FIRE FIGHTERS called to a burning car in the early hours of last Sunday morning (02/09), discovered a body inside.
The police were then called to the scene, a lay-by outside Thame, on the A4129 between Kingsey and Longwick, at around 2.30am.
The fire is not considered to be suspicious and no formal identification of the deceased has yet taken place.
HERE is the latest Thame neighbourhood update from Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) Lucy Thorne, PCSO Diane Jackson, PCSO Chris Hollis and PCSO Richard Howard.
Anti-social behaviour
During August we received numerous reports of ASB in the Queen Elizabeth Circle where young people were creating a noise nuisance. This area is on our patrol plan and will be monitored regularly.
We have been informed that visitors to the Queen Elizabeth Circle park area have been parking in Harrison Place and on occasion they have caused an obstruction to resident?s driveways. We would like to remind everyone to be considerate in their parking.
We have received complaints about anti-social use of vehicles through the town centre, mainly in the evening and at night. We have developed a good rapport with the young people in the town, and combine suitable advice regarding noise levels and gathering in public areas, together with enforcement where appropriate. We will continue to monitor this and should we identify vehicles and drivers causing vehicle related ASB, we will be issuing Section 59 warnings, which can lead to the seizure of vehicles constantly coming to note.
All of these community concerns continue to be addressed through our current patrol plan.
Offenders brought to justice
In August, 18 offenders were brought to justice for the following;
2 x drunk and disorderly
1 x assault without injury on a Police Officer
1 x theft not classified
2 x drug possession ? cannabis
8 x shoplifting
1 x harassment
1 x assault without injury
1 x drug possession ? excluding cannabis
1 x public order
Priorities
Our Local Priority for Thame is anti-social behaviour (ASB). To deter any ASB we conduct high visibility patrols in and around the town, engaging with members of the public and listening to local people?s community concerns/issues. Where problems are brought to our attention, we conduct home visits with parents present (if appropriate), issue warning letters and work with offenders to encourage them to move forward. As well as ASB warning letters we can also issue acceptable behaviour contracts (ABCs), anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs), Section 27 orders ? direction to leave locality, and Section 59 orders – contracts issued for using a vehicle in an anti-social manner.
Partnership activity
We continue to work with our partners, ensuring that we liaise on a regular basis with the schools on our sector to maintain our good rapport.
Non partnership activity
Following reports of people illegally occupying a premise in Thame, we have been working closely with the relevant agencies and local residents to reduce/deter criminal activity. The premise has now been secured and we are conducting regular site inspections to monitor the premise and surrounding area. We have also conducted reassurance patrols, which local residents have appreciated.
Planned activity
We have participated in the following operations during August:
Maginot – this operation continues to run, tackling travelling criminals entering and leaving our area.
Due to an increase in thefts from vehicles in the Thame area and surrounding villages, we have been deploying the Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) device at dedicated times and providing a highly visible police presence aimed at deterring and preventing offences taking place, offering reassurance and assisting in the capture and prosecution of offenders.
ANPR is a powerful tool that can help prevent crime by identifying flagged vehicles.
Benefits of ANPR
ANPR identifies suspect vehicles that may not normally attract police attention.
Unlicensed or uninsured vehicles are likely to be seized on the spot by ANPR equipped officers.
It can be used to gather intelligence on known criminals, and for running pro-active operations using dedicated Roads Policing intercept teams.
ANPR cameras are not safety cameras – they are not used by Thames Valley Police to catch speeding or otherwise law abiding motorists. ANPR cameras are not used to generate money for the Government or other agencies.
Magpie – this operation involves checking parked vehicles in local car parks for valuables left on display. We also conduct these checks on our general patrols.
Mangrove ? this operation has been set up as a result of fuel thefts from heavy goods vehicles in our area. This operation involves us carrying out static patrols in key areas at key times in marked vehicles.
Moonlight – this operation will be running continuously and is working to protect the night time economy of Thame town centre by preventing and detecting ASB/violent assaults and managing licensed premises. PCSOs are working with police officers to conduct high visibility patrols in the town centre and are liaising with the pubs, carrying out licence checks.
A THAME woman who runs marathons with a blind friend, has been part of the final leg of the Paraolympic Torch Relay today, through Westminster.
Patsy Baker, 48, is Events Manager at the thame Barns Centre and has run 137 marathons to date. She has carried out voluntary work in both Africa India, as well as fund-raised for many charitable organisations.
READ MORE about Patsy.
AS part of the final Consultation stage of the the Thame Neighbourhood Plan, various drop-in ‘Topic Group’ meetings have been scheduled for members of the public to get involved with.
All the meetings will be held in Thame Town Hall.
The ?Consultation Draft? of the Thame Neighbourhood Plan is available for comment for six weeks from August 22, to October 3, 2012.
Meetings on different topics will be held on the following Wednesdays from 6.30pm to 8pm. Anyone is welcome to attend.
5 September Environment
12 September Housing
19 September Movement
26 September Economy
3 October Community
THE nervous wait for examination results was over today for GCSE students attending Lord Williams’s school, in Thame. Of those who sat the exams, 75% gained five or more A*-C grades, with 64% achieving five or more A*- C grades, including English and Mathematics. 97% of students achieved five or more passes at A*- G.
Headteacher, David Wybron, commented: ?Our students should be very pleased and proud of their achievements in a range of examinations. Because of their hard work and the excellent support of staff, they can look forward to the future, with great confidence.?
The following students gained at least seven passes at grade A* or A:
Georgina Allen, Frances Ballaster Harriss, Lauren Barker, Annabel Basford, Lette Batten-Turner, Jamie Blundell, Anna Broerse, Noor Bruggink, Roos Bruggink, Edward Craggs, Zoe Downer, Ilona Ecott, Elliott Ford, Chris Gaultney, Katy Groves, Ellie Harrison, Jo Haxworth, Rory House, Chloe Hykin, Esme Jones, Jesse Kempner, Sadie Kempner, Milly Lampit, Eleanor Macdougall, Alex McKeand, James McManus, Holly Miles, Michael Oatway, Jessica Pearson, Ollie Picot, Shannon Pierce, Amy Ring, Bradley Rose, Natalie Schmidt, Jessie Scraton, Anna Sharrard, Christopher Stewart, Megan Tiddy, Thomas Worthington.
This compares with last year, 2011, which was itself a record year for passes for Lord Williams’s School, when 72% of students gained five or more A* – C grades, with 63% achieving five or more A* – C grades, including English and Mathematics.
Over all, 97% of students achieved five or more passes at A* – G, the same as this year, 2012.
THIS is a Community Message from Thames Valley Police: Theft of lead – Thame: Between Sunday (19/08) and Monday (20/08) unknown offenders stole lead from a roof at Lord Williams Lower School, Towersey Road, Thame.
Two white male suspects wearing hooded tops were seen and are believed to be involved with this offence. Suspect one is described as wearing dark clothing and a grey hooded top. Suspect two was wearing blue tracksuit bottoms with stripes down the side and black trainers with a white sole.
If you have seen any suspicious looking people or vehicles in the area, or have any information relating to this message, please call the police on the new national single non-emergency telephone number 101 and state you are responding to a Community message.
Alternatively if you have information but wish to remain anonymous, please call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or online @ crimestoppers-uk.org. No personal details are taken, information is not traced or recorded and you will not go to court.
LOCALS to Thame, passing by today, might have been fooled into thinking that one of the town’s flagship eateries had changed hands over-night!
But fear not, Rumsey’s Chocolaterie and Cafe in Upper High Street has been selected as the location for a scene in the latest series of the popular TV series, ‘Lewis’ starring Kevin Whateley and Lawrence Fox – because, as one of the Production team put it: “It is such a beautiful cafe.”
The episode ‘starring’ Rumsey’s (disguised as ‘Porters Tea Rooms’) will be broadcast in January, and will be called ‘Intelligent Design.
This isn’t the first time this particular establishment has been used as a film location. In a previous carnation as ‘Pickles’, the deli, as it was then, was tranformed into a 1950s camera shop for an episode of Midsomer Murders, starring John Nettles. LINK
THAMES Valley Police is appealing for witnesses to a fatal collision that happened on the A418 in Wheatley.
The incident happened at around 9.50pm yesterday (19/8).
A green Triumph Thruxton 900 motorcycle was travelling east along the A418 towards Watersotck from the A40 when it was involved in a collision with a silver Mercedes CLK that was travelling west on the same road, by Middle Ground.
The motorcyclist, who has not been formally identified but is believed to be a 56-year-old man from London, was pronounced dead on arrival at the John Radcliffe Hospital.
The Mercedes driver was not seriously injured in the incident.
Anyone with any information about this incident should contact PC Matthew Hunt, in the Abingdon Roads Policing Base via 101.
If you don’t want to speak directly to the police you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at crimestoppers-uk.org. No personal details are taken, information is not traced or recorded and you will not go to court.
SOURCE: Press release
THAMES Valley Police has charged a man with two recent burglaries in Thame.
Gary McIntosh, aged 42, of no fixed abode, has been charged with burglaries at houses in Wellington Street on August 4, and in North Street on the previous day.
He appeared at Oxford Magistrates? Court yesterday (16/8) where he was remanded in custody to appear at the same court on September 13.
THE tide has been turned on rogue traders who mostly target older or vulnerable people in Oxfordshire, thanks to the efforts of the county council?s Trading Standards Service, in partnership with Thames Valley Police.
While doorstep crime incidents are on the increase nationally, in Oxfordshire reports of this type of crime fell by 10 per cent last year.
This is the first year the team has seen a small reduction in reported incidents in Oxfordshire – down from 524 to 480 (April 2011 to March 2012).
Oxfordshire County Council and Thames Valley Police adopt a joint approach to tackling this problem. This includes a rapid response to reported incidents, as well as joint investigations and raising awareness through publicity campaigns, such as the current advice about doorstep crime.
Intervened to save cash
In the past year the joint Doorstep Crime Team intervened to save Oxfordshire residents