Barton and Tredworth Community

Be Safe, Be Seen, Or Be Booked

The Community Engagement Team for the Barton,Tredworth and White City communities will be tackling cyclists who are putting themselves and others in danger by riding around the area after dark without displaying lights.

The team have introduced Operation Blaze. The purpose of this Operation is to target cyclists who ride with no lights during the hours of darkness. The emphasis is on education, but if cyclists choose not to listen, prosecution will follow. Cyclists will be encouraged to purchase and fit lights to their cycles.

PS Lynn Northfield of the Community Engagement Team explains:

"At every opportunity cyclists seen riding without lights during the hours of darkness, will be stopped by Police and advised that they can avoid prosecution if they produce their cycle at Barton St Police Station within 7 days fitted with the appropriate lights, together with the relevant receipt. This is voluntary – cyclists can choose this option or be prosecuted for the offence."

Operation Blaze attempts to educate offenders in relation to the offences they are committing, promote security of their cycle, and increase personal safety.

ROSPA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents) advises :

"Cyclists riding in the dark without adequate lights and reflectors are at greater risk of being involved in a road accident. Therefore, when riding in the dark, all cyclists should use front and rear lights (and have a rear reflector fitted) as required by law. They should also have front, pedal and wheel reflectors fitted to the bicycle and wear something fluorescent and reflective."

Further advice on cycling safely can be found at http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Cycling/DG_10026401

Barton Community Update by PC Matt Puttock

After being lulled into a false sense of security by December’s mild conditions, your local policing team have been digging out their warmest police issue coats from the bottom of lockers, recharging their microwaveable hand warmers, and heading out on to the streets for some frosty foot patrol.  It has been a busy start to the year, with officers each averaging around 40 hours out on foot in the community and 16 hours in marked vehicles on high visibility patrols.  We have also undertaken a number of covert patrols during the evening and night, either on foot or in plain cars – this is often in response to a specific problem raised by our communities, such as prostitution or street dealing, and targeted at the hotspots local people tell us about, but we also participated in an operation against organised crime gangs, leading to two key arrests.  The icy conditions have meant that the pushbikes have stayed firmly in the station!

A number of arrests were made for outstanding warrants (where a court asks us to find and arrest someone who hasn’t attended when they should, or haven’t met conditions imposed on them by the court) and some for drug offences.  We have also used the COP (Community Oriented Policing) resolution programme three times – this is where a crime has occurred that might not be best dealt with by a formal court process, but can be resolved collaboratively with the victim and offender – often this involves an act of ‘making good’ on damage or loss suffered by the victim, and can often be most suitable for less serious offences.

A dozen crimes have been handled by the team, including a series of crimes involving the same victim – in these instances the community police team is well placed to offer support and advice to prevent further offences, and we find people suffering this kind of problem appreciate seeing the same officers and developing a personal rapport with them rather than different people each time they need help.

In addition to our patrol and crime investigation work, we have also been busy getting involved in some of the events we support with local groups.  On the 25^th of this month we all went out to the Tredworth area for the ‘Have Your Say Day’ initiative.  The day was carried out alongside the Safer Gloucester team led by Pat Dabbs (you can access their page by clicking the link here) and was a great chance for us to hear the concerns and issues affecting local people first-hand.  We visited around 60 homes across two sessions, and the information we received from people will help us direct our efforts as we go forward into February and the much awaited Spring beyond. 

As well as the frequent work we do visiting our local schools, we have also spent some time this month strengthening our links with local places of worship, and we will be spending more time on this in the future, recognising what an important part they play in the lives of many local people.  Our ongoing support of the YPP youth club has also kept us busy – applying for funding via Sports Relief for martial arts sessions and trying to secure donations of items for the project.  Maureen Parkers’ team at the excellent Gloucester Bike Project have also very kindly donated two bikes to the YPP team to allow youth workers to conduct outreach work in the neighbourhood to attract more youngsters to the club.  The YPP (Youth Peace Project) is an initiative very dear to our heart, having supported it from the earliest stages, and you can learn a little more about it by listening to a Gloucester FM radio interview here with YPP lead, Delroy Ellis.

One of the most important things to come out of our work in January has been further illustration that information from the community is critical in helping us to provide the best and most effective service we can.  We have been able to target addresses linked to drugs and anti-social behaviour, and focus our work where it is most needed – arrests have been made that would not have been possible had we not had the support of, and information from, concerned people in the area.  We will give you more information on this in next month’s blog update, but In the meantime, if there is anything you can do to help us target our work or any concerns you want to discuss with us, make sure you get in touch by phone or email - or even better, speak to officers when you see them in the area.  We look forward to talking to you in the coming weeks, and urge you to stay wrapped up warm in the cold and frosty days ahead (we will be!).  If you have old or infirm neighbours nearby, keep an eye on them and keep each other safe.

Safer Gloucester Partnership Speak to Barton and Tredworth Community

 January 26 2012

Wanted Daniel O’Loughlin has been arrested following a Gloucestershire Police led operation in Coventry.

Officers from the county and from West Midlands Police carried out a warrant at a hotel in the city in the early hours of Wednesday, January 25.

He was arrested on suspicion of escaping lawful custody and is currently being questioned at Cheltenham Police Station.

A 26-year-old Cheltenham woman was also arrested on suspicion of harbouring an escaped prisoner in connection with the case.

O'Loughlin, 35, has been wanted since July, when he is believed to have absconded from HMP Hatfield in South Yorkshire after he was given temporary release for a work placement within the community.

He was serving the final period of a custodial sentence he received for his role in an organised crime group that committed a series of high-profile and high-value burglaries at large country houses across central and western England.

In August 2008, O'Loughlin was imprisoned for his part in the conspiracy and in May 2010 a court ordered him to pay back £113,000, which was deemed to be gained from criminal activity.

The police investigation, called Operation Haul, was a multi-force investigation involving Thames Valley Police, Gloucestershire Constabulary, West Mercia Police, Warwickshire Police and Wiltshire Police.

Detective Inspector Alistair Armstrong said: “Locating O’Loughlin has been a difficult task but I hope this shows how committed we’ve been to tracking him down with our neighbouring forces.

“We’re pleased to have him back in custody and off the streets so he can’t cause any harm in our communities.”

Operation Dazzel in Gloucester Local Policing Area

Operation Dazzle will be lighting the way for people who ride their bikes with no lights. This initiative will run across the area to encourage those who don't have lights to get them or face a  fine. Please contact your local policing team on 101 to request further information and get your bike security marked for FREE!