officer will pick this up and write to the owner of the vehicle to give them some crime reduction advice and warn them that they were at risk of theft because of leaving items on show.
The weather is getting warmer and as always this means more local youngsters are out in the evenings. This month has seen the usual Friday night in Carterton town centre with numerous youths gathering. The team continues to move them onto the recreation ground and tries to keep the noise to relatively low levels.
Some alcohol has been seized during June but not as much as during May. We continue to work with the Youth Service and the Outreach Workers to intervene early before things escalate. The team is working hard to ensure those who commit anti-social behaviour are dealt with positively. The Dell and skate park in Carterton have been quiet during June with very few instances of anti-social behaviour. The new Country Park is very well used by members of the public during the day. Unfortunately it is attracting youths during the later hours. Local residents have been in touch with the neighbourhood team and we are actively patrolling the area during the evenings in an attempt to stop this happening before it gets habit forming. It has also come to our attention that Marigold Square and the play park in the middle of Shilton Park are also becoming magnets for youths gathering.
A working group has been set up to find ways of preserving the Country Park and to stop any vandalism and anti-social behaviour. PC Barnes is also working with partners in Carterton who hope to provide areas of recreation for the youths. This is work in progress.
Parking is once again the big issue in Burford. PCSO Summers continues to issue tickets to drivers parking on double yellow and zig-zags lines. As we have stated before, parking on zig-zag lines is extremely dangerous as it diminishes the view of the road for anyone wanting to cross. Recently a pedestrian was slightly hurt due to a vehicle being parked on the zig-zags. Some motorists dislike getting a parking ticket so much that they abuse the PCSOs issuing the tickets and this type of behaviour will lead to arrest. If you are issued with a ticket, accept it in good grace as, after all, you are breaking the law. There is a proper appeal system which is explained on your ticket.
Speeding continues to be a problem for villages of Aston and Cote and PCSO Webb will be attending their Parish Council meeting to discuss the issues. The neighbourhood team is still trying to get the Speed Detector Radar (SDR) on the Buckland Road and our dedicated Roads Policing Team is aware of the problem and will continue with its speed checks.Shilton Park continues to have its parking problems and the team is doing its best to remedy those problems. One thing that stands out is that a bit of considerate parking by residents soon sorts out the problem.
The Council cleaners continue to do a good job, but we could all make their job so much easier if we threw our rubbish in a bin or took it home with us. If bins are full then contact either your town or parish council and they can speak to someone who can get them emptied. Carterton took part in the 'The Big Tidy Up' and 20 volunteers turned out to help. The weather on the day was good and 20 bags of rubbish were collected. We would like to thank Street Scene for their help with the graffiti removal machine and the use of litter pickers and gloves.
Starting at the beginning of July the neighbourhood team will start to use body worn video cameras, which will enable us to collect evidence of crimes and anti-social behaviour. This is a fantastic tool for the team and we welcome it.
On 30 May the team arrested a woman on suspicion of possession of cannabis. This follows some good work by the PCSOs. She was later charged and bailed to court for the offence and she will also be targeted for anti-social behaviour.
On 5 June we arrested two men on suspicion of affray. This follows a number of neighbourhood disputes involving the same parties and enquiries are on going.
On 8 June the team arrested two people on suspicion of shoplifting from Somerfield. One of them received a caution.
On 19 June a young man was arrested on the recreation ground. He was drunk and becoming violent towards his friends and the police officers. He was taken to Witney police station and after release has been invited to attend a Partnership run alcohol referral workshop to educate him and his family about alcohol and responsible drinking.
The Co-Op on Shilton Park had been having problems with shoplifting on a regular basis from what appeared to be the same group of people. Due to police and staff initiatives this has stopped and things have been quiet for a few weeks now.
All residents are asked to be aware of the security of their homes and outbuildings following an increase in burglaries in the area. Of note is the arrest of an offender at Witney that was seen climbing into a house. The neighbour called the police and he was arrested and property that he had taken was recovered. A positive result but with the hot weather we all need to be more aware and cut down on the opportunities for thieves to commit crime.
This is a reminder that you are invited to attend a special launch day on Thursday 9th July at the Market Square in Woodstock. The event is organised by the police and their partners to highlight the important role residents play in helping the police to track down criminals by providing information about suspicious incidents or people. There will be demonstrations of crime prevention technology and plenty of crime reduction advice available. The launch runs from 12pm until 3pm but you can stop by anytime. If you are interested in attending please telephone 01993 861640
Police are urging motorists not to leave ANY items on display following the theft of five sat navs last night (30 June). Two were stolen from Curbridge Road and Mirfield Road in Witney, and a further three were stolen from Carterton. Opportunist thieves take only a second to smash a window and grab your sat nav. Please do not leave it in the vehicle and be sure to remove its cradle and the suction marks off the window.
Police are appealing for witnesses after a moped was stolen in Carterton on Sunday (28 June). A blue Piaggio Liberty moped, registration OU55 GGL, was parked outside the Beehive Pub in Black Bourton Road. When the owner returned to pick it up at around 3pm she discovered it had been stolen.
PC Adrian Brooksbank, investigating the incident, said: "It is likely that the pub was busy at this time on Sunday, so I appeal to anyone who witnessed anybody acting suspiciously to contact police. "The moped has yet to be recovered so I ask anyone who has seen a moped of this description to get in touch."
Anyone with information that could assist police enquiries is urged to contact PC Brooksbank via Thames Valley Police Enquiry Centre on 0845 8 5 505 505. If you don't want to speak to police and don't want to leave your name contact the Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555 111. Carterton football club held its annual six-a-side tournament and was visited by PCSO's Isabel Webb and Sara Holmes. The weekend went very well with superb weather. Royal Air Force Brize Norton held it Family's Day during June which was a success with no trouble reported.