Tackling crime and disorder is not just the job of the police - we all need to play a part in making our communities safer. If it’s to be effective, cutting crime and the fear of crime needs to involve everyone - residents, employers, visitors.
In the Royal Borough different agencies such as the police, fire, probation and housing associations along with the council are committed to doing just that - working together to make the borough an even safer place to live, work and visit.
Report a crime
Crimes should be reported to Thames Valley Police.
- 999 – For emergency situations e.g. if a crime is in progress.
- 101 – for all other situations.
On line reporting of non-emergency crimes http://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/.
Anonymous crime reporting
Phone Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 (You do not have to leave your name and you could receive a reward).
Serious Violence Duty
On Tuesday 31 January 2023 the Serious Violence Duty commenced under the Police Crime Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 (PCSCA 2022). This includes statutory requirements in relation to the response to and prevention of serious violence.
The Duty emphasises the importance of understanding the drivers and impacts of serious violence, and a focus on prevention and early intervention.
It was introduced in the context of an increase in violence over the last decade and the impacts this has on victims and their families.
Duty holders include:
- Local authorities
- Thames Valley Police
- Youth Offending Teams
- Health authorities
- Probation
- Fire and Rescue
In May 2023, our partnership agreed to adopt a single serious violence definition to be used throughout the process of developing Strategic Needs Assessments, Response Strategies and performance monitoring. This definition is as follows:
“Serious Violence includes specific types of recorded crime, such as homicide, grievous bodily harm, incidents that involve a knife, and areas of criminality where serious violence or its threat is inherent, such as in county lines drug dealing.”
Due to the national focus, the Thames Valley Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) is leading on the coordination and delivery of the duty across the nine Local authority areas.
The VRU have outlined the statutory actions needed to meet the requirements of the Duty. These statutory actions include the creation of the Serious Violence Strategic Needs Assessment and the Serious Violence Strategy.
Useful links
Organise or take part in a community watch programme to protect your neighbourhood. An alert community is a safe community. To sign up to Thames Valley Alert (formerly community messaging) visit their website.
Below are details of useful community safety related organisations. Please note the borough is not responsible for the content of external sites.
- Suzy Lamplugh Trust.
Trust established to promote all aspects of personal safety - founded over 20 years ago by Diana and Paul Lamplugh following the disappearance of their daughter Suzy. - Caroline's Rainbow Foundation.
Is a registered charity in the UK which sets out to raise the awareness of the importance of personal safety amongst young travellers, gap year students and backpackers by recognising and prioritising life's values. - Crimestoppers .
Is an independent charity working to fight crime. You can call 0800 555 111 to pass on information about crime anonymously. - Neighbourhood Watch.
- Protecting your home.
- Information on anti-social behaviour including links to other sites : Gov.uk.
- The Home Office .
- Local environment quality on DEFRA.