THE annual Thame Show planned for July 2012, has been cancelled after it made a loss in 2011, and because of concerns over a clash with the London Olympics and the Queen’s Diaomond Jubilee celebrations.
The news came in a letter to members and Directors from the Chairman of The Oxfordshire County and Thame Show, Martin Hector.
Although the show made a small profit in 2010 of
A 34 year-old accused of murdering a colleague at The Oxfordshire Golf Club near Thame, has pleaded ‘Not Guilty.’
Jonathan Limani, 34, a waiter at the golf club, is charged with the murder of Restaurant Manager, Chris Varian in August last year (2010).
Mr Limani was remanded in custody to Broadmoor Hospital after speaking only to confirm his name and enter a plea of ‘Not Guilty’ when he appeared before Judge Anthony King at Oxford Crown Court today,
Judge King told Limani that he will remain in custody until March 21, 2012 or until the beginning of his trial, fixed for March 19, 2012 – whichever is the earlier date.
A post-mortem examination found Mr Varian, from Stone in Buckinghamshire, died from stab wounds to the neck following the attack on August 21 last year.
PHOTO: Chris Varian
FOLLOWING a row among town councillors about which flag should be flown from the second pole on Thame town hall, the council has announced that its promised consultation will not be binding on the council’s decision.
At a meeting of the council’s Policy and Resources committee, a draft survey sheet to be made available to local people to have their say about which flag should be flown as a default alongside the Union flag, was rejected.
Apart from grammatical errors, including the question: “What flag should be flown outside the Town Hall?” the sheet included boxes urging people to enter a tick and “cast your vote.” But the Chair of the committee, Cllr Mike Dyer, said that the survey was not to be a referendum but that its results would be taken into consideration by the Working Group to be formed to come up with a policy.
The options so far are; the flag of St George, the flag of the European Union or a town flag. But councillors at the meeting wanted other options to be considered including a third flag pole and no flag poles at all!
At a previous meeting the council had agreed that the second flag pole should be used for special occasions and to honour official visitors to the town so, for example, flying the Armed Forces flag on Armed Forces Day, or the French flag when we have visitors from our twin town of Montesson.
A series of acrimonious letters in the local press from councillors was mentioned by Cllr Peter Lambert, who said that the row was embarrassing and that it was regrettable that so much time had been spent discussing the issue and that “the bunch of adults around this table seem unable to agree which flags should be flown from the town hall!”
LATEST Crime news update for Thame – SOURCE: Press Release; 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 (ASB) Info
The most common way we can deal with incidents of ASB is by issuing ASB warning letters, acceptable behaviour contracts (ABC?s), anti-social behaviour orders (ASBO?s), Section 27 orders ? direction to leave locality, and Section 59 orders – contracts issued for using a vehicle in an anti-social manner.
No Section 59 orders have been issued this month.
One ABC has been re-issued to a young boy by PCSO Lucy Thorne.
One young person under the age of 18 was issued a warning letter from the ASB team following an incident where they were drinking in a park.
We have received reports of ASB in the Cuttlebrook, where young people are gathering creating noise nuisance. This area is on our patrol plan and will be monitored regularly.
Two Youth Restorative Disposals (YRDs) have been issued by PCSO Lucy Thorne to two young boys who committed Criminal Damage.
Offenders brought to justice
In October, 18 offenders have been brought to justice for the following:
One x Assault Occasioning Actual Bodily Harm
Two x Murder
Seven x Shoplifting
One x Possession of Firearms offences
One x Theft from vehicle
One x Theft or Unauthorised Taking of Motor Vehicle
One x Drug Possession- Excluding Cannabis
One x Criminal Damage
One x GBH
One x Criminal Damage to vehicle
One x Assault without injury
Crime Mapping
The Home Office national crime mapping website gives the public access to street-level crime information as well as information on their Neighbourhood Policing Teams, Neighbourhood Priorities and Events – details of Have Your Say and other neighbourhood activities. Log on to www.police.uk, type in your local postcode or neighbourhood name and then click on ?Find out more?.
Priorities
Our Local Priority for Thame is ASB. As stated above, we conduct high visibility patrols in and around the town, engaging with members of the public, listening to local people?s community concerns/issues. Where problems are brought to our attention, we conduct home visits with parents present, issue warning letters and work with offenders to encourage them to move forward.
Partnership Activity
We continue to work with our partners, ensuring that we liaise on a regular basis with the schools on our sector, who we have good rapports with. PCSO Lucy Thorne has been working closely with the schools over the past month to ensure that contact details are up to date and promoting Education Watch and Caretaker Watch within the schools.
We conduct monthly site inspections with Soha, South Vale Housing and Sovereign Housing, tackling low level neighbourhood disputes.
We continue to engage regularly with the local Town Council, picking up any local concerns people raise and events which are taking place over coming months.
Pubwatch meetings continue to be held every two months and Country Watch meetings are held quarterly.
Non-partnership Activity
We would like to introduce PCSO Richard Howard to the team, who joined us in early October. He is an additional PCSO for the town, working alongside PCSO Diane Jackson, PCSO Lucy Thorne and PCSO Chris Hollis.
Following reports of safety issues at Gas Alley and Ludsden Grove when parents are walking children to and from school, PCSO Lucy Thorne has been liaising with the Town Council and South Oxfordshire District Council (SODC)/ Highways to organise a joint site visit. The area is on our patrol plan and PCSOs are patrolling this area at key times to deal with any illegally parked vehicles and conduct high visibility patrols.
During October, we have seen a rise in the number of thefts of catalytic converters from vehicles. We have been engaging with businesses and industrial parks and offering suitable crime reduction advice. However, we ask that members of the public are vigilant and should anybody see suspicious activity, please call Thames Valley Police on 0845 8 505 505 to report it.
Planned Activity:
We have participated in the following operations during October:
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.
Mangrove – this is running initially for eight weeks as a result of fuel thefts from heavy goods vehicles over recent weeks in our local 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 liaising with the pubs, carrying out licence checks.
Good News Stories
PCSO THORNE has identified a further two offenders for Criminal Damage. At this time, YRDs are being issued.
Please be aware, from 14 November 2011 callers will be able to use the new national non-emergency number 101 to call Thames Valley Police. 101 will replace the 0845 8 505 505 non-emergency number but both numbers will run side by side until the end of March.
Community Messaging:
This free service provides information to subscribers about crime and police activity in their area via phone or email. It also includes information on what we and our partner services are doing to bring offenders to justice or combat anti-social behaviour, and information on opportunities for local residents to raise concerns with their local policing teams. More information can be obtained via our website, and you can sign up here too: http://www.tvpcommunitymessaging.org/rmwebportal/startup.aspx
Have Your Say online
You can now send non-emergency messages to us using the online form that is available on the Thames Valley Police website. A number of people have already sent their concerns using this method. For you to do that please follow the link: http://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/yournh/yournh-about-nh-pol/yournh-tvp-pol-area-n235-hys. Please allow some time for us to get back to you as we do check our mail box only at certain times of the day.
There is also the opportunity to attend Have Your Say meetings in person. Upcoming Have Your Say meetings are:-
Tuesday 29 November 2011 from 11am ? 1pm at Thame Town Hall, High Street, Thame with PCSO Diane Jackson
These meetings are an ideal opportunity for local residents to speak to their local police officers and PCSO?s about any local issues, no appointment is necessary just turn up and speak to your local officers. Further meetings will be publicised locally and on the force website at www.thamesvalley.police.uk
If you want any advice or would like to contact the neighbourhood team you can call us on the police non emergency number 0845 8 505505 or email ThameNHPT@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk. Please note this email address cannot be used to contact Thames Valley Police to report crimes or for any urgent matters. Alternatively you can visit the force website at www.thamesvalley.police.uk to view information on your neighbourhood.
UPDATES for Chinnor, Towersey and surrounding villages
http://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/pub-pg-nh-upds-N141?id=197449
A piece of amenity land in the Lenthall Green area of Thame may be sold off as gardens after neighbours claimed it encourages anti-social behaviour.
But other neighbours dispute this claim and say that the small secluded area that backs onto Langdale Road is used by dog walkers and younger, supervised children playing. Other neighbours fear that if the parcel of land is sold off, there would be the potential for more residential noise, particularly in the summer. Other neighbours say that they have not been made aware of any recent applications to change the use of the land and others fear that the planting of trees in any new gardens may lead to loss of light.
At a meeting of Thame Town Council’s Policy and Resources committee last night, Mr Peter Harris, of Langdale Road, spoke to councillors on behalf of four other neighbouring residents who wish to pay the
A THAME man has admitted to Magistrates that he stole alcohol from the BP garage in the town.
Robert Appleby, 20, of Chowns Close, Thame, admitted shoplifting alcohol valued at
A new scheme has been launched in South Oxfordshire and the Vale of White Horse to encourage women to become more active.
?Active Women? will target women with children under the age of 16 to help them increase their activity levels and become more involved in sport.
The scheme works by specifically targeting locations in the two districts, including Thame North, where there are a high number of women with children, and providing them with a selection of sports, based on which were the most popular with women in these areas.
In South Oxfordshire up to 105 women in Aston Rowant, Benson, Crowmarsh, Didcot Ladygrove and Thame North will benefit from netball, badminton, tennis and athletics sessions, which will be arranged specifically for them.
Where suitable, childcare arrangements will be made available at the sessions in both districts.
?Active Women? is a Sport England scheme, funded by the National Lottery, which supports projects around the country designed to get women with children more active. The scheme is the second part of a multi-themed project designed to tackle gaps in sports participation.
The scheme in South and Vale is also receiving funding from Active Nation, GLL/Nexus Community, Oxfordshire Sports Partnership, SOLL Leisure, South Oxfordshire District Council and Vale of White Horse District Council.
The scheme will be run in South and Vale by the new Active Women co-ordinator, Lil Roe. Women living in the targeted areas, as well as any local coaches or potential volunteers, who wish to get involved with the Active Women sessions should contact Lil on 01491 823135.
Cllr Bill Service, cabinet member for leisure in South Oxfordshire, said: ?The Active Women scheme will provide a fantastic opportunity for women with children to get more active, try sports that they haven?t done before, and make new friends in the process.?
Cllr Elaine Ware, cabinet member for leisure in the Vale, said: ?We know that women have less opportunity to participate in sporting activities when they have children to look after, so we hope that by bringing these specially targeted sessions to them they are able to enjoy playing sport again.?
IMAGE: Courtesy of blogs.culture.gov.uk
A REPORT detailing the findings so far of the public consultation currently being carried out to formulate a Thame Town Plan, is now available.
Sadly, the report states where the workshops etc have been publicised but does not acknowledge ThameNews.Net, despite the fact that we have been instrumental in reporting and publicising the events. Hey Ho…
A decision by the Supreme Court in the Landsbanki and Glitnir test case trials in Iceland will mean that local authorities, including Oxfordshire, who had millions of pounds invested will get most of their money back.
In response, the following statement was issued this afternoon on behalf of the Thames valley Police Authority, who had
THIS week sees the latest round of hearings to be held by the Inspector reviewing the controversial Core Strategy that will decide housing and economic development in Thame and the rest of South Oxfordshire, to 2026.
The timetable for the hearings is HERE
ThameNews.Net will be covering the Thursday hearing which will concentrate on Thame.