| Thames Valley Police | |||||
| Abbreviation | TVP | ||||
| Logo of Thames Valley Police | |||||
| Motto | Sit pax in valle tamesis | ||||
| Let there be Peace in the Thames Valley | |||||
| Agency overview | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Formed | 1968 | ||||
| Preceding agencies | |||||
| Employees | 8065 | ||||
| Volunteers | 1005 (505 Specials and 500 PSV's) | ||||
| Annual budget | £356m | ||||
| Legal personality | Governmental: Government agency | ||||
| Jurisdictional structure | |||||
| Operations jurisdiction* | Police area of Thames Valley in the country of England, United Kingdom | ||||
| Map of Thames Valley Police's jurisdiction. | |||||
| Size | 5,700 km² | ||||
| Population | 2.1 million | ||||
| Legal jurisdiction | England & Wales | ||||
| Governing body | Thames Valley Police Authority | ||||
| General nature | |||||
| Operational structure | |||||
| Overviewed by | Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary/Independent Police Complaints Commission | ||||
| Headquarters | Kidlington | ||||
| Constables | 4,186[1] | ||||
| PCSOs | 521[1] | ||||
| Agency executive | Sara Thornton CBE, QPM, Chief Constable | ||||
| Local Policing Areass | 15 | ||||
| Facilities | |||||
| Stations | 48 | ||||
| Airbases | RAF Benson and RAF Henlow[2] | ||||
| Roads Policing Bases | Abingdon, Bicester, Taplow, Amersham, Aylesbury, Milton Keynes, Three Mile Cross and Chieveley | ||||
| Cars | Vauxhall Astras, Vectras & Zafiras, Ford Galaxys & Transits | ||||
| Helicopters | 2 Eurocopter EC 135s[3] | ||||
| Dogs | 52 | ||||
|
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| Website | |||||
| www.thamesvalley.police.uk | |||||
| Footnotes | |||||
| * Police area agency: Prescribed geographic area in the country, over which the agency has usual operational jurisdiction. | |||||
Thames Valley Police, formerly known as Thames Valley Constabulary, is the territorial police force responsible for policing the Thames Valley area covered by the ceremonial counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire.[4] It is one of the largest territorial police forces in England and the largest non-metropolitan one, covering 2200 sq mi (5,700 km²) and a population of 2,180,200 people.
Contents |
Policing in Thames Valley dates back to 1773 when Newbury Borough Police were operating as a small police force, their officers duties included usual policing activity as well as repairing gates and bridges. The force was one of around 20 borough forces that amalgamated with their county police force. These were Buckinghamshire Constabulary, Oxfordshire Constabulary, Berkshire Constabulary, Reading Borough Police and Oxford City Police founded in 1857, 1857, 1856, 1836 and 1929 respectively.[5] Under the Police Act 1964 these five forces were amalgamated on April 1, 1968 to form Thames Valley Constabulary.
Following the implementation of the Local Policing Model in April 2011, the force is split into fifteen Local Policing Areas (LPAs). These are coterminous with local authority boundaries. These in turn are split into a number of neighbourhoods which are coterminous with parish boundaries. This coterminosity is to ensure that local policing services are delivered in an accountable manner.
Aylesbury Vale LPA
Bracknell Forest LPA
Cherwell LPA
Chiltern LPA
Milton Keynes LPA
Oxford LPA
Reading LPA
South Bucks LPA
South and Vale LPA
Slough LPA
West Berkshire LPA
West Oxfordshire LPA
Windsor and Maidenhead LPA
Wokingham LPA
Wycombe LPA
Each area is responsible for delivering response policing, neighbourhood policing teams and a local priority crime and Criminal Investigation Department (CID). Other functions that used to be held at Basic Command Unit (BCU) level (essentially a cluster of geographically grouped LPAs) are now delivered at Force Headquarters level using a shared service approach.
To support the LPAs, a number of teams are run from Force Headquarters with their staff deployed at various locations around the Force area:
Thames Valley Police patrols 196 miles (315 km) of motorways including the M1, M4, M40 and M25, as well as many other 'A' roads.
Thames Valley's Roads Policing Department operate diesel Vauxhall Vectra Estates and a handful of 2.8 Turbo V6 Saloons as well as a number of unmarked cars. More recently the force has introduced the Vauxhall Insignia estate vehicle for Roads Policing matters. This vehicle comes with a 2 litre petrol engine. The unit has a sub-department called the Roads Policing Pro-Active Team, who featured on the reality television programme Road Wars.
Thames Valley Police has 52 operational police dogs, - 30 are general purpose dogs, 11 specialist search dogs and 11 firearms dogs citation required. Of the 30 general purpose dogs, nine are also trained for firearms. The dogs are mostly donated from the public or RSPCA, and are trained at the headquarters. They usually serve until they are 8 years old, receiving refresher training every year, and then living with their handler after retirement.
Thames Valley Police has recently centralised all 3 of its Uniform Pro-Active teams to be run as a 'shared service' from its headquarters. The teams will be based at 3 'hubs', those being Aylesbury, Oxford and Reading. The team consists of 24 PC's, 3 Sgt's and 1 Inspector and are tasked centrally through a bidding system which is used in order to gain their services.
The team specialises in a number of areas including Method of Entry, Targeted intelligence led policing and specialist surveillance of criminals both covertly and overtly.
The teams use various types of vehicles both marked and un-marked and work 24 hours a day across the force.
Thames Valley Police's Armed Response Group is a 24/7 sub-department of the Tactical Support department that responds to major and serious crimes were firearms are involved. The unit responds to incidents with firearms and taser guns. The unit is also responsible for educating the public and training police officers in firearms. The unit is made up of one Inspector, two sergeants, 14 constables and two support staff.
The Air Support Unit was officially created in 1982 but the use of helicopters in Thames Valley goes back to 1963 when Oxford City Police experimented with a Brentley helicopter with a dog basket attached to the skids. Thames Valley Police rented helicopters for use on special occasions in the 1970s and 80's. The unit was founded in 1982 when part time daylight flights were routinely contracted and eight Sergeants were transferred from Traffic and Operations to ASU, the unit rented a Eurocopter A350 everyday, planning to fly only 650 hours every year. In 1986 the unit was moved to RAF Abingdon.
In 1988 Thames Valley Police hired professional police observers for ASU in the same year the department became a full time operational unit, only the third in the country at the time. Thames Valley Police bought a new helicopter in 1993.
In 1996 Thames Valley Police, Bedfordshire Police and Hertfordshire Constabulary combined funding and founded the Chiltern Air Support Unit, they had received funding in 1995 to buy a second helicopter. The alliance is recognised to have started unofficially in 1992 when Thames Valley would sell flying time to its nearby forces. In 1999 and 2002 the two Eurocopter A350s were replaced by two Eurocopter EC135s, which are still in use today.
The Thames Valley Mounted Division was founded in 1985 and is today staffed by one sergeant, eight full-time police officers and four police grooms. The unit has nine police horses. The unit is responsible for preventing equine crime, assisting in searches of rural areas and mainly maintaining public order at demonstrations and sporting events, including the four football grounds in Thames Valley.[6]
Thames Valley Police has the largest non-metropolitan protection group, they are responsible for guarding four fixed locations and protecting any visiting parties that require attention. The officers in the unit are physically superior and are required to pass stringent testing, they are also firearms authorised.[7]
Until 1947 protection of the Royal Family when in Berkshire and the guarding of Windsor Castle was responsibility of Windsor Borough Police. They didn't amalgamate with Berkshire County Constabulary due to the importance of their role. They later amalgamated in 1947 under the Police Act 1946.
Founded in 1956 as the Underwater Search Unit of Berkshire Constabulary and transferred to Thames Valley Police under a new name, the unit today is made up of one sergeant and seven constables and respond to around 350 operations each year.[8]
The unit are involved in a variety of searching operations in river, underwater, underground, and cliff face conditions, searching for bodies, explosives, drugs, property, contraband and firearms and environments that can be affected by Chemical, Biological, Radioactive and Nuclear radiation.
The unit also helps during floods and natural disasters, five of its officers and Disaster Victim ID trained.
Based in Heyford Park in Oxfordshire the public order unit is responsible for providing tactical support during spontaneous or pre-planned events that may result in public disorder. This includes sporting events such as football matches and Royal Ascot, music festivals such as Reading Festival, and lawful demonstrations.[9]
Thames Valley Police's Counter Terrorist Unit is responsible for responding to any search related or explosive or terrorist incident, working with Protection Unit to guard anyone deemed to be at risk and with dog section to locate the explosive. The unit has four explosive ordnance disposal advisors.[10]
The headquarters of Thames Valley Police is at Oxford Road, Kidlington, Oxfordshire. Thames Valley Police has 48 police stations.
The force is covered by two control rooms, one in Abingdon covering Oxfordshire and Berkshire West, and one in Milton Keynes covering the Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire East.
The three Police Enquiry Centres (PECs) were formed in 2003, following the closure of local control rooms, to support the newly formed control rooms in Abingdon and Milton Keynes. They are located in Windsor police station, at Fountain Court in Kidlington (now known as Headquarters North) and a small team at Milton Keynes control room. The PECs handle non-emergency and enquiry calls from the public and can take emergency calls during peak periods.
Sulhamstead House in Sulhamstead is the Thames Valley Police training college, which also houses the Thames Valley Police Museum.
There are also several Roads Policing bases at strategic locations around the force at Abingdon, Bicester, Taplow, Amersham, Milton Keynes, Three Mile Cross and Chieveley. Aylesbury no longer have a roads policing base
Thames Valley Police officers used to wear the traditional custodian helmet in the comb style with a Brunswick star that reads 'Thames Valley Police' for foot patrol, but this was dropped for practicality and cost reasons in 2009. Now the standard headgear is a peaked cap for all officers ( with additional 'beading' around the edge for Inspectors and above) and a white peaked cap for traffic officers. Female officers wear a bowler hat, or a white bowler hat for traffic officers.
In 2009 Thames Valley Police proposed to be the first force to introduce the use of baseball caps as a primary mode of headgear. After trials were conducted the proposal was dropped as being 'a step too far from the professional image of the force'.[11][12]
When on duty officers wear a short sleeve black wicking t-shirt with 'Police' on the sleeves, and black uniform trousers with a cargo pocket on each leg. Thames Valley Police no longer use the traditional police jumper, having favoured the black fleece with police written on the chest and back. Thames Valley Police do not have Brunswick stars on their epaulettes, just the rank and shoulder number.
Formal dress comprises an open-necked tunic, with white shirt/blouse and tie/cravat. All officers wear peaked caps, name badges and their rank on their epaulettes. The No.1 uniform is accompanied by black boots or shoes and occasionally black gloves, or brown gloves for the rank of Inspector and above.
The operational uniform, until 2009, consisted of traditional white shirt and tie with custodian helmets for Constables and Sergeants, but this was dropped when it was deemed to be impractical and outdated, notwithstanding the retention of this uniform by other forces, and the almost universal retention of the helmet.[11][12]
Thames Valley Police officers carry TETRA digital radios, PDAs, Hiatt rigid handcuffs, CapTor2 incapacitant spray, the autolock 22" collapsible baton, leg restraints, a resuscitation mask and a basic first aid kit. PCSO's don't carry autolock, handcuffs, leg restraints or Captor2. Should they be required to, some Thames Valley officers can use body-mounted cameras. Police vehicles contain a variety of equipment, which can include Arnold batons, traffic cones, road signs, breathalyzers, stingers, speed guns and more.
Thames Valley Police use various vehicles depending on the role they are required for. The bulk of TVP vehicles are Vauxhall.
Vauxhall Astras are used as general purpose marked vehicles, they are used by both response officers and members of Neighbourhood Policing Teams. Vauxhall Corsas are also used as patrol vehicles by PCSOs and are usually semi marked (TVP insignia but no battenberg) although a number have no identifying marks at all. Vauxhall Vectra's and more recently Insignia's are used by the force's Roads Policing Unit, marked estates and hatchback's are generally used but there are a number of unmarked vehicles in the fleet also.
Vauxhall Zafira's are used by the Force Dog Section, although a number of other vehicles are used for non operational purposes.
Ford S-MAX MPVs are currently used by the force as Armed Response Vehicles kitted out with the RS Turbo 2.5T engine.
Thames Valley Police also utilise Ford Transits for Public Order and Prisoner escort vehicles as well as Vauxhall Vivaros which are issued to a number of Neighbourhood Policing Teams.
There are a small number of 4x4 vehicles in use around the force. Land Rover Defender 110s were the choice of vehicle and some are still in service but more recently Mitsubishi L200 Warriors have began to repalce many of the older Land Rovers.
Vauxhall Astra - Response Car
Ford Transit Van - Public order
Vauxhall Vectra - Roads policing Department
Vauxhall Insignia - Roads policing Department
Volvo V70 - Roads policing Department
Mitsubishi Shogun - Roads policing Department
Vauxhall Zafira - Dog section
Mitsubishi L200 - Rural Policing
Vauxhall Corsa - PCSO unit
Vauxhall Vivaro - Neighbourhood policing
Thames Valley Police use the modern yellow and blue retro-reflective battenberg markings all over all operational vehicles, as well as the Thames Valley Police shield, and the contact phone number. The only exception of this is NPT cars, which only have markings on the back and front, and read 'Neighbourhood Policing Team' on the side.
Thames Valley Police stopped using the 'jam sandwich' police car markings between 2000-2005 when battenburg markings were invented.
Thames Valley Police has changed its name only once in its own history in 1971, from Thames Valley Constabulary to Thames Valley Police, a common change in most police forces that makes them more accessible.
Thames Valley Police's motto in Latin is Sit pax in valle tamesis meaning 'Let there be Peace in the Thames Valley', their slogan is 'Reducing crime, disorder and fear'.[13] The Thames Valley Police shield is made up of features from the shields of its five founding constabularies including a blue river depicting the Thames river and five crowns palisado depicting the five founding forces.
Thames Valley Police employs 7,900 people and 908 volunteers. Of which 4250 are warranted Police Officers, over 500 are Police Community Support Officers and 3150 are civilian staff. Of the 908 volunteers, 500 are Police Support Volunteers and 408 are warrantedSpecial Constables.
Thames Valley Police are currently not recruiting Constables, PCSOs, transferred officers, civilian staff or control room operators due to budget cuts. They are only hiring for roles that need to be filled.
Thames Valley Police is recruiting people for voluntary roles. Their Police Support Volunteer scheme is one of the largest in the country, they now have 500 PSVs. Their Special Constabulary is also growing.
Training for new recruits in Thames Valley is held at Sulhamstead House in Sulhamstead, England. For Constables it consists of eight months' training and a two-year probationary period. For PCSOs it consists of 18 weeks' training and a 15-weeks probationary period. For Special Constables it consists of 7 months of training during weeknights and weekends, and a two-year probationary period or less, dependent on the number of tours of duty.
Recruits receive their warrant card and uniform in the first two months of training. Once the training period is over, the new officers are posted in a local division.
In a report published by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary in July 2011,[14] the impact on the number of police officers and staff partly due to the reduction to Thames Valley Police's budget following the comprehensive spending review is as follows:
| Police officers | Police staff | PCSOs | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 March 2010 (actual) | 4,268 | 2,855 | 500 | 7,623 |
| 31 March 2015 (proposed) | 4,034 | 2,541 | 453 | 7,028 |
March 2010 figures exclude 166 officers and 145 staff who were paid through the Thames Valley payroll system but were seconded to national and regional duties and were externally funded.
A report from March 2010 by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary marked Thames Valley Police as 'fair' on local crime and policing, 'fair' on protection from serious harm and 'fair' on confidence and satisfaction.[15]
In detail, Thames Valley was awarded only one 'excellent' for reducing road death and injury. They were 'fair' in all other categories except 'solving crime' and 'comparative satisfaction of BME community' and 'low/medium' for 'number of police officers and PCSOs'. They were praised for their 14% reduction in burglary after 'Operation Breaker' in July 2009.
In the year 2008/9 the number of complaints recorded decreased by 2% but an increase of 8% above the previous years national average. The number of allegations recorded increased by 23% and 11% above the previous years national average.[16][17] Thames Valley Police received 947 complaints and 1903 allegations, the national average being 338 per 1000 officers, TVP has 372, and TVP is just above 369 per 1000 officers, the average from a group of similar forces.
Of allegations 23% were 'failure or neglect in duty', 19% were 'incivility, impoliteness and intolerance', 14% 'assault', 4% were 'discrimination' and 1% were 'breach of PACE Code A'.[17]
And of the 1903 allegations, 51% were investigated, 36% were locally resolved, 6% were withdrawn, 7% were dispensed and 0% were discontinued. Of the 51% allegations investigated 13% were substantiated and 87% were unsubstantiated.[17]
Thames Valley Police investigates the greatest amount of allegations compared to its peer forces, its investigation rate is 15% higher than the national average. Its use of 'local resolution' has dropped 12% since 2005/6. Thames Valley has fewer allegations that are withdrawn, dispensed or discontinued.[17]
On May 30, 2007 at Thames Valley Police headquarters in Kidlington whilst teaching a half-day course on firearms, PC David Micklethwaite demonstrated a Magnum .44 revolver which he had mistakenly loaded with live rounds. He pointed the gun at Keith Tilbury, a police phone operator attending the course, and fired the gun, almost killing Mr Tilbury.[18][19]
The firearms instructor was reported to have not been trained in firearms after failing the qualification at Metropolitan Police training grounds, but TVP decided he would pass their less stringent test and was therefore suitable to teach the lesson. The instructor was told to cover the lesson at last minute and accidentally picked up a live round from the forces armoury instead of dummy rounds, a mistake caused by the ammunition being kept in similar Quality Street tins.
Mr Keith Tilbury underwent immediate surgery to his bowel, kidney, lung and liver, and in court it was said he was unlikely to work again.
Thames Valley Police pleaded guilty to breaching regulations, they were fined £40,000 and £25,000 for legal costs. Constable Micklethwaite initially denied any wrong doing, but later admitted to breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act.
In 2007 Thames Valley Police admitted to being one of the five forces that had employed Police Community Support Officers that were both aged 16. Although this is not illegal, as the minimum age limit applies to Constables, not PCSOs. However the public and the Police Federation accused the idea as being "policing on the cheap" as an under 18 has a different wage scale and could cost £10,000 less. It was also feared that the officers were being placed in unreasonable danger as PCSOs have been attacked and stabbed in the past.[20]
Thames Valley Police Authority consists of 19 Members, 10 of which are elected members, with two from Oxfordshire County Council, one from Buckinghamshire County Council, and one each from the unitary authorities of Bracknell Forest, Milton Keynes, Reading, Slough, Wokingham, West Berkshire, and Windsor and Maidenhead. There are nine Independent Members of which one must be a Magistrate.[21]
If the Government continues with its plans for directly-elected Police Commissioners the Thames Valley Police Authority will be scrapped.
Proposals made by the Home Secretary on 20 March 2006 would see the force stay as a single strategic police force for the area, a merger with Hampshire Constabulary having been rejected.[22]
Due to the large size of Thames Valley Police and that it is already made up of five police forces, it is unlikely it will be asked to merge with another force.
Thames Valley Police has to make savings of £52 million over the next four years. Chief Constable Thornton said that they would have to 'cut back on all non-essential activity'. 347 million pounds of savings have been identified including back office cuts and efficiency measures, as well as cutting officers numbers by 10%, meaning 800 officers.[23][24][25]
The most famous Thames Valley Police officer may be the fictional Inspector Morse (along with his aide, Sergeant Lewis), the main character in 13 novels by Colin Dexter and 33 television episodes by ITV. Also, Inspector Barnaby's Midsomer Murders often have recognizable Thames Valley locations behind fictitious names such as "Causton" (Wallingford), set in fictional Midsomer Constabulary.
In 1982 the BBC broadcast a nine part series by Roger Graef and Charles Stewart entitled Police, which showed a fly-on-the-wall account of Thames Valley's E Division based in Reading. This featured the rather demeaning treatment of a female victim of rape which was much discussed in the media at the time.[26]
Between 2003 and 2008 a Sky1 programme, Road Wars, followed the Roads Policing Proactive and Problem Solving Team while they carried out their duties. The series followed a select group of officers on duty, who as a result became too well known causing the Chief Constable to ask Sky to move their programme to another force.
Thames Valley Police and Hampshire Police authorities have agreed to share ICT support and infrastructure, with all IT workers now employees of Thames Valley Police. This will also include the Isle of Wight, a division of Hampshire Police. The partnership in Information Technology is the first of its kind in the country.[27][28]
The Thames Valley Police Museum is located within Sulhamstead House, known locally as the 'White House', at Sulhamstead in the English county of Berkshire. The site was formerly the headquarters of the Berkshire Constabulary, and is now the training centre for the Thames Valley Police. The museum is open by appointment.
The museum includes displays on the history of Thames Valley Police and the five police forces that were amalgamated to form the force in 1968; the Buckinghamshire Constabulary, the Berkshire Constabulary, Oxford City Police, the Oxfordshire Constabulary and the Reading Borough Police. The museum's collections include items from the Great Train Robbery of 1963, uniforms, equipment, medals, photographs, scenes of crime evidence, and occurrence and charge books.
In 2006, the exhibition space of the museum was renovated.
Merged content from Thames Valley Police Museum to here. See Talk:Thames Valley Police Museum.
The Police Memorial Trust lists and commemorates all British police officers killed in the line of duty, and since its establishment in 1984 has erected over 38 memorials to some of those officers.
The following officers of Thames Valley Police are listed by the Trust as having died attempting to prevent, stop or solve a crime, since the turn of the 20th century:[29]