One year on…

Today (13 May) marks one year since Matthew Barber officially took office as Police and Crime Commissioner for Thames Valley.

To mark his anniversary in office, Matthew has been reflecting on the achievements of the last 12 months including the publication of his Police and Criminal Justice Plan, the launch of the Community Speedwatch scheme and welcoming the Home Secretary to Thames Valley Police training centre.

Matthew said: “It is a huge privilege to represent communities across Thames Valley as your Police & Crime Commissioner.

“I’m proud of the work over the last 12 months and am determined to continue to work tirelessly to help make Thames Valley as safer place.

“Since taking office as Police & Crime Commissioner in May 2021, we have achieved a great deal. Police Officer recruitment has continued, and we now have more police officers than ever before in Thames Valley. Crime has fallen in some key areas such as serious violence, burglary and robbery.

“There are of course many challenges still to face and I will continue to work closely with the Chief Constable to deliver on my plan to get tough on crime for safer communities.

“The work that is already underway to reduce reoffending by those leaving our prisons and ambitious work to tackle the culture of knife carrying, combined with new legislation that I have helped to lobby for, will all make a difference to keeping our streets safe.”

With the support of the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC), Matthew has also secured a range of funding including nearly £1m for Safer Streets and Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) and a further £7m over three years to tackle serious violence. 

He will continue to work towards his Police and Crime Plan priorities, ensuring communities remain safe across the Thames Valley:

·       Strong local policing – Preventing crime & protecting communities

·       Fighting serious organised crime – Protecting vulnerable people

·       Fighting fraud & cybercrime – Fighting modern crimes

·       Improving the criminal justice system – Reducing reoffending

·       Tackling illegal encampments – Enforcing with partners