Category: Thame news

WHY jump in the car and leave town for Christmas shopping when here in Thame we have so many wonderful and unique shops right here on our doorstep? This time of the year can mean make-or-break for the smaller, independent retailers. They deserve our support and with all the wonderful new shops that have recently opened in the town, opportunities for finding Christmas gifts locally have never been greater.

Let Thame.Net and our friendly shop keepers guide and inspire you to find the ideal gift for everyone right here in Thame. www.thame.net/xmas_shopping.htm

THAMES Valley Police has issued a warning to motorists in South Oxfordshire to be on their guard when leaving their vehicle unattended, following a number of car crimes in the area.

There have been 15 thefts from motor vehicles in rural, outdoor locations in the past two months in the South Oxfordshire area. The main areas being targeted are rural areas in Thame and Watlington, and all involve the vehicle window being smashed and property being stolen from inside.

Beauty spots and rural car parks are being targeted, in particular the areas around Junction six of the M40 at Lewknor. Two cars were broken into at the Lambert Arms in London Road on 3 December at around midnight; a black Volkswagen Passat had its windows smashed and a laptop and sat nav stolen, and a black Mercedes ML 350 was broken into and an iPod, laptop, clothes and sunglasses were stolen.

Also in Lewknor, a white Toyota Estima was broken into while parked in the lay-by on the B4009, usually used by commuters who travel by bus to London. Tools and CDs were stolen from the Toyota on 30 November, sometime between 10am and 11.45pm.

There have also been a few incidents at the Belfry Hotel on the A40 at Milton Common. Two cars were broken into at the hotel on 3 December sometime between 2.30am and 6pm the day before. A silver Toyota Yaris had its windows smashed and a phone and handbag containing bank cards, ID cards and cash were taken, and a black BMW 118D had a laptop and handbag stolen from it.

The car park at the rural beauty spot in the Christmas Common area has also been targeted. On 29 November two cars were broken into at around 3pm in the afternoon. A silver Vauxhall Vectra had its windows smashed but nothing was taken as did a blue BMW 320 where food, clothes and a disable badge were stolen.

PC James Wood of South Oxfordshire?s Priority Crime Team said: ?We take auto crime very seriously and are utilising a number tactics to tackle it such as increased patrols in the area.

?In all of these crimes however, opportunistic thieves have taken advantage of the situation; what we need to do is to highlight how unwise it is to leave valuables on display in your car. Make sure you take them with you and properly secure you vehicle.

?Otherwise, you are inviting criminals to commit crime and are simply making it easier for them. We need to ensure that when people park their vehicles in rural areas and open car parks they take all their valuable items out of the car to prevent them from being stolen.?

If you have any information regarding these incidents, please contact Thames Valley Police on the non-emergency number 0845 8 505 505. If you don?t want to speak to police or give your name, please call the Crimestoppers charity anonymously on 0800 555 111.

THE number of drivers arrested by Thames Valley Police during the first five days of this year?s drink-drive campaign has increased by 93 per cent on last year.

A total of 52 people have been arrested in the Thames Valley area (including 14 in Oxfordshire and 10 in Buckinghamshire) during the first five days of the month-long campaign targeting drink and drug driving, starting on Wednesday (1/12). This compares to 27 arrests during the first five days of the 2009 campaign.

Of the 52 people arrested, 33 have been charged and will face a court hearing, 13 people have been released on bail and no further action will be taken against six people.

The highest reading recorded during this year?s campaign so far has been 125mg of alcohol per 100ml of breath, more than three-and-a-half times over the legal limit of 35mg. This reading was recorded in Bracknell on Sunday (5/12).

Superintendent Rob Povey, Head of Roads Policing, said: ?It is very disappointing to see this year?s figures already higher than those recorded last year.

?Of those arrested so far, 45 were men and seven were women. They have ranged in age from 17 to 70 years old.

?I want to warn all drivers that our targeted road checks will be continuing up to and over the Christmas and New Year period so the message is simple, if you drive under the influence of drink or drugs, expect to face the consequences.

?In addition to the road checks we will be testing all drivers involved in collisions or anyone who has committed an offence, or is suspected of drug driving. We will also be acting on information from the public.

?If you are going out and know you will be drinking, organise alternative transport or a designated driver to ensure everyone is able to enjoy the festive period safely.?

Thames Valley Police?s Christmas campaign will run until 1 January, 2011.

All drivers who provide positive breath tests or who refuse to provide or fail to provide a breath sample when requested to, face the prospect of a prison sentence of up to six months as well as losing their driving licence for at least 12 months.

HERE is the latest Thame neighbourhood update from Police Community Support Officers (PCSO) Diane Jackson and PCSO Lucy Thorne.

Crime Info:
Crime mapping shows an increase in Burglary from three to 4.7 between the period of August to October 2009 and the same period for 2010. This is a 55.6 percent increase. We would like to remind people that with the festive period fast approaching, the number of burglaries reported generally increases. We can be contacted for personal crime reduction advice. However, with lots of new Christmas presents received in the New Year, we would like to stress how important it is to ensure toys, bicycles and other valuables are kept secure and locked away at night.

More information on crime mapping can be found on the Thames Valley Police website under local crime mapping www.thamesvalleypolice.uk

PCSO Thorne is arranging for the bike stores in Thame to hold post coding stickers in the lead up to Christmas, where bikes can be coded when purchased. Any member of the public, who does not currently have their bike coded, can take their bike into the stores and coding will available. It only takes minutes! A video showing how this is done can be found on our Youtube channel.

We will continue to conduct high visibility patrols in key areas at key times to work to deter/prevent criminal activity. We have also taken part in Operation Maginot during December. This is an operation aimed at targeting travelling criminals entering our area.

On 9 November, two Lord Williams Upper School pupils were reported missing. Both girls were found safe and well in Birmingham a few days later on 11 November. We would like to remind all young people how important it is to let a parent, or somebody close to you know where you are.

Anti-social behaviour (ASB) info:
During November, we have had no alcohol seizures in Thame and no Section 59 warnings for ASB have been issued by Thame PCSOs.

PCSO Jackson and PCSO Thorne have issued two Anti-social Behaviour Contracts to young people in November. Two further warning letters are also due to be issued in December to two individuals associated with the ASB.

We were pleased with how smoothly the Halloween/Fireworks period passed, with very few reports of ASB. There were no offences committed in Thame relating to Fireworks.

PCSO Thorne worked closely with the Fire Service to demolish a den following complaints from members of the public. Both services deemed this to be a health and safety concern on the Phoenix Trail.

PCSO Jackson and PCSO Thorne dealt with graffiti at John Hampden School. The offender has been dealt with by way of a Youth Restorative Disposal (YRD).
On 24 November, Lord Williams Upper School students protested outside the Thame Town Hall following recent government increases in university fees. Although there were approximately 250 students, aged between 16 and 18 years, there was a very cold but peaceful protest.

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.

Offenders brought to justice:
19 offenders were brought to justice in the Thame area in November.

Comments on all priorities:
The local priority for Thame is:
1. Anti-social behaviour (ASB) ? Key areas are patrolled when on duty and any ASB is dealt with and youths are moved on if necessary. Where necessary, home visits are carried out with parents present.

Partnership Activity:
As mentioned above, PCSO Thorne worked closely with the Fire Service to demolish a large den on the Phoenix Trail. We have also worked closely with housing associations as usual, carrying out site inspections and home visits to tackle neighbourhood disputes.

PCSO Thorne has been working closely with the Thame Beavers Group, who are kindly donating raffle prizes for the Thame Town Council Christmas lunch.

We continue to conduct patrols at the schools in Thame, mainly at key times in the morning and afternoon. This enables us to liaise and engage with parents, pupils and school staff.

Non Priority Activity:
PCSO Lucy Thorne would like to take this opportunity to remind young people looking for work, or looking for assistance with finding employment that a Connextions representative is available to speak with at the Young Persons Centre in Thame every Wednesday from 2pm ? 4.30pm.

We have a number of known elderly/vulnerable residents in Thame, who we have good rapports with following home visits or street meetings. We pay them regular checks to ensure they are keeping themselves safe, and find out whether they have any problems. This is something we are keen to do, knowing that some people find it difficult to get out during the winter months, or in fact at all. If anybody has any neighbourhood concerns which we should know about, please contact us or attend our Have Your Say meetings.

Country Watch meetings are being held quarterly.
Planned Activity:
There are monthly operations for Country Watch.

We will continue to deploy the Speed Indication Device (SID) in the area on a monthly basis, on roads which have been highlighted for speeding. We will also be looking to deploy the Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) device along with the SID to tackle travelling criminals entering and travelling through our area.

In November, PCSO Thorne deployed the SID in Oxford Road, Thame, where a number of vehicles were exceeding the speed limit. As a result of this, she will continue to deploy the device in this location in the future.

On 10 December, PCSO Thorne and PCSO Jackson will be attending the Thame Town Council Elderly Christmas lunch. This is usually a very enjoyable day and it is a great opportunity for us to engage with the elderly and vulnerable and offer crime reduction advice.

Neighbourhood Action Group (NAG) Activity:
Following consultation with the Thame, Chinnor and Watlington NAG, the group decided to evolve the process through closer contact and liaison with the existing structures of local parish councils and meetings. The NAG therefore decided to dissolve in favour of this partnership approach. The local neighbourhood policing team are currently in close liaison with all the parish councils and parish meetings within the Thame, Chinnor and Watlington area.

Good news stories:
PCSO Thorne has agreed to play football as a force representative at the Chinnor V Youths Football match on 9 December. All spectators are welcome. Kick off is 7 ? 7.30pm at Whitesfield, Mill Lane, Chinnor.

PCSO Jackson has liaised with the mobile drop-in service (SMART), they are available to speak to in confidence about drug and alcohol use and will be in the Cattle Market car park on a Monday between 2 ? 4pm.

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.

Upcoming Have Your Say Meetings:-

? Monday 6 December 2010, Co-Op Caf

OXFORDSHIRE County Council’s Trading Standards are warning people to watch out for online counterfeits when shopping for Christmas presents this year. The copycat products are likely to be inferior, unsafe and getting your money back could be impossible.

With Christmas fast approaching, many are choosing to look for a bargain and shop online. Around

DESPITE accepting that advertising signs on its roundabouts in South Oxfordshire are both unpermitted and a traffic hazard, Oxfordshire County Council still wants to keep them!

According to CPRE (Campaign for the Protection of Rural England), Huw Vaughan Jones, the County?s Principal Highways Engineer, has said: “It is considered that the unpermitted signs, as installed, could constitute a highways distraction and therefore an objectionable level of potential risk to highways safety.”

CPRE have been campaigning against these commercial advertising signs since January 20006, when the County Council decided, with South Oxfordshire District Council, to erect them bringing, in CPRE’s view, “commercial advertising into our advertising free area contrary to the District Council?s specific policies.”

‘COVER UP’

Michael Tyce, of the Oxfordshire Campaign to Protect Rural England, said: “The cover-up by the two Local Authorities has been truly unbelievable. The District Council persistently declared that the signs had planning permission when they knew they did not, and that they could do nothing to stop the flouting of their own policies to protect the countryside which they themselves were engaged in.

“They have repeatedly denied, until now, that the signs represent a safety hazard, when it is obvious that their only purpose is to distract motorists at a critical moment. This means that for almost five years the County Council, whose job is Highway Safety, has knowingly sponsored a scheme which endangers it.”

Now the original five year contract term for the signs is running out, and the District Council is applying to itself for planning permission to continue for another five years.

In the process of the consultations about the 103 signs on 28 roundabouts throughout the District, of the eleven parishes and towns in which the roundabouts are sited, only one has approved the continuation of the scheme. Nine have strongly opposed it including Crowmarsh, SODC?s HQ, where the roundabout advertises the District Council itself, and Thame, where the District Councillor who sponsored the scheme, David Dodds, also sits as a Town Councillor.

District Councillors will meet on December 15, to decide whether the scheme should be allowed to continue.

Said Michael Tyce: “They will at last have a chance to enforce Council policies to protect the countryside from commercial clutter and make our roads safer by removing an acknowledged safety hazard.”

NOTE: Cllr David Dodds was unavailable for comment at the time of publication (16:00 hrs). If and when Cllr Dodds responds, his comments will be posted.

PHOTO: Advertisement that appears on one of South Oxfordshire’s roundabouts

MORE photographs taken from the judges’ table at last week’s Thame’s Got Talent, are now available to view via flickr.

Follow the link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/thamenews/

Contact editor@thamenewsnet for good quality copyies, digital or printed.

FOLLOWING SODC’s approval of the controversial draft core strategy on November 18, the council is now publishing it on Friday, December 3, for further comment from the public and other interested parties.

The strategy sets out how and where the council intends to deliver new housing, opportunities for jobs and support town centres across the district to 2017.

Residents will have seven weeks to scrutinise the plan but unlike previous consultations on the strategy, this final stage takes a much more formal route. Anyone wishing to make a comment will have to follow set criteria provided by the Planning Inspectorate. This includes using specific forms to send in comments, all of which must relate to whether the strategy is:

Legally compliant ? has the council followed the correct procedures for preparing and developing the strategy?

Sound – is the content of the strategy justifiable and founded on robust, credible evidence? Is it effective and deliverable? Is it consistent with regional and national policies?

The council has set up a telephone helpline to guide residents through this process on 01491 823 823. Further guidance notes will also be available from Friday at www.southoxon.gov.uk

Angie Paterson, South Oxfordshire District Council?s Cabinet member for planning said: “The core strategy is one of the district?s most important documents, building on over three years of work with stakeholders and with our communities. At this stage, residents have to follow the structure set out by the Planning Inspectorate to ensure their views are taken forward.

“We recognise some may find this quite complicated, so we?ve provided additional support with a dedicated helpline and guidance notes. I strongly recommend residents to make use of these resources before making any comments.?

Details on this consultation can be found on the council?s website, at town and parish councils or libraries across the district. The publication period closes on the Friday, January 21, 2011 at 4.30 pm precisely. The council cannot accept any comments received after this date, so residents need to ensure that they?ve sent in their comments in good time.

What happens after the consultation?

Once the consultation period closes, the council will take the time to analyse the responses and make any minor amendments to the strategy. The council expects to be in a position to submit to the secretary of state in late March 2011. The secretary of state will appoint an independent planning inspector to scrutinise the strategy. The inspector will hold a series of hearings next summer to examine evidence from supporters, objectors and the council. The inspector will produce a report, which SODC expects to receive before the end of 2011. If the inspector decides the core strategy is sound then the council can go on to adopt it in early 2012.

[Reference: M 29/11/112] THIS is a Community Message from Thames Valley Police: PLEASE BE VIGILANT AROUND CASH MACHINES; Thames Valley Police is urging people to be vigilant, when using cash machines, after skimming devices have been recovered from three in Oxford.

A member of the public observed two men fix a device to a machine at the Co-op in Old Marston Road shortly before 9AM on Thursday 25th November.

Det Insp Paul Miller, leading the investigation, said: ?Two other devices have been recovered from the Co-ops in Walton Street and London Road.

I appeal to anyone who has seen people acting suspiciously near to cash machines in Oxford to contact police as you may be able to assist with our enquiries.?

Anyone with information that could assist police enquiries is urged to contact the Thames Valley Police Enquiry Centre on 0845 8 505 505. 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.

To prevent ATM fraud, please follow this advice: