After opening the meeting and speaking on his Annual Report (see below) and having an NHW Update from Thames Valley Neighbourhood Watch Administrator Carol Rudd, the Chairman introduced Police Community Support Officer Ken Cooney.

Ken gave a presentation on the crime figures from March 2008 to April 2009. He told the meeting about his role in the community and how it interacted with other bodies like Neighbourhood Action Groups. He explained the background to the introduction of Community Support Officers and how it was a direct result of public concern at losing the “The Local Bobby”. He said that the increased sophistication in criminal activity with motor vehicle mobility becoming an integral part of their modus operandi had led to Police Forces having to respond with their own increased mobility requirement. Inevitably the pedestrian Police Officers were deployed in Police Cars (Panda Cars as they became known) which required crewing with two Officers. Crime figures began to fall but public disquiet increased as the loss of the comfort factor of having a local bobby began to be felt. Thames Valley Police was the first Police Force in the Country to have their Community Policing Program up and running.

Following up on this the District Councils introduced Neighbourhood Action Groups (NAGs); Horspath is part of the Wheatley Area Group. The NAG by various means collects information on concerns in the Community and creates a priority list which it progressively gets local authorities or the Police to take action on. The NAG is interested in all community issues not just matters of a criminal nature. The most recent result of their actions to be seen in Horspath is the added speed limit marking on the Cuddesdon Road. The information for the feedback to the NAG came from a questionnaire initiated by Ken Cooney and conducted in Horspath by members of the Horspath Neighbourhood Watch. The questionnaire results from Horspath indicated that speeding in Cuddesdon Road and Gidley Way and thoughtless parking around the Village were the main items of concern.

Ken ended his presentation by saying that residents should not assume that he is not visiting the Village just because they don’t see him. Depending on his shift pattern many of his visits are done at night when most residents are asleep. He assured the meeting that Horspath was one of the three most patrolled Villages in his area.

The following documents were circulated at the meeting and can now be read here:

• Horspath NHW 2009 Annual Report (PDF format, 10 Kb)
• TVP Neighbourhood Watch Office Report (PDF format, 25 Kb)
• Horspath & neighbouring villages annual crime statistics (PDF format, 6 Kb)