Police and Crime Commissioner for Thames Valley, Matthew Barber, and Chief Constable, John Campbell, have awarded voluntary and community organisations £107,670 in this year’s Community Fund.

The Community Fund provides biannual funding to voluntary and community groups that help to achieve the objectives of the PCC’s Police and Criminal Justice Plan. The money for the scheme comes from the sale of items seized and recovered from criminals under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA), and is jointly managed by the PCC and Chief Constable.

Matthew Barber, Police and Crime Commissioner for Thames Valley, is supporting #ShopKind, a campaign to help tackle violence and abuse of shopworkers.

Violence and abuse against shopworkers is a growing problem with the British Retail Consortium estimating 455 abusive or violent incidents occurring every day in the retail sector in the past 12 months. 

Thames Valley Police has been awarded further funding for Project Vigilant.

Today (10/11) as part of the Safety of Women at Night (SWAN) fund, Project Vigilant has been awarded a further £297,252 to develop the project and provide bespoke training to officers to identify individuals displaying predatory behaviour.

A stalwart of Thames Valley Police, who has served with the force for fifty years, has received a British Empire Medal as part of the Queen’s Birthday Honours List 2021.

Misconduct Manager Christine Bovingdon-Cox received the British Empire Medal (BEM) for her services to policing at a ceremony in Pembroke College.

Matthew Barber, Police and Crime Commissioner for Thames Valley, alongside the Chief Constable, attended a visit from the Home Secretary, Priti Patel, at Sulhamstead on Thursday (28/10).

Home Secretary, Priti Patel paid a visit to Thames Valley Police’s training centre, to celebrate a record uptake in the force’s female, black, Asian and minority ethnic recruits over the last 12 months.

Thames Valley Police has been leading the way in protecting women from predatory men in the night time economy. Project Vigilant began prior to the pandemic and with the re-opening of the night-time economy in July the operation has been expanded and is now operating in Oxford, Reading, Milton Keynes and Windsor.