DAY 57: Chiltern and South Bucks teams visit Fulmer and Denham for security marking tools and tack

The team continued to attend appointments made with farm, land and stable owners on Wednesday (15/1) in the Fulmer and Denham areas.

Sgt Lucy Price marking overtly marking large pieces of farming equipment

Joining local farmers to the Country Watch scheme

Property marking horse tack

Postcoding horse tack reduces the likelihood of theft

Thames Valley Police can offer residents discounts on Datatag tack marking kits.

  

The Saddle system, used to mark a single saddle, registered to one keeper, is self-fit with online registration.

Thames Valley residents can purchase the system by mail order for £24.95 (including VAT and postage) a saving of 38%.

The Tack Room system is similar to the Saddle system but marks 3 saddles registered to one keeper, with added Dots and DNA to mark other bits of tack like blankets and stirrups. Thames Valley residents can purchase the system by

mail order for: £69.95 (including VAT and postage), a saving of 33%.

If you have any questions, please contact Datatag directly on (01932) 796 788, quoting code TVPEQ13. The terms and conditions restrict these offers to residents of Thames Valley.

More information can be found on the Thames Valley Police website or the Datatag website.

Talking through rural crime concerns

Putting up Country Watch signage to deter would-be thieves

Property marking expensive tools and equipment

This week, the team are meeting with people on a pre-arranged basis. If you are interested in having the team visit to security mark your property, get in touch with them either by phoning the 101 number and asking to speak to your local neighbourhood policing team or email them. Find out who your local team are by using the postcode search on the Thames Valley Police website.

DAY 56: Milton Keynes wildlife officer gives talk to local schools on wildlife and rural crime

On Tuesday (14/1), PC Andy Perry, one of the Thames Valley Police wildlife officers, gave the second of his five planned talks to local schools on wildlife and rural crime.

Andy later explained he was very impressed with the knowledge the year 6 pupils at Olney Middle possessed about some of the issues he discussed.

PC Andy Perry talking about wildlife crime to a local school

There are currently four wildlife officers within Thames Valley. These officers conduct their wildlife duties alongside their normal day to day shift work as a police constable.

• Issues wildlife officers will investigate include:
• Hare coursing
• Poaching
• Collecting birds of prey eggs
• Killing protected species and collecting skins (either for personal collection or to sell them on)
• Destroying protected habitats such as bat roosts
• Taxidermy offences

Hare coursing is one of the rural crime focuses for Thames Valley Police. Listen to our podcast to hear PC Dean Kingham tell us why it is such a problem for rural communities.

Elsewhere, PC Caroline McLaughlin took on the responsibility for the running the daily ANPR checks.

She and colleagues identified the most commonly used routes in and out of the county (cross border areas are notorious rat runs for offenders wanting to make a quick escape) and yesterday (14/1), she set up on the A428 just outside Lavendon. 

Monitoring ANPR

ANPR operation in progress

Out of 160 number plates read, six vehicles were stopped and dealt with for various traffic related offences such as no insurance.

DAY 55: Milton Keynes rural neighbourhood team attempt to sign up whole village to Thames Valley Alerts (and pretty much succeed!)

The Milton Keynes rural neighbourhood team began the winter phase of their 100 days of action on Monday (13/1).

A team of seven PCSOs, headed up by PCSO Kirsty Martinson, attempted to sign up a whole village to the Thames Valley Alert messaging service.

Hanslope was the chosen destination with a population of almost 2500. Every address was visited and those residents who were in were signed up and for those who weren’t, some details were left about how to sign up themselves.

If you have done so already, you can sign up to Thames Valley Alert or Country Watch Alert by following the links.

Country Watch is a free Thames Valley Alert messaging service specifically for rural and farming communities and businesses across the Thames Valley. As with Thames Valley Alert, you are able to choose whether you receive messages via email, text or telephone.

By signing up to the general Thames Valley Alert messaging service, you will be notified of all policing and crime issues in your area but don’t forget to choose the ‘Country Watch’ option on the community membership list when you register if you still want to receive rural crime related news too.