Vehicle Owners Steer Away from Crime in Stoke Poges and Wexham

In February, officers from Stoke Poges and Wexham Neighbourhood Policing Team and South Bucks District Council’s Community Safety Team carried out crime prevention surveys and held ‘Have Your Say’ events at locations that have been historically known for vehicle crime.

Officers from Thames Valley Police and South Bucks District Council visited several locations such as golf clubs, driving ranges, hotels, fitness centres and licensed premises in Stoke Poges and Wexham.

This exercise was part of the Clear Car Campaign which aimed to encourage vehicle owners not to leave anything of value on display. Following these visits, 52 letters were sent to vehicle owners who had left items for example, sat navs, handbags and ipods on display.

South Bucks District Councillor Anita Cranmer, Portfolio Holder for Community, says, “A lot of vehicle crime is the result of criminals seeing opportunities and taking them. Notable improvements have been made at most of the visited locations, especially at Farnham Park Golf Club and The Lanes where good quality CCTV has been installed. You can easily outsmart most criminals by taking simple steps to secure your car.”

PCSO Kamal Benawra, “We have seen a marked difference in the number of incidents at these locations in the last six months. It is good to see that vehicle owners have listened to the advice given. The management at all of the visited locations were happy to get involved in reducing vehicle crime. We will continue to inform residents not to leave valuables in their cars and encourage business owners and passers by to report any suspicious activity in the area.”