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Policing

Policing and crime prevention in the UK is a complex jigsaw, involving 48 Police Forces and other organisations. Priorities are formulated at national level, at Force level with direction from the Police and Crime Commissioner, and at Neighbourhood level, and for a number of specialised teams besides. The Chiltern & S Bucks Policing Issues Forum’s immediate scope is to assist Neighbourhood Policing, but links to other resources can be found at the bottom of this page.

The Importance of Neighbourhood Policing

It has always been understood that strong police/community relations are an essential cog in the wheel of policing, and vital to uphold the UK’s unique tradition of ‘policing by consent’. Neighbourhood Policing’s role remains to be probably the most visible element of policing around our communities, and to be the local ‘eyes and ears’ of the force.

That’s the theory, but some scepticism can be forgiven about the reality. During the period of reducing police officer numbers in the UK (2010-2019), we believe that budget constraints fell disproportionately on Neighbourhood Policing.

There is better news, however. Whilst across the UK, Police Officer numbers have recovered to the levels of 2010, within Thames Valley, Officer numbers at end-2023 were up 18%. Moreover, there have been strong statements of intent from the Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner and Chief Constable in favour of strengthening neighbourhood policing:

Thames Valley Police and I are taking a long-term look at the improvements to community policing in order to build trust and confidence and increase peoples’ feelings of safety. This includes increasing the number of officers which will benefit communities across the force area but also the refocus of community policing as a whole to enable officers to deliver a more proactive and responsive service that is better placed to effectively prevent and disrupt crime.”

Matthew Barber, Police and Crime Commissioner

A core part of building trust and confidence in the Police is the prioritisation of Neighbourhood Policing. Our vision for Neighbourhood Policing is to have local officers, visible in their local communities, focused on preventing crime and targeting prolific offenders responsible for Neighbourhood crime and Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB). The Police are not the sole agency responsible for preventing crime and we will work closely with local partners in developing innovative solutions to problems

Jason Hogg, Chief Constable, Thames Valley Police, April 2023

The PCC’s Crimefighters strategy promised allocation of 150 additional officers to neighbourhood policing roles over 2023/24, and also the refocus of community policing as a whole to enable officers to deliver a more proactive and responsive service that is better placed to effectively prevent and disrupt crime.

Link to Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner’s Crimefighters strategy

Neighbourhood Policing in Chiltern & South Bucks Policing Issues Forum area

The Chiltern & South Bucks Policing Issues Forum covers the following neighbourhood areas:

  • Amersham
  • Burnham Farnhams & Taplow
  • Chesham
  • Chalfonts
  • Denham & Gerrards Cross
  • Iver Stoke Poges & Wexham
  • Missendens.

These sit within the Buckinghamshire Local Command Unit (LCU), one of 5 within the Thames Valley Force area. Neighbourhood Policing is, of course, just one part of the Thames Valley Police Force and it is supported by, and gives support to, other teams and specialities as situations require.

Our Neighbourhood Police teams consist of Police Officers and Police Community Support Officers (PCSO’s), led by Sergeants and with overall leadership from an Inspector.

Our Neighbourhood Police Teams page details the personnel assigned to each team.

Each Neighbourhood team publishes a quarterly report, which is a great way of keeping up to speed with their work. The reports include current team personnel, actions to pursue neighbourhood priorities, times and locations of opportunities to meet team members at ‘Have Your Say’ meetings, offenders brought to justice, and other policing news. Links to the latest reports for each area can be found on the Neighbourhood Police Reports and Neighbourhood Police Teams pages.

Thames Valley Police website

Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner

Police.UK website

His Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary latest assessment of Thames Valley Police

Recent News Items

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