Knife crime and Drug Use in Didcot

The NH team have remained focused on the epidemic of knife-carrying, utilising stop search powers proactively wherever possible. The last month has seen an increase of 128% in the number of stop searches completed, and a 150% increase in positive outcomes.
There have been several incidents recently involving the use of knives, but the quick response of local policing teams has resulted in all offenders being arrested. Several of these were charged and remanded in custody, facing trial and custodial sentences. Every knife taken off the street is a potential life saved, and creates a safer place for the public.
In June, as part of the County Lines Intensification Week, the NH team and TVP drugs detection dogs engaged in a targeted operation at Didcot Parkway station, which is a main thoroughfare for county lines dealers. This yielded many local resolutions and resulted in class A and B drugs being removed from circulation. We have been working with local secondary schools to provide awareness and education around child crime and child drugs exploitation, to combat the county lines.
The NH team have planned and executed a number of warrants over the last few months, securing drugs and disrupting local drugs suppliers. The team have obtained a closure order at an address in Didcot this month, following reports of anti-social behaviour and drug use, following the successful warrant where class A and B drugs were seized. The team are also busy planning additional warrants and activities for the coming months.

Anti-social behaviour (ASB) in Didcot

We have responded to an increase of reports of ASB around the Great Western Park estate, including the skate park. The NH team have been increasing activities in the area and have completed 39 ASB patrols over the last three weeks and over 90 separate engagements, including Have Your Say meetings, school visits and foot patrols.
As a result, several Acceptable Behaviour Contracts have been issued, for ongoing anti-social behaviour and bullying, and early arrests were made thanks to the NH team working closely with ICR following a serious assault in the skate park.
Although there has been an increase of 1% in reported ASB across Oxfordshire, Didcot has seen a reduction of 11% in reported ASB incidents over the last quarter, largely due to the dedication of the NH team and partner agencies.
E-scooters and E-bikes still seem to be a problem around the town, including delivery riders. Over the next month, the team will be planning an enforcement operation to target individuals using these vehicles unlawfully.
The NH team are continuing to work with the Orchard Centre in improving communication, tackling anti-social behaviour and keep offenders away. The Orchard Centre have issued a number of banning letters and there are a number of investigations ongoing involving youths from the local area. We have increased our presence in the key areas of the Orchard Centre and Broadway at the busiest times, and are seeking to work with the Community Safety Partnerships wherever possible to be more effective in identifying and tackling these disruptions. We will continue to work hard to identify intervention opportunities, offer mentoring schemes and submit safeguarding referrals to protect and support the young people and families.
We are working closely with parents, housing associations such as SNG and SOHA, the council, community safety partners, schools and social services to resolve ASB issues using a variety of outcomes such as ABC’s, Community Resolutions, Community Protection Warnings and Community Protection Notices for both adults and juveniles.
The team have obtained a closure order at an address in Didcot recently, following reports of anti-social behaviour and drug use.
The team have also sent out community ASB surveys via the TV Alert system, and have so far had a good response - please make sure you have your say and let us know where you think we should focus. Sign up to the free TV Alerts at https://thamesvalleyalert.co.uk/

Reduce retail crime in Didcot and surrounding areas

The team have been working closely with retailers to combat retail crime in the town. The Disc App has been made available to all retailers, to quickly and effectively share images of offenders and report incidents directly to us, which in turn enables a quicker response. The use of the app has increased as more retailers are seeing the benefits, but we are still encouraging all local retailers to get on board.
Op Purchase continues to be a focus for the team, which involves high visibility patrols and target-hardening actions.
The team are currently focused on several offenders who have been targeting retail premises in Greenwood Way, The Broadway and the Orchard Centre, and will be employing a variety of tactics to locate them and bring them to justice swiftly.
We will continue to work with retailers and business owners, to improve communication and deal with offences robustly as we understand the national focus on this offence type, and personal impact that this has on business owners.