Unlicensed music events - Raves

Thames Valley Police run operations with a dedicated response to unlicensed music events (raves). These operations will involve a proactive, highly visible preventative patrol.

Landowners are advised to take precautionary measures to ensure that ‘Ravers’ do not enter their land. The advice is to place physical barriers in entrance ways to vulnerable sites to prevent access to land, ensure buildings are secure and regularly check gates and padlocks are still in place and locked.

If you see any suspicious vehicles in or around your land please call the police on 101 and provide vehicle details including make, model and registration number as well as a description of any occupants if possible as they may be checking locations to hold a rave.

It is crucial that information in relation to suspicious activity or loud music is reported as soon as possible. If you hear any disturbances during the night or see an increase in traffic please call the police on the non emergency telephone number 101, the sooner they are informed the quicker they can react.

Theft of Land Rovers

Police are asking Landrover owners to be extra vigilant following an increase in the theft of Landrovers over the past week. 

Recent thefts in the South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse area have occurred in Kingston Blount, Chinnor, Russells Water, Henley and Fernham, Faringdon. Four further thefts have been reported in the Swindon area.

Two charged for aggravated burglary

Thames Valley Police has charged two men in connection with an aggravated burglary at a pub in Benson, Oxfordshire.

Thomas Somarakis, aged 20, of Radnor Road, Wallingford and Benjamin Sinclair, aged 22, of Blue Mountains, Wallingford, have both been charged with aggravated burglary, false imprisonment, having a bladed weapon in a public place, aggravated vehicle taking and dangerous driving.

The charges are in relation to an incident at the Three Horseshoes pub in Oxford Road, at about 3.40am on Friday (6/7). During the incident a member of staff was tied up. The Force helicopter was deployed to the scene which assisted officers to locate and arrest the suspects.

Somarakis and Sinclair appeared before Reading Magistrates' Court on Saturday (7/7) and have been remanded in custody to appear before Reading Crown Court on 16 July.

Crimestoppers urge people to call in about metal thieves

Thames Valley Crimestoppers are joining forces with colleagues in Kent, Hampshire and Isle of Wight, Surrey and Sussex to tackle metal theft crime head on in the South East.

Theft of metal is now one of the fastest rising crimes, with costs to the UK economy estimated at £770m each year. Heavily influenced by commodity prices and the growing economies of both developing and developed countries, it affects communities, industry and commerce and poses a real and significant threat to public safety and critical national infrastructure. It is an international problem and whilst metal prices remain high and global demand continues to rise, this crime is big business and an issue that will not disappear on its own.

“The summer holiday season will see many buildings, particularly schools and offices, left vulnerable to both the organized and opportunistic thief. Thieves are not invisible unless we choose to ignore them,” commented Julia Hughes, Projects Coordinator for Thames Valley Crimestoppers.

“Metal theft is the hot topic today,” she continued. “We read about incidents in the papers and many of us may well have felt the impact of metal theft on our day to day lives: train cancellations from cable and track theft, loss of phone and internet connection, school closures. However, awareness of metal theft is only part of the battle. In order to stop criminals continuing to disrupt our lives we all need to be proactive, vigilant and to report our suspicions quickly. To this end Crimestoppers offers the public a safe and anonymous way to stop the thieves by contacting us on 0800 555 111 or using our secure, online form direct from a mobile phone at www.crimestoppers-uk.org. But we can only be effective if you make that call.”

Last week Police Forces in the South East introduced a new scheme named Operation Tornado. This will make it easier to trace any person who sells metal to Scrap Metal Merchants and will help to remove and prosecute dealers of stolen metal. Crimestoppers will be working throughout the year to further enhance and support this initiative.

Detective Inspector Ian Wood, the Thames Valley Police lead for Operation Tornado remarked: “As a Force we are committed to reducing metal theft in Thames Valley. Operation Tornado aims to target unscrupulous dealers rather than inhibit legitimate businesses. However we still need intelligence from the public to tackle this crime from all angles and the Crimestoppers anonymous service provides a valuable tool to enable communities to provide information safely and free from fear.”

To pass on information about metal theft or any crime anonymously, Crimestoppers can be contacted online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org through the new mobile site or computer, or by calling the 24/7 anonymous 0800 555 111 number. Whichever form of communication chosen, anonymity is guaranteed.

Scrap Metal Thefts

A total of 25 people were arrested by Thames Valley Police on Tuesday morning, 29 May, after six warrants were executed as part of a crackdown on scrap metal thefts across the Thames Valley region. The operation, one of the largest ever conducted by Thames Valley Police, involved more than 400 officers carrying out warrants at six scrap metal merchants across Thames Valley, Hertfordshire and Middlesex. Ten residential addresses connected to these businesses were also involved. Searches are still ongoing and will be for several days.

Property seized so far includes:

•Network Rail track
•15 tons of suspected stolen Scottish Southern electricity cable
•Suspected stolen cast iron drain covers
•A war memorial plaque
•Four Suspected Stolen JCB/digger buckets
•BT cable
•Suspected unlicensed firearms and prohibited weapons
•Suspected class A drugs
•Over £400,000 cash

Det Insp Rodger Cartwright, investigating officer in the operation, said: “Metal theft is one of the fastest growing crimes nationally. Some scrap metal dealers are not as scrupulous as they should be at checking where the items brought to their yard come from. By working with all metal dealers and other agencies, we hope to reduce the opportunities for metal thieves to trade with registered dealers.”

Fuel Thefts

Local businesses and country watch members are being warned to be extra vigilant following a spate of fuel thefts in the South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse area. Over the last few weeks diesel has been stolen from commercial vehicles in Kingston Bagpuize, Letcombe Bassett, and Appleford.

We have also received reports of the theft of fuel from business premises and farms. Recent thefts have occurred in Park Road, Faringdon, Tubney, Stanford in the Vale and Radley.

Businesses may wish to consider keeping fuel levels low on vehicles if that is operationally possible. There are also products available to deter diesel theft such as diesel dye, for further details please visit: www.dieseldye.com

Ford Transit V569EEL

At around 4.15 p.m. on Wednesday 9 May, two men were disturbed whilst attempting to steal scrap metal from farm premises at Nettlebed. They were in a white Ford Transit panel van, V569 EEL and they drove off towards Highmoor. 

 Police Close Rave

Police made five arrests after a rave was closed down near Wantage at about 6:30 a.m. on Sunday 6 May. The event took place at the Ridgeway, near White Horse Hill. When the police arrived, more than 100 people were on the site along with dozens of vehicles and several large sound systems. In addition to the arrests, audio equipment and two vehicles were seized. A police spokesman said: “The message to organizers is clear - they are not welcome in the Thames Valley and if they come to the area with the purpose of setting up a rave they are likely to be arrested and have their vehicles and equipment seized."