This section covers the latest information from Thames Valley Police and from SaferMK which is a statutory organisation run by the six ‘Responsible Authorities’ being Thames Valley Police, the Thames Valley Police Authority, Bucks Fire and Rescue Service, Thames Valley Probation Service, Milton Keynes Primary Care Trust and Milton Keynes Council.
Two advisors sit on the Responsible Authorities Group representing Milton Keynes parishes. One is Cllr Philip Ayles from Castlethorpe who represents Milton Keynes rural parishes.
The Safer Neighbourhoods Group is part of SaferMK and there is a Neighbourhood Action Group (NAG) for Rural West which includes Castlethorpe, Hanslope and Haversham. The Minutes of the NAG are available in the Public Papers and Forms section of this website.
Residents identified three priorities which the NAG is addressing in conjunction with Castlethorpe Parish Council. These are;
- Speeding where traffic calming islands have been built at all village entrances and we participate in Community Speed Watch (see separate article)
- Inconsiderate Parking where the Police take action but will normally issue a warning notice before a fixed penalty fine. The Parish Council is also arranging for white lines around bus stops and asks residents not to park by the bus stops in such a way as to prevent buses drawing up to the kerb. Patients are also asked not to park opposite the surgery at Hanslope.
- Dog fouling. In addition to notices, the NAG has acquired four dog bins in Castlethorpe and the Parish Council has an emptying contract for them. Residents are asked not to allow their dogs to foul the pavements and footpaths as the viruses in dog faeces are extremely dangerous especially to children. (See article below)
Thames Valley Police produce a monthly report for the neighbourhood and this can be seen by visiting Rural West Neighbourhood and following the link for the latest report. The website also contains details of the local police team.
SaferMK also runs a Crime Mapping website at MK Crime Map This has a lot more categories for crime and anti-social behaviour (ASB) than the national crime website. Please note this works in Internet Explorer and Firefox but not in Chrome.
To use this website, you can enter ‘Castlethorpe’ in the ‘Neighbourhood, Area or Estate’ box and select the crime category in which you are interested including ‘All Crime’ and ‘All Anti-Social Behaviour’. If you then right click on the map over Castlethorpe, crime statistics will be displayed.
The website also has street-level crime reporting. However, this doesn’t apply to rural areas (because it makes it easy to identify individual houses) and it only applies to individual crime or ASB categories and not to the ‘All’ categories.
To ensure the public are informed about scams and to allow them to spot them, Thames Valley Police has produced a booklet which aims to reduce the risk of becoming a victim of fraud.
The Little Book of Big Scams, which includes a foreword from Esther Rantzen, includes sections on identity fraud, scam mail, door to door scams and internet scams.
As well as details on different types of frauds, there are a number of helpful hints, 10 golden rules to avoid becoming a victim, and case studies.
THe booklet can be downloaded here
TVP Alerts contain up to date information regarding local crime issues in your area, sent to you by email from Thames Valley Police.
In order to sign up, go to TVP Alerts
A scam has come to notice whereby parcels are being delivered to residences with the labels showing a correct address, but an unknown name. The person receiving the parcel has been asked to sign for it by the delivery company.
Soon after the delivery someone visits the address saying they believe a parcel intended for them has been delivered there by mistake. They take the parcel and are not seen again.
A few days later the occupants of the address start to receive paperwork, often including demands for payment for the contents of the parcel.
In one incident three parcels were delivered to an address in Milton Keynes and shortly after black man knocked on the door asking for the parcels.
In other parts of the country the offenders are described as a woman of mixed race, in her twenties, of large build, around 5ft 5ins with significant red hair. Another offender is described as a black man in his mid-thirties, bald, of stout build and wearing a beige jacket.
PC Clifford-Smith at Bletchley Police Station gives the following information “Even if you are expecting a delivery, make sure the label is correctly addressed to you or a member of your household.
“If you are not expecting a parcel, carefully inspect the label and if there are any discrepancies in the details, you must seriously consider declining the delivery.”
PC Clifford-Smith added that people should be aware of the scam and if they had any concerns, to call the police on the 101 number.
Information can also be given to the anonymous Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555 111
New Police Station opening hours come into effect on Monday 2nd July.
Full details can be seen at New Opening Hours
Specifically, Newport Pagnell and Wolverton stations are open on Tuesday – Thursday between 10am and 2pm and are closed on other days.
Milton Keynes Police Station is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Dog Watch has been set up in Milton Keynes by SaferMK, Neighbourhood Watch, The Parks Trust, Milton Keynes Council, Enforcement Officers, Wardens and Thames Valley Police.
You are the eyes and ears of the community. As a member of Dog Watch you will be out walking your dogs at various times of the day covering large areas of Milton Keynes and this can have an impact on reducing crime. Most criminals will not break into cars or houses if somebody is walking by. We encourage you to report anything suspicious by phoning the appropriate number provided in this pack. We hope that Dog Watch will help improve the quality of life in your neighbourhood and that you will act as a visible deterrent just by walking your dog. The information you feed back to us will assist in preventing crime, anti-social behaviour and assist in identifying offenders and cleaning up areas.
For more information visit Milton Keynes Dogwatch
Thames Valley Police has gone live with 101, the new national single non-emergency number, which will replace the 0845 8 505 505 number.
The 101 number should be used for all non-emergency calls. In an emergency, call 999. Calls to 101 (from both landlines and mobile networks) cost 15 pence per call.
For more information see the guidance on the Thames Valley Police website.
In 2010, residents made a number of complaints about doorstep ‘sellers’ who were both from energy companies and also some representing reputable charities but who residents felt were being overly aggressive.
These complaints were taken up by both the Parish Council and our Ward Councillor and, as a result, Milton Keynes Trading Standards has produced a leaflet which has been delivered to all Castlethorpe households.
The leaflet can be downloaded here.
If you are called by a representative who is overly persistent, ask them to leave. If they do not leave, it is deemed to be aggressive selling under the Consumer Protection Regulations and a criminal offence so please note their details and contact either Trading Standards on 08454 04 05 06 or Thames Valley Police on 0845 8 505 505.
You can also let the Parish Clerk (522900) or any Parish Councillor know and they will contact the organisation concerned or MKC Trading Standards.
Dog fouling was one of the three priorities identified by residents in the neighbourhood survey which was done by Thames Valley Police as part of setting up the Neighbourhood Action Group (NAG) in 2008. (The other two were speeding and inconsiderate parking.)
Dog fouling is not only unpleasant for residents but it can contain worms which cause serious eye disorders for adults and children.
The NAG, which also covers Hanslope and Haversham, has used part of its funding to buy and install dog bins in the three villages. At the same time, the parish councils have committed to have these emptied regularly which has to be done by a specialist contractor.
There are three dog bins in Castlethorpe; one by the entrance to Castle Field opposite the shop, one on South Street next to the gate to the footbridge and one outside the school where there had been quite a lot of dog mess – young children are particularly vulnerable to getting the eye disorders.
PLEASE PICK UP AFTER YOUR DOG & PUT THE BAG IN THE DOG BINS. DO NOT TAKE DOGS ONTO THE SPORTS GROUND – USE THE FENCED FOOTPATHS AT EITHER END.
Milton Keynes Council wardens, who are working with the NAG, will also be in the villages and will issue fixed penalty notices to dog owners who do not clear up after their dogs as required under the ‘Dogs (Fouling of Land) Act 1996’. The penalties are £50 under a fixed penalty notice and up to £1000 if taken to court.
However, let’s use the new dog bins and keep our village clean and safe for our children.
Community Speed Watch is a joint initiative by the Milton Keynes rural Neighbourhood Action Groups including Rural West to which Castlethorpe belongs.
Its objective is to deter speeding in our village.
Community Speed Watch is operated by trained volunteers and a police representative, either our local PC, Andy Perry, or one of the PCSO team, will always be in attendance.
The device is mounted on a tripod next to the road in 30mph or 40mph areas. The volunteers have a small handheld ‘reader’ which tells them the speed of passing vehicles. If a vehicle is speeding, a note is made of the licence number and other details and, at the end of the day, these are passed to Thames Valley Police.
Warning letters will be sent by TVP to offending drivers but CSW is not used as a basis for prosecution. However, if a particular vehicle is found to be speeding regularly or an area is shown to be subject to a lot of speeding, then CSW can be used as a basis for further police or other action.
Details of the Neighbourhood Action Group can be found by following this link
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