Major operation to fight serious and organised crime across Thames Valley
Thames Valley Police has started the year as it means to go on with a major operation last week across its patch targeting serious and organised criminals.
Hundreds of officers and staff came together to disrupt organised crime groups in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Milton Keynes and Oxfordshire who are linked to high-value motor vehicle thefts, robberies, business burglaries and other serious offences to make money illegally.
In total 55 arrests were made in the three days of action from Tuesday (13/1) to Thursday (15/1), for offences such as high-value motor vehicle thefts, robberies, business burglaries and other serious crimes.
The days of action enhance our work that goes on every day to tackle serious and organised crime across the Thames Valley, and the police continue to collaborate closely with our partners.
Assistant Chief Constable Dennis Murray, who led the operation, said: “We have made a substantial impact on organised crime groups operating in the Thames Valley with these three days of action to protect our communities.
“It was incredible to see our people come together for a dedicated operation to fight serious and organised crime across Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Milton Keynes and Oxfordshire last week.
“We will continue to work hard to serve victims, and we want any reading this to know they’re not alone, we’re here to support them and will do everything we can to bring those responsible to justice.”
Our officers and staff from almost all departments in all four corners of the Thames Valley were involved in the days of action, ensuring a seamless operation with close collaboration.
In total, the police conducted 70 arrest attempts in every county, resulting in arrests for armed robbery, conspiracy to burgle, theft of motor vehicles, handling stolen goods and more. They also found numerous people who were wanted for failing to appear at court or on recall to prison.
Public order-trained officers also conducted 11 warrants in the early hours of the morning to arrest people suspected of being involved in serious organised acquisitive crime and seize evidence.
In Slough, officers arrested eight people suspected of being part of an organised crime group suspected of stealing high-value vehicles in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and London, in six simultaneous dawn warrants. They were then taken to a police station where they were charged with 56 offences and remanded in custody. Officers also seized weapons, including knives. The intelligence for these warrants came from the Safer Langley scheme.
In Buckinghamshire, officers arrested five people on suspicion of handling stolen goods and failing to appear at court and seized large quantities of suspected stolen tools seized and 120+ brand new 3D printers during a dawn warrant at a traveller site.
In Oxford, officers arrested two people on suspicion of modern slavery offences during a dawn operation following a long-running CID investigation.
In Reading, officers arrested the force’s highest priority retail crime suspect, who was charged with 21 offences and 17 breaches of court bail.
Live facial recognition technology played a key role in the operation, with deployments in Milton Keynes, High Wycombe and Reading for the first time, as well as Oxford for the second time, to prevent crime and protect the community.
There were three matches with our bespoke list of wanted people in Oxford, one of which used a picture from 15 years old, all of whom were dealt with without needing to be arrested. The officers were also able to speak to hundreds of members of the public about the technology and provide more crime prevention advice.
We have also been conducting extra high-visibility neighbourhood team patrols to support our pledge to crack down on crime in town and city centres this winter, called the Safer Streets Winter of Action. Plain-clothed officers were also out and about to support the efforts to fight crime.
Another aspect of the wide-ranging operation was to speak with the public at stands in high footfall areas like shopping centres, and while on patrol.
Our officers and staff from teams such as the Rural Crime Taskforce, Drone Unit, Joint Operations Unit, Mounted Section and others provided their expertise to the operation in various ways, such as extra patrols, arrest attempts and increased surveillance.
Officers have also been working closely with our neighbouring police forces to tackle organised criminals crossing borders and using the transport network, as well as our other partners outside of policing.
ACC Murray said: “We have achieved so much with this major operation to fight organised crime, with numerous arrests, charges, seizures and more.
“We are proud of the incredible work of our officers and staff to plan and execute these days of action so thank you to them.
“However, we know there will always be more to do to tackle serious and organised acquisitive crime and serve victims; and we will never stop.”
