The Thames Valley Police , formerly known as Thames Valley Constabulary , is a territorial police force responsible for overseeing the Thames Valley region covered by Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire districts. It is one of the largest territorial police forces in the UK that covers 2,200 square miles (5,700 km 2 ) and a population of more than 2.1 million people. The police force consists of 4,244 police, 506 special police, 466 Police Support Officers (PCSO) and 2,576 police staff.
Video Thames Valley Police
History
The police in the Thames Valley date back to 1773 when the Newbury Borough Police operated as a small police force; Their officers' duties include ordinary police activities as well as repairing gates and bridges. The troops were one of about twenty borough powers that joined their local police force. These were Constabulary Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire Constabulary, Berkshire Constabulary, Reading Borough Police, and Oxford City Police, founded in 1857, 1857, 1856, 1836 and 1868. Under the 1964 Police Act, these five powers were merged on 1 April 1968 form the Thames Valley Constabulary.
Chief Constable
- T.C.B. Hodgson, (1968-1971)
- David Holdsworth (1971-1979)
- Peter Imbert (1979-1985)
- Colin Smith (1985-1991)
- Sir Charles Pollard (1991-2001)
- Peter Neyroud (2002-2007)
- Sara Thornton (2007-2015)
- Francis Habgood (2015-present)
Maps Thames Valley Police
Government
Thames Valley police are overseen by locally elected Thames Valley Police and Crime. The incumbent commissioner is Anthony Stansfeld, a candidate for the Conservative Party elected with 34.7% of the votes in the first round of voting and 57.2% of the vote after the second round. Police and crime commissioners are investigated by the Police and Thames Valley Crimes Panel.
The Thames Valley was previously overseen by a 19-member police authority, comprised of members of the council, members of the unitary, independent and judicial authorities.
Organization
Following the implementation of the Local Policing Model in April 2011, the force was divided into twelve Local Policing Regions (LPA). It borders the limits of local authorities. This in turn is divided into several environments adjacent to the parish limits. This alignment ensures that local policing services are delivered responsibly.
Local Policing Region
- Aylesbury LPA
- Bracknell & amp; Wokingham LPA *
- Cherwell and West Oxfordshire LPA
- Chiltern & amp; South Bucks LPA
- Milton Keynes LPA
- Oxford LPA
- Read LPA
- South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse LPA
- Slough LPA
- West Berkshire LPA
- Windsor and Maidenhead LPA
- Wycombe LPA
(* Bracknell LPA and Wokingham LPA join to form Bracknell & Wokingham LPA at the beginning of 2016.)
Each region is responsible for providing police responses, environmental police teams and local priority crimes and the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). Other functions previously held at the level of the Basic Command Unit (BCU) (basically a group of geographically grouped LPAs) are now delivered at the Headquarters level using a shared service approach.
Team Headquarters Force
A number of teams are run from Headquarters with their staff stationed at various locations around the Force area:
- The Major Investigation Team
- Controls and Communications
- Police Dog Section
- Counter Terrorism Squad
- Intelligence Agents
Operation
Environmental Policing Group
Thames Valley police have a local police team working from every police station. These teams consist of officers, community support, special police officers and police staff working to patrol and attend local incidents. They used unmarked vans that read environmental policing on the rear side panels under the Thames Valley police company logo. These officers are usually unarmed and rarely carry Taser guns. The police car around doubled as a prisoner transport van when the larger detention van was out of the area or busy. However most LPA police vehicles are available for this unit.
Emergency Response Team
LPA response units work out most of the major stations in the power area. These officers often become police officers issued with Taser weapons. These officers may be assigned to patrol high crime areas to increase police presence or to conduct further investigations. Both the Environmental Police Unit and the Disaster Response Unit Unit all share the standard LPA Vauxhall Astra police car. Some rural police stations use Mitsubishi L200 as a more effective vehicle.
Police Dog Section
Thames Valley police have about 52 operational police dogs. The dogs are mostly donated from the RSPCA or public, and trained at the army headquarters. They usually serve until they are 8 years old, receive refresher training every year, and then stay with their handler after retirement.
Roads Policing Unit
Thames Valley police patrolled 196 miles (315 km) from the highway including M1, M4, M40, A329 (M), A404 (M) and M25, as well as many other 'A' route routes including the busy A43.
The Thames Valley Road Police Team usually operates a variety of vehicles. These may include vehicles marked Volvo S70, S80 unmarked and marked Mitsubishi Shogun 4x4. This vehicle is in the process of being replaced by a marked 530d BMW tour, marked by BMW X5 and BMW 330d without a mark. These units are based on 6 bases of geographic traffic (Milton Keynes, Taplow, Reading, Bicester, Amersham and Abingdon). Road Policing in the Thames Valley is part of the Joint Operating Unit in collaboration with the Constabulary Road Constabulary Unit of Hampshire.
Flame Response Team
Thames Valley Police's FRT is a 24/7 sub-department of the Tactical Support Department that responds to serious and serious crimes in which firearms may be involved. This unit responds to incidents armed with firearms and non-lethal Taser rifles. This unit is also responsible for educating the public and training police officers in firearms training.
This unit can be identified with the silver marked patrol car they use. The unit also uses a number of unmarked tactical vehicles.
This elite unit is now a service shared with the Hampshire Police as well.
Team Pro-Active Specialist
Thames Valley Police recently focused all 3 Pro-Active teams to run as a 'shared service' from its headquarters. The team consists of 28 tactical police officers and is assigned through the bidding system used to obtain their services.
The team works in a number of areas including Forced Forced Methods, targeted intelligence policing, and special surveillance of criminals both covertly and blatantly.
The teams use different types of vehicles that are either visible or unmarked and work 24 hours a day throughout the force.
Air Operations Unit
The Air Support Unit was officially created in 1982 but the use of helicopters in the Thames Valley returned to 1963, when Oxford City Police experimented with a Brantley helicopter with a dog basket attached to the slope. Thames Valley police hired helicopters for use on special occasions in the 1970s and 80s. The unit was established in 1982 when daytime mid-day flights were regularly contracted and eight Sergeants were transferred from Traffic and Operations to ASU. The unit rents Eurocopter A350 day by day, planning to fly only 650 hours each year. In 1986 the unit was transferred to RAF Abingdon.
In 1988 the Thames Valley Police hired professional police observers for ASU. That same year, the department became a full-time operational unit, only the third in the country at the time. Thames Valley police bought a new helicopter in 1993.
In 1996 Thames Valley Police, Bedfordshire Police, and joint funding Constabulary Hertfordshire and established the Chiltern Air Support Unit, having received funding in 1995 to purchase a second helicopter. The alliance was admittedly started unofficially in 1992, when the Thames Valley would sell time flying to its nearest troops. In 1999 and 2002, two Eurocopter A350s were replaced by two Eurocopter EC135, which are still in use today.
Until 2013, the national Police Air Support management has moved to NPASS (National Police Air Support Service).
Search and Recovery Unit
Founded in 1956 as the Underwater Search Unit of the Berkshire Police Department and transferred to the Thames Valley Police under the new name, today's unit consists of one sergeant and seven policemen and responds to about 350 operations each year.
The unit is involved in various search operations on rivers, underwater, underground, and cliff conditions, searching for corpses, explosives, drugs, property, contraband and firearms and environments that could be affected by chemical, biological, radioactive and nuclear radiation.
This unit was dissolved in April 2015 as a result of national police budget constraints.
Preinstalled Branch
The Thames Valley Mounted Branch is based in Milton Keynes. This unit has fourteen police horses. This unit is responsible for preventing horse crime, helping the search for rural areas, and especially maintaining public order at demonstrations and sporting events, including four football fields in the Thames Valley.
Protection Groups
Thames Valley police have the largest non-metropolitan Protection Group. This highly specialized department is responsible for maintaining multiple fixed locations and protecting every visiting party that requires special attention. The officers in this department are some of the most trained and skilled in the troops. They also provide Armed Support Vehicles to support static sites and deal with intense spontaneous incidents. Officers in the unit are required to pass rigorous testing ;; they are Official Firearm Officers and also trained in advanced driving, first aid continued, method of entry among many other highly specialized skills.
Main Squad Disorder
Based in Heyford Park in Oxfordshire the main disturbance squad is responsible for providing tactical support during spontaneous or pre-planned events that can lead to public disruption. This includes sporting events such as football games and Royal Ascot, music festivals such as the Reading Festival, and legitimate demonstrations.
Unit Anti Terrorism
The Counter Terrorist Unit The Thames Valley Police is responsible for responding to any related search or explosion or terrorist incident, working with the Protection Unit to keep anyone deemed risky and with a dog section to find explosives. This unit has four explosive weapon disposal advisers.
Location
Thames Valley Police Headquarters is on Oxford Road, Kidlington, Oxfordshire. Thames Valley Police has 48 police stations, with 16 Front Counters open to the public.
This power is covered by two control rooms, one in Abingdon, and one in Milton Keynes.
Three Police Contact Centers were established in 2003, following the closure of local control rooms, to support the newly formed control rooms in Abingdon and Milton Keynes. They are at headquarters in Kidlington, and separate teams are in the control rooms of Abingdon and Milton Keynes. The Contact Center handles all emergency, non-emergency and public inquiries.
Sulhamstead House in Sulhamstead is the Thames Valley Police Training campus, which also houses the Thames Valley Police Museum.
There are also some Roads Policing headquarters in strategic locations around troops in Abingdon, Bicester, Taplow, Amersham, Milton Keynes, and Three Mile Cross.
Presentations
Headgear
Thames Valley Police officers used a traditional custodian helmet in combing style with Brunswick stars that read 'Thames Valley Police' for a walking patrol, but this was canceled for practicality and cost reasons in 2009. Now the standard headgear is a peaked cap. for all the attendants (with additional 'beads' around the edge for the Inspector and above) and a white hat peaking for the traffic attendant. A female officer wore a bowler hat, or a white bowler hat for a traffic officer.
In 2009 the Thames Valley Police proposed to be the first force to introduce the use of baseball caps as a headgear mode fashion. After the trial, the proposal was dropped as 'a step too far from the professional image of power'.
Uniform
While on duty, the clerk wore a short-sleeved black T-shirt with 'Police' on his arm, and black uniform pants with a cargo pocket on each leg. Thames Valley police no longer use traditional police jumper, for liking a soft black shell with a cop written on the chest and back. Thames Valley police have no Brunswick stars in their epaulettes, just rank and shoulders.
The formal outfit consists of open-necked tunics, with white shirts/blouses and ties for both male and female officers. All officers wear topped hats and rank them on their epaulettes. The No.1 uniform is accompanied by black boots or shoes and occasionally black gloves.
The operational uniform, until 2009, consisted of a traditional white shirt and tie with a custodial helmet for the Police and Sergeant, but this was dropped when deemed impractical and out of date, not retaining this uniform retention by other forces, and almost universal retention of the helmet.
Tools
Thames Valley Police officers carrying Airwave digital radio, TCH stiff handcuffs, CapTor2 capapor sprays, 22 folded 22-foot automatic rods, foot restraints, resuscitation masks and basic first aid kits. PCSOs do not carry automatic keys, handcuffs, foot restraints or incapacitants If needed, some Thames Valley officers can use camera mounted on the body. Police vehicles contain a variety of equipment, which can include Arnold's wand, traffic cones, road signs, breathalyzer, stingers, speed guns, ANPR cameras and more..
Vehicles
Thames Valley police use vehicles depending on the role they need. Most of the TVP vehicles are Vauxhall.
Vauxhall Astras (currently Mark 6) is used as a purpose-driven vehicle, used by both LPA response officers and members of the LPA's Environmental Policing Group. Vauxhall Corsas is also used as a patrol vehicle by PCSOs and can be branded (has a symbol of strength but without battenburg) or without a mark. Vauxhall Vivaro Vans is used by environmental police teams, as well as for transporting prisoners of violence. Previous Vectra, Insignia and Volvo V70 and used by the Roads police unit - this has now been replaced by BMW 3 and X5 series. The marked plantations and hatchbacks are commonly used, with a number of unmarked vehicles of various types also at officer disposal.
Livery
The Thames Valley police used retro-reflective yellow retro-reflective battenberg marks all operational vehicles, as well as Thames Valley Police shields, and contact phone numbers. The only exception is the NPT car, which has only marks on the back and front, and reads the 'Environmental Policing Team' on the side.
The Thames Valley police stopped using a 'sandwich jam' police car sign between 2000-2005 when the battenburg mark was adopted and implemented.
Name
The Thames Valley Police had changed its name only once in its own history in 1971, from the Thames Valley Constabulary to the Thames Valley Police, a general change in most police forces that made them more accessible.
The Thames Valley Police's Latin Motto is Sit in valle tamesis which means 'Let there be Peace in the Thames Valley', their slogan is 'Reducing evil, chaos and fear'. The Thames Valley Police Shield consists of features of the shields of five police found including a blue river depicting the Thames and five Palisado crowns depicting the five founding powers.
Strength and recruitment
The Thames Valley police employed 7,900 people and 908 volunteers. Where 4250 are Police Officers are justified, more than 500 Police Community Support Officers and 3150 are civilian staff. Of the 908 volunteers, 500 are Police Support Volunteers and 733 are Guaranteed Special Police.
The Thames Valley police recruited people for voluntary roles. Police Support Scheme Their support is one of the largest in the country, they now have 500 PSV. Their Special Constabulary is also growing.
Training for new members at Thames Valley was held at Sulhamstead House in Sulhamstead, England. For the Police it consists of 13 weeks of residential training. Officers will achieve suitability for independent patrol status once in the area, usually 4 to 5 months after completing initial training. For PCSOs it consists of 18 weeks of training. For Special Police, this training consists of between six and seven months of training over the weekend, with mandatory online training in between. The Special Police will achieve conformity to independent patrol status, usually within a year, but this depends on the number of task tours.
Recruits usually receive their uniforms in the first week of training. a warrant was issued on endorsement, at the beginning of the second day of training.
After the training period is over, the new officers are placed in the local division for the coaching phase and the appendix that lasts about 16 weeks.
The Future of Thames Valley Police
In a report published by HM Inspectorate Constabulary in July 2011, the impact on the number of police officers and staff partly due to Thames Valley Police budget reductions after comprehensive spending review is as follows:
March 2010 figure excluding 166 officers and 145 staff paid through the Thames Valley's payroll system but seconded to national and regional duty and funded from the outside.
Performance
Inspectorate Inspectorate Wonder
A report from March 2010 by the Inspectorate Herasi of Constabulary marked Thames Valley Police as 'fair' to local crime and police, 'fair' to the protection of serious and 'fair' harm to confidence and satisfaction.
In detail, the Thames Valley was awarded only 'very good' to reduce road deaths and injuries. They are 'fair' in all other categories except 'solve crimes' and 'the comparative satisfaction of BME communities' and 'low/medium' for 'the number of police officers and PCSO'. They were praised for their 14% reduction in theft after 'Operation Breaker' in July 2009.
Independent Police Complaints Commission
In 2008/9 the number of complaints recorded decreased by 2% but increased 8% above the previous years national average. The number of accusations recorded increased 23% and 11% above the national average the previous year. Thames Valley police received 947 complaints and 1903 allegations, the national average being 338 per 1,000 officers, TVP 372, and TVP just above 369 per 1,000 officers, on average from the same group of troops.
Of the 23% accusations were 'failure or negligence in duty', 19% were 'irreverence, irreverence and intolerance', 14% 'attacks', 4% were 'discriminatory' and 1% were 'PACE Code A' violations.
And from 1903 allegations, 51% investigated, 36% settled locally, 6% withdrawn, 7% shared and 0% discontinued. Of the 51% alleged investigated 13% were proved and 87% unfounded.
Thames Valley police investigated a large number of charges compared to their peer forces, the rate of investigation 15% higher than the national average. The use of 'local resolution' has fallen by 12% since 2005/6. The Thames Valley has fewer charges withdrawn, distributed or stopped.
Controversy
Event of firearms training
On May 30, 2007 at Thames Valley Police's base in Kidlington while teaching a half-day course using firearms, PC David Micklethwaite demonstrated a miserable Magnum.44 revolver he splashed out with a life span. He pointed the gun at Keith Tilbury, the police telephone operator who attended the course, and fired a shotgun, almost killing Mr. Tilbury.
The gun instructor was reported to have failed the qualification in the Metropolitan Police training course, but TVP decided he would pass a less rigorous test and therefore was suitable to teach the lesson, although no additional training was given for failing in the Metropolitan Police program. The instructor was told to cover the lesson with short notice and inadvertently took a life span from the armory of troops instead of a stupid round. This error occurs because both live and dummy rounds are both stored in the same Quality Street lead.
Mr. Tilbury underwent surgery immediately to his intestines, kidneys, lungs and liver. In court, he said he could not work anymore.
The Thames Valley police pleaded guilty to breaking the rules; they were fined Ã, £ 40,000 and Ã, £ 25,000 for legal fees. Police Micklethwaite initially denied wrongdoing, but later admitted violating the Health and Safety Act. PC Micklethwaite was not charged with a foul because he retired from the Thames Valley Police before the offense process could be resolved.
Underage PCSOs
In 2007, the Thames Valley Police recognized one of five British troops employing a 16-year-old Police Support Officer. This is not illegal because the minimum age limit of 18 applies to Police, not PCSO. However, concerns are expressed that this represents "cheap police" because candidates under the age of 18 have different pay scales and can cost Ã, Â £ 10,000 less per year. It was also feared that the officers were placed in unreasonable danger because PCSOs had been attacked and stabbed in the past.
Budget cuts
Proposed merger
The proposal made by the Minister of the Interior on March 20, 2006 will see permanent forces as a single strategic police force for the area, a merger with Hampshire Constabulary has been rejected.
Due to the large size of the Thames Valley Police and that it was made up of five policemen, it was impossible to be asked to join another force.
Budget deficit
Thames Valley Police must make savings of £ 52 million over the next four years. Police Chief Thornton said they should 'reduce all unnecessary activities'. 347 million pounds of savings have been identified including rear office cuts and efficiency measures, as well as cutting the number of officers by 10%, which means 800 officers.
In media
The fictional Superintendent Morse, the main character in 13 novels by Colin Dexter and 33 television episodes by ITV, works for Thames Valley Police, but in a spin-off series, Lewis, this force is called the Oxfordshire Police.
In 1982, the BBC broadcast a nine-part series by Roger Graef and Charles Stewart, titled Police , showing the wall-flying account of the Reading Thames Valley E-Thames Valley. This featured a rather degrading treatment of a woman rape victim who was widely spoken in the media at the time.
Between 2003 and 2008 the Sky1 program, Road Wars , follows the Road Policing Proactive and Problem Solving Team when they do their work. The series follows a group of elected officers on duty, who as a result become too well known to cause the Chief of Police to ask Sky to move their program to another power.
Other activities
Merger of IT resources
Thames Valley Police and Hampshire Police authorities agreed to share ICT support and infrastructure, with all IT workers now Thames Valley Police employees. It will also include the Isle of Wight, a division of Hampshire Police. The Partnership in Information Technology is the first of its kind in the country.
Thames Valley Police Museum
The Thames Valley Police Museum is located inside Sulhamstead House, known locally as the 'White House', in Sulhamstead in the Berkshire UK. This site used to be the headquarters of the Berkshire Police Department, and is now a training center for the Thames Valley Police. The museum was opened by appointment.
The museum features displays on the history of the Thames Valley Police and five police forces that merged to form strength in 1968; Constabulary Buckinghamshire, Berkshire Police Department, Oxford City Police, Oxfordshire Police Department and Borough Reading Police. The museum collections include items from the 1963 Railway Great Robbery, uniforms, equipment, medals, photos, crime proof scenes, and events and cost books.
In 2006, the museum exhibition hall was renovated. Since September 2017 the museum was temporarily closed before being moved.
Thames Valley Police Museum website: http://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/aboutus/aboutus-museum.htm
Officer killed while on duty
The Police Roll of Honor Trust lists and commemorates all British police officers who were killed in their duties. The Police Memorial Trust since its founding in 1984 has erected more than 38 memorials to some of these officers.
The following officers from the Thames Valley Police are registered by Trust for having died trying to prevent, stop or solve crimes, since the beginning of the 20th century:
- PC Roger Brereton, 1987 (shot in the Hungerford massacre)
- WPC Joanne Mary Cochran, 1984 (seriously injured when his vehicle crashed during police chase)
- DC Ian Coward QPM, 1971 (shot nine times trying to capture an armed suspect, posthumously awarded a Queen Police Medal)
- Inspires James Roy Bradley, 1967 (hit by a suspected car in a roadblock)
- DC Brian Moss, 1953 (falling through the roof while looking for a suspect)
- PC William John Payne, 1949 (passed out and died after a thief)
- Insp Francis John East, 1944 (seriously injured when driven by a suspect vehicle)
See also
- Chiltern Air Support Unit
- Policing in the United Kingdom
- List of law enforcement agencies in the United Kingdom
- Thames Valley
References
External links
- Thames Valley Police Official website
- Thames Valley Crime Police and Commissioners
- Sulhamstead House
- Circular Office 68-1968 announces the creation of power
- Thames Valley Police website information at the museum
- Information from Culture24
- The Royal Berkshire History: Sulhamstead House
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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