Chairman's Foreword - Banbury Tina Wren

Chairman's Foreword - Bicester

Trevor Lewis / Rachel Faulkner

As the new chair for 2011, I would like to take this opportunity of thanking Carol Kinniburgh and Saba Kiani for their shared time as our Chair over the last year, and I am very pleased that Carol has once again agreed to continue in the role of Vice Chair.. The Cherwell Crime Partnership is growing in strength, year by year, with the increase of membership and the visible reduction of crime – the success of the Bicester arm of the Crime Partnership is particularly noticeable, with a continuing increase in membership. The fact that they are already moving towards self-funding is a credit to the team. We have this year been able to promote the workings of the Crime Partnership and PubWatch schemes to the magistrates locally and the Probation Service, bringing partnership working to a new level for the schemes. Being part of the partnership we are all better able to meet the needs of our members by sharing information which we also share with neighbouring counties for cross border offenders and travelling criminals. To this end I would like to say a big thank you to the Board of Management who have given their time and effort to ensuring the scheme continues to flourish and also to all the members for their support, hard work, dedication and enthusiasm.

In these austere times it is even more important to watch every penny. As a retailer who belongs to the Cherwell Crime Partnership - Bicester, knowing that shoplifting in the town centre has fallen by 17.5%* this year must be comforting, knowing that your stock is not disappearing out of the door as fast as you are putting it on your shelves. This is the benefit of belonging to the Partnership, because retailers, Police Officers, Police Community Support Officers and Cherwell District Council Street Wardens are all working together to make life almost impossible for shoplifters to target your store. It is great to see that the Partnership is still going from strength to strength and growing not only in the town centre but is also reaching out to the housing estate shops and retail parks where more and more stores are joining the Partnership and receiving the benefits of being part of a determined group of people who want to rid themselves of retail crime. I am confident that the Partnership will continue to thrive and reduce shoplifting and anti-social behaviour in the town to such a low level as to become a template for other Crime Partnerships to follow. My final word would be for the shoplifters out there who think they can come into our shops and steal, think again because we are all watching you and we will not let you get away with it.

Welcome to the 3rd Annual Report for the Cherwell Crime Partnership which includes the Crime Partnerships of Banbury and Bicester as well as the PubWatches for Banbury, Bicester, Kidlington and the newly created Banbury Rural North and South PubWatches. The Partnership was originally created 10 years ago, as Banbury Crime Partnership and concentrated on the day time economy within the town and has now grown to encompass the day and night time economies of the major towns within Cherwell. It is hoped this year to work closely with the Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinator and be involved with schemes such as BusinessWatch (which works with the industrial estates in the area). We also hope to move forward into the next 10 years by improving our links with the Probation Service and other intervening agencies.

* this information has not been audited and is not directly comparable to published national statistics

Board of Management - Banbury Chair Tina Wren Banbury Town Council Vice Chair Carol Kinniburgh Peacocks Treasurer Mark Hassall Banbury Town Council Partner Mark Recchia Banbury Town Council Partner Mike Grant Cherwell District Council Partner PS Bryan Percival Thames Valley Police Partner PC Paul Froggatt Thames Valley Police Partner PC Paul Smith Thames Valley Police BOM Member Marion Stiles BHS BOM Member Liz Deacon Argos BOM Member Muriel Standon Matalan BOM Member Teresa Penfold Debenhams BOM Member Sandor Fabien Wilkinsons BOM Member Will Gelder Marks & Spencer BOM Member Shelley Woods Castle Quay Security BOM Member Lucy Goldner Peacocks BOM Member Nick James Castle Quay Management Secretary June Lynes Co-Ordinator Eleanor Peckford Assistant Co-Ordinator

Board of Management - Bicester Chair Trevor Lewis Bicester Street Wardens Vice Chair Clare Wilcock Argos Treasurer Sue Mackrell Bicester Town Council Partner Jim French Bicester Town Council Partner PS Nicki Entwistle Thames Valley Police Partner PC Vicky Lees Thames Valley Police BOM Member Jon Ellison Bicester Village BOM Member Adrian Drake Wyevale BOM Member Helen Wiffen D2 BOM Member Paul Woodman Somerfield BOM Member Gary May Superdrug BOM Member Christopher Bean Beans of Bicester BOM Member Andrew O’Gorman O’Gorman’s BOM Member Neil Maskell Marks & Spencer BOM Member Haylie Yearwood Sounds 4 U Entertainment Secretary Kym Curtis Co-Ordinator

Board of Management

The Board of Management exists to give the scheme both sustainability and accountability as the per the constitution

Cherwell Crime Partnership - News and Events

Crimebusters are honoured - article from Bicester Advertiser May 2011

Two shop workers, who have been doing their bit to fight crime in Bicester, have been given an award.

Sue Wing and Neil Maskell have helped police catch shoplifters, warned other stores to be on their guard when known criminals are around and responded to calls from help from other retailers.

Earlier this month the pair were given certificates of appreciation for their “outstanding participation within Bicester town centre, helping to deter and prevent retail crime”. They were the first awards ever presented by the Cherwell Crime Partnership.

Mr Maskell of Marks & Spencer, in Sheep Street, said “We have both helped out as much as we can and it has paid off.”

Miss Wing, who works at D2, said: “It was nice to be recog-nised, but we don’t really do anything special, we just feel it is part of our daily job.”

The Partnership is proud to support the ‘Banbury in Bloom - Planting in the Park’ Event, in which children from local schools design a plant bed in Peoples Park to a specific theme. This is a great example of community working, helping to improve our local environment. This year the theme was ‘The Circus’ and was held on a wet Tuesday in June. The picture to the left shows Cllr Tina Wren with deserving third prize winners, St Leonard’s School, in front of their award winning design, which will only get more colourful in the coming months.

To the right shows Banbury Chair Cllr Tina Wren and Cllr Nick Harrison presenting the third place trophy. Cllr Wren said “Although it was a pity it was raining, the children all did very well. The Partnership are very pleased to be supporting the Planting in the Park event”.

Banbury in Bloom—Planting in the Park

Spreading the net wider Bicester Street Wardens now each have a radio thanks to the generosity of two local businessmen.

Until April this year the wardens, Trevor Lewis, Julie South and Tim Davis, had just one radio between them; but when Christopher Bean of Bean’s of Bicester and Reg Connor of Langford Locks heard of this they both pledged to pay for additional radios. Christopher Bean said ‘It’s a great idea that benefits businesses and shoppers alike. I’ve run a successful business in Bicester for 30 years and sponsoring a Storenet radio is a way to give something back to the community.’ Councillor Nigel Morris, of Cherwell’s

Community Safety, Street Scene and Rural Services said ‘This is an extremely generous gesture and one which is very much appreciated. The crime partnership does some fantastic work, showing just what can be achieved when everyone comes together to solve an issue’.

The partnership would also like to extend it’s thanks to Christo-pher and Reg; the additional radios make it easier for them to communicate with each other, members, Thames Valley Police and local CCTV and will be a huge asset in the prevention and detection of retail crime in Bicester.

About SMART in Banbury

Cherwell Crime Partnership in Banbury was approached by the SMART team early last year with a view to sharing information and working together. Our aim at SMART is to reduce the negative effects of drug and alcohol abuse. We achieve this by providing a range of services across Oxfordshire that focus on supporting individuals in making positive changes to their lives. Our belief is that by reducing the impact of substance misuse on individuals, we are reducing the destructive impact that they are having on our communities. Last year we worked closely with over 1,000 people in Oxfordshire and our Education programme has helped many people across the Thames Valley gain certificates of learning, Andrea a former student explains:

“Until I found SMART I didn’t know what I needed to do to get a job but now I feel like I’ve been given an‐other chance at life.  The Portal Programme has given me prospects, a qualification and a reason to get on.”    The services we offer in the county include:

Advice to anyone in our community ‐ One to One support Education programme ‐ Volunteering ‐ Support for Families Group Support ‐ Custody in‐reach ‐ Working with offenders 

 

Find out more - Anyone wanting to find out more about our services in Banbury can contact us:

• SMART, Banbury Health Centre, 58 Bridge Street, Banbury Oxfordshire OX16 5QD • Tel: 01295 225544 • Email: info@smartcjs.org.uk • For further information visit: www.smartcjs.org.uk • Or visit our drop‐in, no appointment needed, on Wednesdays (10.30am—12.30pm) and Fridays (2pm—4pm) at 

Banbury Health Centre. 

Exclusion Notices - Banbury

Exclusion Notices - Bicester

As can be seen from these Exclusion Graphs, the past few years have seen more and more offenders being included in the album. This shows not that there are many more offenders committing crime in the Cherwell area, but that we are becoming better at recognising these criminals and more effective at finding out who they are in the first place. The more intelligence we can give you the more effective the scheme can be.

Exclusions & Intelligence - Bicester

05

10152025303540

July 2009 November2009

March2010

July 2010 November2010

March2011

IntelligenceExclusions

Exclusions Issued - Banbury

05

101520253035404550

200520062007200820092010

Offenders in Intelligence Section - Banbury

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

200520062007200820092010

Thames Valley Police Report

Cherwell

At the beginning of April this year Thames Valley adopted the Local Policing Model to enable the force to both maintain and improve frontline services in a challenging financial cli-mate. As part of this process I had to make some difficult decisions in terms of which partner organisations would re-ceive financial support from the local police budget.

I have no doubt that the Cherwell Crime Partnership has played an important part over the last year in helping to reduce crime and anti social behaviour in the town centres across Cherwell. As such I am happy to continue to provide financial support to help maintain what I consider to be a very beneficial partnership to all concerned. As the partnership approaches its 10th Anniversary it will need to adapt in what is a difficult and challenging economic climate. Increased memberships and expanding working relationships with organisations such as the Probation Service and SMART is a clear indication that the Partnership is continuing to develop and so will continue to play an important part in making the towns and villages across Cherwell a safer place. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the partnership on reaching a milestone anniversary and look forward to continuing to work closely with all the partners and members that help make the scheme such a success.

Superintendent Howard Stone Local Police Area Commander

Banbury

This last year has again been tough for retailers, and with the continuing squeeze with the average wage not increasing proportionate to the rate of inflation, times remain tough. Accordingly, retailers are having to be more innovative to ensure they get their slice of the shoppers available funds. This commonly means cutting back on add on running costs. In recent years some stores have pulled out of the Partnership despite the membership cost being small. Fortunately, many rejoined realising no membership meant no information on who was entering their store and likely to help themselves to the stores goods! To this end, membership remains good as store managers appreciate the importance of the information on who is likely to harm their profit margins through theft or fraud. This constantly reviewed information along with the real time link of the Storenet radio, has proved invaluable on so may occasions in helping identify offenders, and get security and Police to intercept them fast time! Here in the police this year, we have been under review regarding pay and conditions by central government. Budget cuts imposed have meant some of our support departments have been cut by 50%. We have had many Crime Prevention, support admin and some crime partnerships go. Fortunately for us here in Cherwell we have retained our Partnership staff, though positions were fought for and justification and different funding streams had to be found. Fortunately, the great work goes on with the Partnership remaining afloat. Whilst I don’t have a crystal ball, I know what would happen with our crime figures if we had no Partnership. They certainly would not continue downward as they have here in Cherwell for the last 6 years! If you consider all those excluded persons in your folders, and all those banned from licensed premises suddenly found out that stores not longer knew about their previous behaviour, they could walk unchallenged into your stores and licensed premises. What would follow would be obvious, theft, fraud disorder, assault. So, economically, another tough year perhaps, but a much safer and secure one as a member of Cherwell Crime Partnership.

PS Bryan Percival Town Centre Sergeant - Banbury

Sgt Bryan Percival

Supt Howard Stone

Bicester

The Partnership has had another incredible year in Bicester, not just with a 17.5% reduction in reported retail crime but with 6 new members joining the scheme during the year. We have seen the benefits of using the Storenet radio, which gives immediate links between officers, CCTV and stores, with several offenders being arrested and charged after being detected and tracked through the town by store staff, the Bicester street wardens and PCSO’s. This, together with the associated publicity, sends a strong message out to the public and the criminal fraternity that we are all working together to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour, making Bicester a safer place to live, work and shop. The Partnership would not run as smoothly as it does without the hard work and commit-ment of Kym, June and Eleanor, or additional support from our Partners in Bicester Town Council, Bicester Village, Bicester Avenue and the Cherwell Safer Communities Partner-ship which has helped support the partnership this year.

PS Nicki Entwistle Town Centre Sergeant - Bicester

Survey Results - Banbury Sgt Nicki Entwistle

1. What type of crime directly affects your premises (percent %)

020406080

100

Theft Fraud Violence DisorderlyBehaviour

Staff Theft

2. Do you feel that being a member of the Crime Partnership has reduced crime on your

premises?

93%

7%

Yes

No

3. If yes to Q2, give an approximate indication of the scale of crime reduction (percent %)

25%

25%22%

18%

10%Less than 5%

Betw een 5% to 10%

Betw een 10% to 25%

Betw een 25% to 50%

Over 50%

4. Do you and your staff feel safer at work as a result of being a member of the Crime

Partnership?

0

20

40

60

80

100

Yes No

This is the 7th year that the Partnership has surveyed its members, and once again it is reassuring to see that a huge 95% feel safer at work because of their membership and an equally impressive 93% agree that being a member has reduced crime on their premises. The survey is also an excellent way for you to give us feedback on what you feel is useful/helpful and what isn’t!

In response to Q2 - Our company took away our radio due to cost. We have to phone if we need assistance - It is unfortunate that at this time many companies are withdrawing radios due to cost and we feel that this is very short sighted. Radios are an integral part of the Partnership and help to make the whole package effective. The Partnership are more than happy to directly contact your Head Office if it helps. You still have to catch people doing it - Quite, but the more stores are aware of who is stealing the more they can be watched. More visits from Police would help - Unfortunately, police resources are very stretched and as their shift pattern covers 18hrs a day over 7 days, it is impossible to visit as much as people would like. There are lots of things being stolen - The Crime Partnership is always available to come and talk to individual stores about practical steps they can take to improve their stock loss, and how we can help.

6. Do you feel you see a police officer often enough?

0

10

20

30

40

Yes No

7. Please indicate the value of the photo reference album for excluded persons and

intelligence to your premises.

62%

36%

2% 0%

Very Helpful

Helpful

No Real Help

Unhelpful

8. Please indicate the value of Storenet Radio (if applicable) to your premises.

21

21

2

1

10

0 5 10 15 20 25

Very Helpful

Helpful

No Real Help

Unhelpful

n/a

9. The Crime Partnership regularly holds Training Sessions for members, such as Stop Theft and Statement. Please indicate the value

of this training.

19

21

4

0

11

0 5 10 15 20 25

Very Helpful

Helpful

No Real Help

Unhelpful

Not Attended

10. T he P artnership ho lds 3 User Gro ups to update pho to albums & info rm members o n current issues.

H o w do yo u f ind these meet ings?

16

25

4

0

10

0 5 10 15 20 25 30

Very Helpful

Helpful

No Real Help

Unhelpful

Not Attended

11. How often do you or your representative attend these meetings?

0

5

10

15

20

Alw ays MostlyAlw ays

Sometimes Never

12. Do you feel the service provided is value for money?

85%

13%2%

Yes

Don't Know

No

5a. With regards to Police visibility, how often do you see a Police Officer in the town centre?

9%

51%

33%

7%

Monthly

Weekly

Daily

Not Know n/Not inTow n

5b. How often do you see a Police Community Support Officer?

18%

46%

29%

7%Monthly

Weekly

Daily

Not Know n/Not inTow n

Banbury cont ...

Reponses made to comments on questionnaire forms - Banbury As a Partnership we value your comments and would like to assure members that we take them seriously, cascade information to those that need to know, and act upon where necessary. • Need to see Community Officers more often. • We have a great lot of goods stolen from our store and it would be nice to see more

police in the High Street and putting their head through the door especially on a Saturday. Unfortunately, police resources are very stretched and as their shift pattern covers 18hrs a day over 7 days it is impossible to visit as often as people like. However, if certain stores feel they need to see a PCSO or police officer more often, please speak to us and we can pass this information on to the Neighbourhood Teams. • Really helpful to have direct links to PCSO’s via the Cherwell Crime Partnership.

Would be even better to get a charity shop network up and running. Cherwell Crime Partnership - Banbury is actively trying to recruit more stores in this sector and at the time of press has recently added another charity store to our membership. • PCSO’s walk store frequently and this is good for us as we are outside the shopping

area. • Good system when used properly. • Satisfactory and organised. It is always nice to have positive praise - it will be passed on to all those concerned. • It would be nice to see more members attending meetings. We couldn’t agree more! User Groups have been tried at numerous venues, times and days over the years, all with varying degrees of success. It is hoped that the next User Group in November will be held over 2 days to enable those that couldn’t attend the first meeting to come to the next.

Comparisons with previous years - Banbury

The following charts compare data from the last 5 years. As could be anticipated there is very little change in the type of crime affecting your premises. The Crime Partnership Co-ordinator comments that “Overall the radio and Partnership work well even though the needs of each store changes on a daily basis. The Partnership will use its best efforts to reach the needs of each individual store.”

What type of crime directly affects your premises?

020406080

100120

2006

/07

2007

/08

2008

/09

2009

/10

2010

/11

Theft

Fraud

Violence

DisorderlyBehaviourStaff Theft

Do you feel that being a member of the Crime Partnership has reduced crime on your

premises?

020406080

100

2006/07 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11

No

Yes

If yes to Q2 please give an approximate indication of the scale of reduction

0

20

40

60

80

100

2006/ 07 2007/ 08 2008/ 09 2009/ 10 2010/ 11

Not Known

Over 50%

Bet ween 25%-50%

Bet ween 10%-25%

Bet ween 5%-10%

Less t han 5%

Do you and your staff feel safter at work a a result of being a member of the Crime Partnership?

0

20

40

60

80

100

2006/07 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11

No

Yes

Please indicate the value of the photo reference album for Excluded Persons

0

20

40

60

80

100

2006/ 07 2007/ 08 2008/ 09 2009/ 10 2010/ 11

No Response

No Real Help

Helpful

Very Helpful

Please indicate the value of Storenet Radio (if applicable) to your premises

0

20

40

60

80

100

2006/ 07 2007/ 08 2008/ 09 2009/ 10 2010/ 11

No Real Help

Helpful

Very Helpful

The Crime Partnership regularly holds training sessions for members such as Stop Theft and

Statement. Please indicate the value of this training

020406080

100

2006/ 07 2007/ 08 2008/ 09 2009/ 10 2010/ 11

Not Attended

Unhelpful

No Real Help

Helpful

Very Helpful

How often do you or your representative attend these meetings?

0

20

40

60

80

100

2006/ 07 2007/ 08 2008/ 09 2009/ 10 2010/ 11

No Response

Never

Sometimes

Mostly Alw ays

Alw ays

Do you feel the service provided is value for money?

0

20

40

60

80

100

2006/ 07 2007/ 08 2008/ 09 2009/ 10 2010/ 11

Don't Know

No

Yes

The Partnership holds 3 meetings per year to update photo albums and informs its members

on current issues. How do you find these meetings?

020406080

100

2006/ 07 2007/ 08 2008/ 09 2009/ 10 2010/ 11

Never Attended

Unhelpful

No Real Help

Helpful

Very Helpful

Survey Results - Bicester

1. What type of crime directly affects your business (percent %)?

020406080

100

Theft Fraud Violence DisorderlyBehaviour

Staff Theft

2. Do you feel that being a member of the Crime Partnership has reduced crime on your

premises?

82%

18%

Yes

No

3. If yes to question 2, please give an approximate indication of the scale of crime

reduction0%

27%

9%

46%

0%

18%

Less than 5%

Betw een 5% to 10%

Betw een 10% to 25%

Betw een 25% to 50%

Over 50%

Not Know n

4. Do you and your staff feel safer at work as a result of being a member of the Crime

Partnership?

020406080

100

Yes No

5a. With regards to Police visibility, how often do you see a police officer in the town centre?

36%

46%

18%

Monthly

Weekly

Daily

5b. How often do you see a Police Community Support Officer (PCSO)?

18%

55%

27%

Monthly

Weekly

Daily

This has been another good year for the Partnership and we are still growing; we have wel-comed 6 new members during the year and are looking forward to more stores joining in the coming year. There has been a reduction of 17.5% in retail crime within Bicester town cen-tre which is proof of how well the partnership is embedding in the town; this is reflected in the survey results with more members reporting a drop in crime in their stores compared to last year. We are pleased with the survey results and it is great to see that all respondents feel they receive value for money from the Partnership and that both they and their staff feel safer as a result of joining.

It is great to see that 82% of members feel that being a member of the Partnership has re-sulted in a drop in crime on their premises. With a reduction of up to 50% this will result in a great saving for member stores.

With 100% of staff feeling safer at work - this is a wonderful endorsement of the Partnership.

6. Do you feel you see a Police Officer enough?

0

2

4

6

8

Yes No

7. Please indicate the value of the photo reference album for excluded persons and

intelligence to your premises

91%

9%

Very Helpful

Helpful

8. Please indicate the value of Storenet radio to your premises

5

5

1

0 1 2 3 4 5 6

Very Helpful

Helpful

n/a

9. The Partnership holds three User Groups per year to update photo albums and inform its

members on current issues. How do you find these meetings?

5

6

4.5 5 5.5 6 6.5

Very Helpful

Helpful

The Partnership strongly recommends that all members have a Storenet radio so that they can hear live information on what is happening in the town and be more prepared in their store.

10. How often do you or your representative attend these meeings?

0

2

4

6

8

Alw ays Mostly Alw ays Sometimes Never

11. Do you feel the service provided is value for money?

91%

9%

Yes

Don't Know

All members are encouraged to attend our User Group meetings. It is not only the place to get updated photograph albums but is a good opportunity to meet other members and the neighbourhood police officers and PCSO’s. It is good to know that 91% of members feel that the Partnership is good value for money. As we are not based in the town centre we do not see anyone from Thames Valley Police anywhere near as often as the town centre. We only see an on duty police officer when we have a problem so less than once a month. We see a PCSO about once a fortnight as very few of them want to walk/bike to us - Unfortu-nately, stores based out of the town centre will not get as many patrols as the town centre would. Keep Going - We intend to! Thanks to the continued support from our sponsors, Bicester Town Council, Bicester Village and Bicester Avenue and an anticipated increase in membership this coming year. Would tell other companies to join - very helpful - Endorsements from our members are great, please spread the word. I am proud to be a member of the Crime Partnership and thankful to the support shown by all involved. The Police have nearly always responded quickly to a call over the radio which shows the radios and the system work! - For the Partnership to work at its best it is important for all parties to work together, stores, police officers, PCSOs and street wardens and it is great to know that this is happening and benefiting all involved.

Comparisons with previous years - Bicester What type of crime directly affects your

premises?

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

2009/10 2010/11

Theft

Fraud

Violence

DisorderlyBehaviourStaff Theft

Do you feel that being a member of the Crime Partnership has reduced crime on your

premises?

0

5

10

15

20

2009/10 2010/11

No

Yes

It is good to see a reduction in theft, especially in the current climate. It is also good to see the increase in the percentage number of stores that feel that being a being a member of the Crime Partnership is reducing crime on their premises and demonstrates how well the Partnership is embedding in the town.

If yes to Q2 please give an approximate indication of the scale of reduction

0%20%40%60%80%

100%

2009/ 10 2010/ 11

Not Known

Over 50%

Bet ween 25%-50%

Bet ween 10%-25%

Bet ween 5%-10%

Less t han 5%

Do you and your staff feel safter at w ork a a result of being a member of the Crime Partnership?

0%20%40%60%80%

100%

2009/10 2010/11

NoYes

Please indicate the value of the photo reference album for Excluded Persons

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

2009/ 10 2010/ 11

Unhelpful

No Real Help

Helpful

Very Helpful

Please indicate the value of Storenet Radio (if applicable) to your premises

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

2009/ 10 2010/ 11

N/A

Helpful

Very Helpful

The album is designed to help stores identify offenders with a view to deterring retail crime in store. It is imperative that all members of staff view the album. We encourage all members to join the Storenet radio scheme so that they can hear ‘live’ information on what is happening within the town and be linked to TVP and CCTV.

The Partnership holds three User Groups per year to update photo albums and inform its

members on current issues. How do you find these meetings?

0%

50%

100%

2009/10 2010/11

Never Attended

Unhelpful

No Real Help

Helpful

Very Helpful

How often do you or your representative attend these meetings?

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

2009/ 10 2010/ 11

No Response

Never

Sometimes

Mostly Alw ays

Alw ays

We have increased our User Group meetings from one to two days to enable more stores to attend which has been a big success. They are a good opportunity to meet with other members and chat with the neighbourhood policing team.

Thames Valley Partnership Group

The Thames Valley Partnership Group [TVPG] was created in March this year to allow business crime partnerships to support and assist each other in targeting retail crime within the Thames Valley. The group will meet approximately 4 times a year to discuss issues affecting each partnership, share ideas and successes and distribute information on travelling offenders.

The Thames Valley Partnership Group can present a larger force to approach Thames Valley Police in order to gain their help and support within our communities and act as a focus group for the Association of Business Crime Partnerships [ABCP]. The ABCP is creating a Partnership Council which will include the Chair from each regional group. They will meet 2 or 3 times a year and their objective is to involve partnerships in the strategic planning for the ABCP board.

Members of the group are: Milton Keynes Partners Against Crime, Cherwell Crime Partnership, Aylesbury Retail Against Crime, Bracknell Business Against Crime, Reading Business Against Crime, Slough Town Against Crime and the West Berkshire ShopSafe Partnership. Gail Buckland of the Milton Keynes group was elected as Chair, and Kym Curtis from the Cherwell Crime Partnership – Bicester is Vice Chair.

2011-2012 – AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

• Secure funding and sponsorship for the partnership for 2012-2013

• Increase Publicity • Play an active role in the ABCP Council Meetings through

participation in the Thames Valley Partnership group • Reducing serious acquisitive crime by identifying and

managing potential offenders. • Reduce the amount of night time

violence by improving the use of Pubwatch and Nightsafe.

MRS Communications - Storenet

M-R-S Communications Ltd are very proud to support the Cherwell Crime Partnership in the every day battle against business crime and anti- social behavior. During the past twelve months with the support from all the Partnership members and the management team we have carried out the following:-

INDIVIDUAL RADIO TRAINING SESSIONS (BANBURY)

18 Stores – 36 Staff in total all of which recieved a Certificate of Achievement

Bhs x 2 (seven staff), Co-op Hanwell Fields x 1 (three staff), M&S x 2 (2 staff), Republic x 2 (two staff), Pets at Home x 1, Sainsbury x 1, Newlook x 2, One Stop x 1, Millets x1, Cherwell District Council x 2, Family Bargain x 2, Peacocks x 2, Co-op Middelton Rd x 4, Early Learning Centre x 3, Wilkinson x 3. May I take this opportunity to thank all the store managers for allocating the time for their staff to be trained. NEW RADIOS SUPPLIED (BANBURY)

Five Radios have been supplied as follows :-

Argos (Banbury Cross Retail Pk) x 1, 99p Store x 1, Accessorise x 1, Republic x 1, Admiral Holland x 1 CUSTOMER SERVICE – SALES VISITS (BANBURY)

We have made five visits to the area which enabled us to determine any customer requirements or problems, visiting all the management team and main contacts to ensure the system is operating to it’s full potential. We have canvassed any outstanding leads or potential new users to advise them of the advantages of joining the Cherwell Crime Partnership. INDIVIDUAL RADIO TRAINING SESSIONS (BICESTER) 12 Stores - 37 Staff in total all of which recieved a Certificate of Achievement Argos x 2 (five staff), Bicester Toys x 1 (two staff), Boots x 1 (three staff), G's Bar x 1 (two staff), Iceland x 1 (one staff), Lloyds Pharmacy x 1 (one staff), Sobell House x 1 (three staff), Somerfield x 1 (one staff), Superdrug x 1 (two staff), Tesco x 1 (one staff), The Newlands x 1 (two staff), Wyvale Garden Centre x 2 (14 staff). May I take this opportunity to thank all the store managers for allocating the time for their staff to be trained. NEW RADIOS SUPPLIED (BICESTER) Seven Radios have been supplied as follows :- The Village (Security) x 1, The Penny Black x 1, Yates x 1, Co-op x 3, M&Co x 1 CUSTOMER SERVICE – SALES VISITS (BICESTER) We have made six visits to the area which enabled us to determine any customer requirements or problems, visiting all the management team and main contacts to ensure the system is operating to it's full potential. We have canvassed any outstanding leads or potential new users to advise them of the advantages of joining the Cherwill Crime Parntnership. M-R-S Communications Ltd look forward to continuing our strong working relationship with the Partnership and would like to take this opportunity to thank all Storenet/Nitenet users for their continued support. Phil Wynne Customer Services Manager MRS Communications

Banbury Town Council

Banbury Town Council has been a long-standing funding partner on the Crime Partnership, along with the District Council and Thames Valley Police. It is important to the Town Council that Banbury is promoted as and seen to be a safe, clean and prosperous town. We firmly believe that the Cherwell Crime Partnership has a central role to play in doing this and it is one of our Key Service Objectives to play an active role in the Crime Partnership. We do this by sending three representatives along to meetings of the Board of Management. I attend as Town Clerk, together with a Town Councillor (currently Cllr Tina Wren, who also Chairs the Board), and the Council’s Accountant and Responsible Financial Officer, who acts as the Board’s Treasurer.

The partnership working between the Cherwell Crime Partnership and Banbury Town Council does however extend well beyond formal Board meetings. This year the Partnership Co-ordinator has worked very closely with the Board Treasurer to present a package of measures to the Board, identifying deliverable expenditure savings and setting a tough but achievable target for increased membership income, allowing the Partnership to balance its operating costs without the need to reduce the hours of its paid staff. This was necessary because it has been a particularly testing year for the Crime Partnership financially. Changes to central government funding for community safety and financial pressures on Thames Valley Police have had a major impact on the annual core revenue subsidy available to the Partnership. The recession generally has also had an impact on the availability of much needed sponsorship income and the difficult trading environment has made sustaining membership numbers amongst local stores very difficult.

Although the Town Council works hard to support the Crime Partnership this is also a two way process and the Crime Partnership supports a number of Town Council events and initiatives during the year. A good example of this is the Crime Partnership’s participation in the Town Council’s annual “Planting Day in the Park” event for local primary schools. The Partnership sponsors the 3rd place award for best floral displays and a Board member is always on hand on the day to present this award to the winning school.

Other measures the Town Council takes to help build a sense of security and wellbeing for its residents and visitors to the town include:

• Being a funding partner for the Town’s CCTV camera partnership; and • Providing a Park Ranger Service to offer help and assistance in the Council’s parks and

open spaces. The Rangers have a close working relationship with Thames Valley Police beat officers and community support officers and also with the Cherwell District Council Street Wardens Mark Recchia Town Clerk Banbury Town Council

Town Clerk Mark Recchia

Castle Quay

As founder members of the Banbury Crime Partnership and now integral members of the expanded Cherwell Crime Partnership, Castle Quay understands the importance of cohesion and commitment of all those affected in combating the most serious and unpleasant crime of theft within our

business community. It is clearly evident that our role of co-ordinating the Storenet radio system throughout the day and liaising closely with the Town Centre CCTV surveillance team keeps us at the forefront of the information stream which is invaluable to both reporting and apprehension of those who wish to commit crime. Our staff benefit from various specialised training courses including Stop Theft Procedures and credit card fraud. We see it as our role to actively encourage other Storenet users to participate and share information for the benefit of the scheme. It has been another excellent year for the partnership to which we would like to send a message of thank you to all those involved with running the scheme. Castle Quay remains resolute in our support of this initiative so that we can send a clear message ‘out there’ that Banbury’s business community will not tolerate this type of crime within our Town. Paul Jackson, Commercial Manager, Castle Quay

Cherwell District Council - Cherwell Safer Communities

‘No single organisation can hope to reduce the incidence of crime. Local organisations need to work together to develop comprehensive solutions to improve the community’s quality of life’ - Audit Commission statement.

‘We know the Cherwell Safer Communities Partnership plays an important role in reducing the risk of people becoming victims and reduces the fear of crime. It also prevents young people becoming involved in crime. It is high on our priorities to support the scheme this year so as to maintain and continue a partnership which is working well’ stated Councillor George Reynolds, Deputy Leader, Cherwell District Council.

Cherwell Crime Partnership is an integral partner of the Cherwell Safer Communities Partnership working to:

Reducing Crime and Anti-social behaviour Promoting partnership working Bicester reduces shoplifting by 29% in first year Reducing theft from person, down 40% Reducing Serious Crime down 72% in Banbury in the 24 months between 2009 and 2011 Provide access and communication with the CCTV suite Providing easy access to local businesses and the licensed trade Serving Exclusion Notices Providing information to and working with the Anti-Social Behaviour Team Access to the Nightsafe scheme Cl

Making Progress with Partnership working During the last year we have been busy as a partnership building closer links with Thames Valley Probation, Magistrates and continuing our relationship with the Integrated Offender Management team Scheme.

In October last year we, as a partnership, were invited to give a presentation to Thames Valley Probation’s Banbury office on how the schemes operate within Cherwell and how best to share information. The presentation was well received by the senior probation officer and her team, with a number of interesting questions being taken.

Each time we update our albums, we make contact with the Banbury Probation Service team - this type of partnership working provides a joined up approach and through the incident/information reports submitted by businesses or licensees can highlight behaviours they may not have otherwise been aware of and vice versa.

Similarly, we have strong links with the Thames Valley Police Integrated Offender Management (IOM) team, maintaining close contact and sharing information received from the members of all schemes. The IOM team is a new partnership between probation, police, the council and other agencies, which pools local resources to target prolific offenders and offers interventions to turn them away from crime.

Following on from the Probation Service presentations, we were then invited to speak to the local Magistrates for Cherwell and gave an overview of the scheme.

In particular, the information helped Magistrates understand how we are all working together to enforce elements of a Community Order, such as the Exclusion Requirement or Prohibited Activity Requirement, where offenders are barred from certain places, premises or activities.

Although the Magistrates remain independent at all times, the Clerks to the Court were very supportive of the ‘sharing of information’ process, with regard to Community Orders which can better reflect the activities and compliance of offenders.

Thames Valley Probation is committed to reducing re-offending. Indeed our mission statement is less re-offending, fewer victims and that runs through everything we do.

Partnership schemes like the Cherwell Crime Partnership are invaluable to us in our work with offenders. Sharing information, within the strict professional guidelines, helps all of us do our jobs more effectively.

If we are supervising an offender on a Community Order with, say, an Exclusion Requirement as part of that order, and that person is not allowed in certain places (like local betting shops or pubs or off-licences), the partnership helps us monitor that individual far better than if we were trying to do this alone.

Working together also has great benefits, in terms of understanding each other’s roles and improving communication between law enforcement agencies, shops, businesses, the council and all other aspects of community life.

It all adds up to a safer, more joined up community and pride in a joint job well done for the people who live in the Cherwell area.

Fiona Tarrant, Communications Manager, Thames Valley Probation

Thames Valley Probation

CCTV

The North Oxfordshire C.C.T.V. unit are a vital part of the Cherwell Crime Partnership and the partnership members fully appreciate the working relationships we have.

Across the area there are 82 Storenet users and 10 Nitenet users on the scheme and C.C.T.V. operator’s dealt with 339 calls on the Storenet/Nitenet radio ranging from public order offences, shop theft, to welfare issues. The scheme continues to grow month by month building good community relations.

ARRESTS - For the period of March 2010 to March 2011 the overall number of arrests carried out in-volving C.C.T.V. was 466 of which 153 were as a direct result by C.C.T.V. input. This equates to 32.8% Incidents are defined within categories for the last 12 month period, the following is a snapshot of the types created.

The C.C.T.V. room is staffed by 5 operators which covers 24 Hours 7 days a week. The operators work 0700/1500 1500/2300 2300/0700, the average manning for this period was 85% the 15% difference was due to annual leave, sickness, court appearances, courses, and training days. SOURCE OF CALL We now record the source of each call into the CCTV monitoring room. The purpose of this is to establish the efficiency of each method and ensure we have a call handling process which is fit for purpose. For the period of March 2010 to March 2011 the source of the reporting is as follows:

RECORDED INCIDENTS The number of incidents recorded for the period March 2010 to March2011 was 2386 of which a proportion were for requests for historical incident reviews by Police offi-cers and Police staff. As a result of recorded incidents 680 DVD’s were produced for evidential purposes.

Assault 99 Anti Social Behaviour 122 Criminal Damage 36 Drunkenness 106 Public Order 82 Theft 99

Police Officer 553 Member of the pubic 43 Shop watch radio 196 Pub Watch radio 132 Police Control Room 644 C.C.T.V. Initiated 340

Cherwell PubWatch has had another productive year and has been pro-active and successful – increasing the partnership for the Banbury area with schemes for Banbury Rural North and Rural South. Banbury, Bicester, Kidlington have continued their good work which continually contributes to safer socialising to the area, which is acknowledged by Thames Valley Police Commander Howard Stone.

Each PubWatch scheme has its own Board of Management who maintain their respective banned lists, which detail the names of the Excluded. The aim of the scheme is to deter, prevent and reduce crime, violence and anti-social behaviour associated with the misuse of alcohol and drugs. All the individual schemes are accredited by the Association of Business Crime Partnerships (ABCP) of which Cherwell Crime Partnership has achieved.

Cherwell PubWatch

Chairman's Foreword - Banbury - Ben Hayes

Following on from last year’s successful PubWatch scheme in Banbury we have managed to carry on the good work and have another productive and proactive year this year. 2010/2011 have been tough times for the license trade throughout the UK and many premises in Banbury have not managed to make ends meet. Despite this, the hard work and dedication of the licensees has seen the number of people currently banned from the licensed premises in Banbury at an all time high, thus helping reduce the number of drink related crime and anti social behavior incidents in the town. The PubWatch Scheme is in place to ensure socialising in town during the evening is an enjoyable and safe activity for all. Gradually there are new pubs opening and old pubs being rejuvenated and reinvented, thus creating the start of a new, all round evening entertainment scene for Banbury. This is due not only to the licensees commitment to improve and work together but also to the fan-tastic support we receive from the police teams and all those involved at Banbury police station who make PubWatch the organized, productive scheme that it is.

Chairman's Foreword - Bicester - Garreth Smith

There have been a few changes in the position of Chair of Bicester Pub-Watch during this last year. Shortly after last years report was published Sarah Rundle was replaced by Steve Provis, who volunteered his wealth of experience in the license trade and provided a smooth transition. Unfor-tunately, Steve retired from the licensing trade, which was a loss to the watch but we now have the compara-tive youth of Garreth Smith from Yates who stepped into the breach and the liaison between premises is showing with the results.

Chairman's Foreword - Kidlington - Gerry

McGrath

Kidlington PubWatch covers Kidling-ton, Islip, Yarnton, Begbroke, Thrupp and Kirtlington has once again been well supported under the Chairmanship of Gerry McGrath with the banned list shorter than in previous years.

Chairman's Foreword - Banbury Rural South - David Frear The news this year is that a new watch, Banbury Rural South is still in its infancy and incorporates a wide area - from Bodicote to Deddington and Adderbury to Chipping Nor-ton. Once again, from a small beginning the rapport and liaison is building between members which will, I am sure, grow and develop throughout the next year.

Night Safe

One of the incidents from this past year which stands out for me, was an incident in Bicester where an individual assaulted a younger male and involved a female who tried to assist the younger male. This incident occurred over a hundred and fifty yards from the nearest licensed premise where the offender had been drinking. When the victim brought it to the notice of the licensee, the Chairman and the Board who run the Watch took the decision that the offender receive a twelve month PubWatch ban for his actions. This has sent a very positive message to

the people of Bicester from the scheme members, that it is not only what occurs in the premises, but what oc-curs in the vicinity of a premises that can lead to a ban. By licensees taking action and the offenders being identified, I believe this can only help to reassure people to come out and enjoy the nightlife that is on offer in the area, particularly with the present economic climate. Tony Hodgson Nightsafe Officer, Cherwell District Council

For any information concerning the finances of a PubWatch scheme please contact the relevant scheme co-ordinator

BANBURY 2010-11 – 44 members (as at 31 April 2011) Banned

List Banned Persons

6 months Banned Persons

12 months Extensions Warning

Letters Appeals Received

Total Number on list

4th May 10 5 4 2 2 3 29 2nd Aug 10 9 1 3 2 2 27 3rd Nov 10 10 0 1 3 0 32 7TH Feb 11 20 3 4 4 2 46 Total 44 8 10 11 7 BICESTER 2010-11 – 28 members (as at 31 April 2011) Banned List

Banned Persons 6 months

Total Number on list

Extensions Warning Letters

Appeals Received

Total Number on list

Apr 10 0 34 0 0 2 34 May 10 4 34 0 0 2 34 June 10 4 28 0 0 0 28 July 10 4 31 0 0 0 31 Aug 10 4 34 0 0 4 34 Sept 10 4 33 0 0 0 33 Oct 10 2 42 0 0 0 42 Nov 10 3 49 1 1 0 49 Dec 10 3 47 0 0 0 47 Jan 11 3 52 3 1 2 52 Feb 11 3 45 2 0 3 45 Mar 11 3 46 1 0 1 46 KIDLINGTON 2010-11 – 19 members (as at 31 April 2011) Banned List

Banned Persons 6 months

Total Number on list

Extensions Warning Letters

Appeals Received

Total Number on list

Apr 10 0 34 0 0 0 34 May 10 4 33 0 0 4 33 June 10 4 25 0 1 1 25 July 10 4 27 3 0 1 27 Aug 10 4 34 0 0 0 34 Sept 10 2 31 0 0 0 31 Oct 10 5 29 0 0 0 29 Nov 10 6 30 0 0 5 30 Dec 10 6 20 0 0 0 20 Jan 11 7 29 3 0 0 29 Feb 11 6 27 0 0 2 27 Mar 11 6 27 0 0 0 27

CHERWELL CRIME PARTNERSHIP - BANBURY FINANCIAL STATEMENT

FOP THE PERIOD 1 APRIL 2010 - 31 MARCH 2011 In £ GBP

Funds at 1 April 2010 Natwest Current account 7,889

Natwest Special Fund 19,690 Petty Cash 25 Less Creditors outstanding at year end -33 27,571

INCOME FOR THE PERIOD Membership Fees 10,134 MRS Storenet Sponsorship 5,867 Castle Quay Sponsorship 500 Bee Tee Alarms Sponsorship Banbury PubWatch Sponsorship 280 Bank Interest 53 Income from Equipment and album sale Banbury Town Council 3,000 Donated Services by Banbury Town Council 500 Contribution to salaries CDRP 12,500 Contribution to salaries by Thames Valley Police 9,000 Donated Services by Thames Valley Police Office Accommodation 5,000

Telephone, fax, internet 1,200 IT 1,000

49,033 EXPENDITURE FOR THE PERIOD Salaries 5,000 Salaries paid by Thames Valley Police 21,500 Donated Service by Thames Valley Police Office Accommodation 5,000

Telephone, fax, internet 1,200 IT 1,000

Donated Services by Banbury Town Council 500 Printing, Postage & Stationery 3,068 Training 36 Website Hosting 462 Action Against Business Crime Conference Attendance 298 Radio Hire 307 Subscriptions & memberships Action Against Business Crime 400

MRCI 350 Data Protection 35

Refreshments: User Group Meetings 245

Steering Group Meetings 163 Professional Indemnity Insurance 310 Bicester/Kidlington Crime Partnership 268 Sundry 301

(40,444) Surplus for the Period 8,589

Total Funds at 31 March 2011 36,160 Representing: Natwest Current account 4,918 Natwest Special Fund 30,700 Petty Cash 42

35,660

Less Debtors outstanding at year end 500 36,160

Cherwell Crime Partnership - Bicester Financial Statement

For the period 1st March 2010 to 31st March 2011

Income Expenditure Surplus Funds at 1st March 2010 £1,353.70 Income for the period Membership fees £3,371.71

Bicester Village sponsorship £1,000.00 Bicester Avenue sponsorship £1,000.00

Thames Valley Police salary contribution £0.00 Bicester Town Council sponsorship £3,600.00

MRS Communications radio payback [£2580.36 less £750 up front payment] £1,830.66

Total £12,156.07

Less creditors for period

D2 £50.00 Sweet Memories £50.00 £100.00 Plus late payments from 2009/10

Marks & Spencer £56.65 Sweet Memories £10.40 £67.05

Less expenditure for the period

Invoice from TVP for salary to November 2011 £5,340.18 Stationery £179.61 Information Commissioner £35.00 Professional Indemnity Insurance £310.00 Refreshments

User group meetings £133.88 Petty cash £150.00

Total income £12,123.12

Total expenditure £6,148.67

Surplus for the period £5,974.45

Member Stores - Banbury

Accessorise Instore Age Concern JD Sports Aldi JJB Sports Argos, Broad Street Londis Stores Argos, Lockheed Close Londis Stores, Middleton Rd B&Q Marks & Spencer BHS Matalan Bon Marche McDonalds Boots the Chemist Michael Jones Jewellers British Heart Foundation Millets Burtons Monsoon Cactus Mothercare Cash Converters New Look Castle Quay Shopping Centre One Man Band Cherwell District Council (Environ.Protec.) One Stop Convenience Co-Op Burchester Place PDSA Co-Op Cherwell Heights Peacocks Co-Op Ferriston Pets at Home Co-Op Hanwell Fields Poundland Co-Op Mewburn Road Republic Co-Op Middleton Road River Island Co-Op Ruscote Arcade Robert Dyas Debenhams Sainsburys Dorothy Perkins Savers Early Learning Centre Shoe Zone Evans Sports Direct Fancy That Staples Formula Fast Superdrug Game Thorntons Gap Times Square H&M TK Maxx HMV Top Shop Hilliers W H Smiths Homebase Wilkinsons Iceland 99p Store

Member Stores - Bicester

Argos Marks & Spencer Simply Food Beans of Bicester M & Co Bicester Avenue Security Newland’s Gift Shop Bicester Toys New Look Bicester Village Security O’Gorman’s Boots the Chemist Shaw Trust British Heart Foundation Sobell House Cotswold Outdoor Somerfield Co-op Barberry Place Sounds 4 U Entertainment Co-op Bassett Avenue Street Wardens Co-op Buckingham Road Superdrug Co-op Kingsley Road Tesco, Pingle Drive D2 Tesco, Sheep Street Edinburgh Woollen Mill Vision Express Iceland Wadleys Joblings Garage Winners Lakeland Wyevale Lloyds Pharmacy