Dursley Safer Community Team

Criminal Damage Caused At Dursley Pool And Sports Centre

Dursley police are urging anyone with any information about criminal damage caused at the local swimming pool to come forward.

Between 10pm on Monday July 26 and 6.15am on Tuesday July 27 unknown offenders have damaged the fire escape door and front signage of the Dursley Pool and Sports Centre on Castle Street by forcing numerous holes into both the sign and the door. It is not yet known what object the offender has used to cause the damage.

It’s thought that damage will cost around £3000 to repair.

Anyone with any information about the damage is asked to contact Gloucestershire Constabulary on 0845 090 1234 quoting incident number 324 of July 27. Alternatively you can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Quad Bike And Mower Stolen From Berkeley Farm

Police are appealing for information following a burglary at an outbuilding of a farm in Breadstone near Berkeley.

Between 6.30pm on Sunday July 25 and 7am on Monday July 26 unknown offenders forced entry to the building and stole a red Honda quad bike and a red Castel Garden sit on mower. The items are valued at a total of £3000. 

PC Mark Godsland, Divisional Crime Prevention Design Advisor for the area said; “Quad bikes are not only used for recreation but also as a valuable part of modern day farming. However, they can be a valuable commodity for thieves and it’s therefore very important that owners make sure that they are secured properly.

“A number of different products are available to secure quad bikes, including a drive on clamp ramp and various padlocks and chains. However, these items should be used in addition to simple crime prevention methods such as making sure the ignition key is removed and ensuring that the garage or shed it’s in is kept locked.”

If you would like more information on crime prevention methods you can contact your local Crime Reduction Officer on 0845 090 1234.

Anyone with any information about the burglary is asked to contact Gloucestershire Constabulary on 0845 090 1234 quoting incident number 299 of July 26. Alternatively you can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Berkeley Primary School Pupils Given A Lesson In Road Safety

  Two Police Community Support Officers for the Berkeley area, PCSO Mike Trebble and PCSO Claire Silcox, visited Berkeley Primary School at the end of the summer term and gave the pupils a lesson on road safety.

This was a pilot lesson and, due to its success, PCSO’s Trebble and Silcox are aiming to continue the lessons with advice and awareness of the dangers of speeding in the new school year.

The pupils, all from year 6, were split into three groups and given tests on their knowledge of road signs.  This was then followed by a DVD on road safety and finally the pupils each had a turn at doing some 'live' speed checks with a police traffic speed camera outside the school. 

Thankfully on this occasion, nobody was found to be doing more than 29mph outside their school on Marybrook Street. 

Dursley SCT News Update Summer 2010

Current News ~

The team will also be covering many community event days and special operations July and August.  We recently held an Operation and Community Engagement day at Dursley.  This successful event took place towards the end of June and was largely put together by ADO Steve Lindsay with assistance from most of the Safer Community Team.  As well as dealing with road traffic offences, the team had stalls where information was available for residents to view!

What are your team currently working on ?

* Should you wish to contact a member of the team direct, details are listed under each officer!

Berkeley.

The Chief Constable - Tony Melville recently visited Berkeley Police where he met Safer Community team members, PS Neil Gibbs, PC George Sharpe , ADO Steve Lindsay , PCSO Mike Trebble & Stroud District Council - Neighbourhood Warden - Chris Acock.  Following the visit he met with local residents and Berkeley Town Council staff at the town hall.  The Chief Constable has recently returned to the area visiting Sharpness Primary School where he met local PCSO's Mike Trebble and Claire Silcox along with their current Junior Community Officers who won an award for the project.  The Chief Constable presented the current Head Teacher of the school with £100.00 which they can use towards school funds.

PC George Sharpe has been working on a speeding project within the area and provides late night patrols over the weekend in the center of Berkeley to make sure the area remains quiet.  Patrols are also taking place in the local cemetery at Station Road where there have been recent complaints of nuisance behaviour.

mailto:george.sharpe@gloucestershire.police.uk

PCSO Mike Trebble has been working with his colleague PCSO Claire Silcox on a number of school projects which include the Junior Community Officers at Sharpness School and the Community Cadets at the Vale of Berkeley College.  The Cadets have recently visited Slimbridge and assisted with a number of hands on jobs from animal feeding to fence maintenance.  Community visits have also taken place at Berkeley Primary school fete & the Stone with Woodford school fete.  Patrols are part of the mix covering the core locations of Berkeley town, Sharpness and Stone. 

mailto:michael.trebble@gloucestershire.police.uk

Cam & Dursley.

PC Mark Wilson The Safer Community Team have continued to work on the current three community priorities with outstanding success!  With this in mind we have now successfully completed our latest public consultations, we spoke to residents over two days in both Cam & Dursley, asking about their concerns and areas which they feel the local team and agency partners should be working on.  Our community panel will join us shortly to discuss the findings and decide on new priorities for us to work on through until the Autumn.

mailto:mark.wilson@gloucestershire.police.uk

PCSO Claire Silcox has recently set up a 'No Cold Calling' area in Coaley which has proved to be very successful.  The zone may be increased due to the success of the highly noticeable signs & how they have reduced unwanted callers at residents houses.  

mailto:claire.silcox@gloucestershire.police.uk

Wotton Under Edge.

PCSO Andy Tring has been working closely with the Neighbourhood Warden from Stroud District Council to tackle a number of community projects in the Kingswood area. This has included making the area around the village hall more welcoming and less of a target for crime.

mailto:andrew.tring@gloucestershire.police.uk

PC Tracey Brian.

Tracey has been working on our Safe Guarding project within local schools across the Dursley area & also looking after priorities within Wotton under Edge.

mailto:tracey.brian@gloucestershire.police.uk

School Team.
The local School Team who look after the majority of schools within the area consist of PC Tracey Brian who is the School Liaison Officer and PCSO Mike Trebble and PCSO Claire Silcox who both visit schools and groups with various lessons from 'Stranger Dangers' to 'Internet Safety'. Both Claire and Mike also provide mentoring for pupils who need somebody to talk to!

We would like to thank our Junior Community Officers from Sharpness Primary who have been an excellent team working with both PCSO Mike Trebble and PCSO Claire Silcox since November 2009 on various community projects.  We wish them all the best of luck as they move to various secondary schools from September 2010.  The JCO project moves back to Dursley Primary School from September 2010.

Our current team of Community Cadets who are all from the Vale of Berkeley College have been busy working on a number of projects.  During early July they assisted Slimbridge Wetlands on a number of projects from animal feeding to ground maintenance.  The Cadets are taking a well earned summer break!

PCSO Claire Silcox and PCSO Mike Trebble have been to many local school fetes and have just completed a very enjoyable road safety lesson with the year six class at Berkeley Primary School.  The class were split into three groups and answered questions on road safety and then did some speed checking outside their school!

Gloucestershire Tag Rugby Tournament 2010

PCSO Claire Silcox and PCSO Andy Tring have been working with pupils from Blue Coat Primary School in Wotton Under Edge since January 2010. They have trained them to play tag rugby for a tournament held by Gloucestershire Constabulary each year to raise awareness for the charity ‘Child Victims of Crime’.

The pupils have given up their own time every week in order to attend training sessions. By the 21^st May they had formed a strong team. Their shirts were sponsored by Wotton Lions Club, so as a tribute they named themselves, ‘The Wotton Lions’.

The team arrived at Hartbury College ready for the tournament looking very smart in their rugby shirts, which were beautifully designed by local business Semi4 graphics. They immediately got down to business and put 100 percent effort into each game.

At the end of the day, and after a nail biting final, the Wotton Lions were awarded the Tag rugby festival 2010 Plate.

The team really deserved this award; not only for their playing on the day, but also for their excellent behaviour and attitude, and for their dedication during the months of training.   

Police Target Drugs Offences In Wotton Under Edge

Police are targeting drugs offences in the Westfield area of Wotton Under Edge and have already carried out a number of warrants.

Inspector Tony Jones from the Dursley Safer Community Team, who cover the Wotton Under Edge area, said; “We are aware that some residents are concerned about the illegal use of drugs in the Westfield area and we are determined to address these concerns.

“We would also like to reassure the community that we are being proactive in identifying and arresting offenders.”

On Saturday July 3 officers patrolling the Westfield area arrested an 18-year-old man from Charfield on suspicion of drugs supply after he was found in possession of drugs. A search of him home was also carried out and in total class B drugs with a street value of approximately £300, drugs paraphernalia and £5000 cash were seized. He has been bailed to return to the police station on August 3.

Three warrants were carried out in the area this morning, Friday July 9 and miscellaneous items relating to drug activity were seized.

“We hope our actions so far reassure the community that we do take all their concerns very seriously and do take action on information we are given. We would also like to encourage them to keep reporting any information they do have,” concluded Inspector Jones.

Anyone with any information about the use or supply of illegal drugs can report it to Gloucestershire Constabulary on 0845 090 1234 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Community Cadets Help Out At Slimbridge Wetland Centre

PCSO Mike Trebble and PCSO Claire Silcox from the Dursley Police Safer Community Team (SCT) took a group of Community Cadets to help out at the Slimbridge Wetland Centre earlier this week.

On Monday, July 5, the PCSOs and a group of 11 Community Cadets, all from the Vale of Berkeley College, took part in a number of activities organised by Sue Porter, Learning Manager of the Slimbridge Wetland Centre, such as assisting with feeding the wildlife and painting fencing.

Both PCSO Trebble and PCSO Silcox have said they were really impressed with the work the work the Cadets carried out.

PCSO Trebble said; “The Cadets each took such pride and care in their work, particularly the work on the fence. It’s really great to see young people getting involved in helping out in their community.”

Members of the public visiting the Wetland Centre were keen to find out what other tasks the Community Cadets have carried out in the community. 

PCSOs  Trebble and Wilcox were proud to be able to report that the Cadets have done a great amount to support the community including litter picks and speed checks on vehicles as well as delivering information about community safety and security marking.

The Cadets will be continuing with their work once they return from the Summer break.

Appeal For Driver To Come Forward

Police are appealing for the driver of a black car who was involved in a road traffic collision with a pedestrian in Dursley to contact them. Click here 

Fifty Three Drivers Offered Education as Dursley Police Promote Road Safety

Fifty Three Drivers Offered Education as Dursley Police Promote Road Safety

  Fifty three drivers were given tickets for traffic offences on Saturday, June 19, as part of a multi-agency operation aimed at tackling the policing issues that matter most to the local community.

Officers from the Dursley Police Safer Community Team (SCT) regularly talk to local residents to identify their concerns. One issue that residents have highlighted they would like the local policing team to prioritise are driving offences, particularly speeding. As such Operation Earncraig was carried out on Saturday to address their concerns.

During the day officers carried out checks at a number of locations in Dursley, and the surrounding areas. 34 drivers were issued with a fixed penalty notice for not wearing a seatbelt and 19 for speeding offences.

As part of the operation drivers issued with a fixed penalty notice were given the opportunity to complete a road safety package, prepared by the Gloucestershire Road Safety Partnership. Once the driver had successfully completed the educational package their ticket was cancelled. Fifty of the drivers given fixed penalty notices decided to complete the package.

Garry Handley, Driving Training Manager at Gloucestershire County Council said: “This type of partnership working is an excellent example of what can be achieved when agencies work together, and it must surely be in the public interest to educate motorists rather than to punish them. 

“It is all about achieving safer communities by reducing risks, and by working with motorists to remind them that collisions happen when road rules are bent or broken - so if we all keep to the rules then fewer people would be harmed in preventable collisions on the road.  This is a very powerful educational package and one that these particular drivers will not forget in a hurry.”

The operation not only targeted motorists breaking traffic laws but also worked within the community to educate drivers about the importance of road safety and raise awareness about how the local policing team are tackling the community’s concerns.

Around 250 people visited information displays and the mobile police station on Castle Street where officers were on hand to offer crime prevention advice, tips on correctly fitting child safety seats and advice about tyre tread depth and the effects on braking with worn tyres. Information was also available from Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue, Neighbourhood Watch and Stroud District Council.   

Assistant Divisional Officer Steve Lindsay said the event was a big success; “The operation was a fantastic opportunity for public engagement and there was a lot of public praise and comments and around £300 was raised for local charities.

“We were also really pleased to see that no one had been using their mobile phone whilst driving and that the majority of drivers decided to take up the offer of the education package. Educating drivers plays a huge part of successfully reducing offences and keeping our roads safe. The educational package offered by the Gloucestershire Road Safety Partnership forces those caught offending to consider the possible consequences of their actions.

“We hope this operation gives the community confidence that we will and do tackle the policing issues that matter most to them. By working together in this way we can keep the county’s roads safe.”

More information about road safety can be found on the Road Safety pages of the Gloucestershire Constabulary website.

Dursley Police Continue To Tackle The Issues That Matter Most To The Community - Driving Offences

A multi-agency operation is taking place in Dursley this weekend to tackle the policing issues that matter most to the local community. To read more click here 

Offenders Attempt To Set Fire To Discarded Magazines – Appeal For Witnesses

Dursley police are appealing for information after unknown offenders attempted to set fire to discarded magazines.

Between 8pm on Thursday June 10 and 8am on Friday June 11 a number of old magazines and papers, which had been left outside Tesco on Long Street ready for collection, had been thrown across the road. It also appears as though someone has attempted to set the papers alight.

Anyone with any information about the incident is asked to contact Gloucestershire Constabulary on 0845 090 1234 quoting incident number 223 June 11. Alternatively you can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Crime Falls By 19%

Crime has fallen in Gloucestershire for the sixth year in succession. To read the details about the 2009/2010 crime figures for your area click here. 

Berkeley Police Officer Given Award For His Work In The Community

A Berkeley police officer has been awarded The Chief Constable's Certificate of Merit in thanks for his commitment to the community. 

PC George Sharpe has served the town of Berkeley for 12 years and is part of the Dursley Safer Community Team (SCT). He was given the award to mark the exceptional rapport he has developed with the whole community.

After receiving the Certificate of Merit George said; “I am honoured to have been given this award. Berkeley is a great place to work with wonderful people in it – they really are what make this such a fantastic job.

“Myself and my colleagues get ever such a lot of support from the local community and the town council, and it’s because of this and our working together that we are able to keep the town a safe and pleasant place to live.”

This is not the first time this year that the officer has been recognised for his dedication to policing the town. In February a commemorative tree was planted by Town Mayor Valerie Watts outside the Berkeley Police station in recognition of the work that PC Sharpe and his colleagues have done for the community.

PC Sharpe was the first officer to be given the award by Chief Constable Tony Melville since he joined Gloucestershire Constabulary in January this year.

Dursley And Stroud Safer Community Teams Combat Anti-Social Behaviour

Special constables, police officers and police community support officers from the Dursley and Stroud Safer Community Teams (SCTs) are running an operation this summer to combat anti-social behaviour. To read more click here. 

Blue Coat Primary School Tag Rugby Team Win Award

  PCSO’s Claire Silcox and Andy Tring from the Dursley Police Safer Community Team (SCT) and the tag rugby team from Blue Coat Primary School were pleased to come away from a regional competition with an award.

The PCSO’s have been working with pupils from the school in Wotton Under Edge since January 2010, training them to play the sport and on Friday May 21 they took part in a countywide tournament, organised by Gloucestershire Constabulary and partners.

PCSO Silcox said; “The pupils gave up their own time every week in order to attend training sessions and by the end of May they had formed a strong team. They also had a lot of local support; their shirts were sponsored by Wotton Lions Club, so as a tribute they named themselves ‘The Wotton Lions’.

“The team arrived at Hartpury College ready for the tournament looking very smart in their rugby shirts, which were beautifully designed by local business Sema 4 graphics. They immediately got down to business and put 100 percent effort into each game.

“At the end of the day, and after a nail biting final, the Wotton Lions were awarded the Tag rugby Festival 2010 Plate.

“The team really deserved this award; not only for their playing on the day, but also for their excellent behaviour and attitude, and for their dedication during the months of training.”

The annual tournament, which has been running since 2008, was organised by police with the UK Child Victims of Crime charity, Rugby Football Union and Hartpury College and is part of a national scheme.

Dursley Junior Community Officers Learn How Police And Fire Service Work Together

  Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) from the Dursley Safer Community Team (SCT) took their team of enthusiastic Junior Community Officers (JCOs) from Sharpness Primary School to a local fire station at the beginning of the week to learn how the two emergency services work together.

PCSO Mike Trebble and PCSO Claire Wilcox launched the JCOs initiative in Dursley last summer with the aim of encouraging young children to work with their local policing team to help improve the community they live in.

The JCOs and their teachers get involved with carefully selected projects which includes property marking, patrolling, speed checks, litter picks and monitoring dangerous and inconsiderate parking around their school. They have their own uniforms and carry identification badges and pocket notebooks

The initiative has been deemed a huge success by not only the police and the school but also by residents in their local neighbourhoods.

On Monday, May 18, the PCSOs and the group of JCOs visited the Stroud fire station and were given the opportunity to take part in various fire routines from holding hoses and trying on breathing equipment.

PCSO Mike Trebble said; “We felt that it was important to show our JCOs how the police work really closely with other agencies to keep people safe from harm and this seemed the ideal way to do it. We all had a really great morning and we hope they learnt a lot from our visit.”

Cllr Will Windsor-Clive, Gloucestershire County Council Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Youth, said: “These young people are a credit to their school and their community. I hope they enjoyed their visit to the station and getting hands on with some of equipment. We work very closely with all of the other emergency services to keep people in Gloucestershire safe and I hope the children enjoyed finding out more about how we do that.”

E-fit Released Of Suspect In Dursley Robbery

Police investigating a robbery in Dursley have released an e-fit of the suspect to read more and see the E-fit click here 

Dursley Police Urge Motorcyclists To Only Use Legal Roadways

Dursley Police Safer Community Team (SCT) are urging motorcyclists to make sure they use their bikes only where safe and legal. For more information click here. 

How are we doing in your community?

Dursley Safer Community Team invite your comments on any concerns which you may have & would like your opinions, good or bad, on how we are doing in your area.
This is an opportunity for us to respond to your suggestions and act upon your concerns. 
Please take a few minutes to fill out this form, which will be returned direct to us.

Dursley SCT security marking of saddles & tack

As the Dursley SCT falls within a mostly rural location, we are pleased to offer security marking of tack from Saddles to Bridles.  These items are of interest to criminals as they fetch high rewards for them. Tack which has been security marked can be traced back to the original owners, &, is less likely to be stolen by criminals.  We offer a variety of security marking, however, engraving your postcode onto leather saddles etc proves to be the most popular.  We also offer 'Smartwater' as an effective crime prevention method.  The cost of each property marking kit is £15.00, however the advantages of Smartwater are:

• Stays on items for 100+ years, it can't be totally removed.
• Marking liquid is unique to your property!
• Criminals are afraid of it, criminals know that any items can be traced back to the original owners. {Smartwater warning labels are also provided as part of the kit}
• Offenders will be checked in the custody suites for any signs of Smartwater.  There is no escaping this deterrent.
• If you move home, you simply amend your registration details.  You don't have to re-code all your valuables.

For further information on Smartwater  please contact 01452 335694.

To arrange a security postmarking session {which is free, and, part of the service from your Dursley SCT} contact PCSO Mike Trebble on 0845 090 1234, or, 

mailto:michael.trebble@gloucestershire.police.uk

For further information on our Cotswolds & Stroud 'Horse Watch' scheme, please contact ~ 01452 335694.

Finally, during recent Street Surgeries covering Berkeley Vale, Cam & Dursley, Wotton-under-Edge & area, we received a few concerns from horse riders.  Concerns were raised regarding the occasional vehicle travelling too fast past horse and rider.  Please bare in mind that vehicles travelling too fast past horse & rider could cause an accident!

• When you see a horse ride on the road - slow down.
• Do not sound your horn or rev your engine.
• When behind a horse rider - give them plenty of room & be ready to stop at short notice.
• When overtaking - pass wide & slow.

  For further information, please listen to this short information trailer > http://www.dft.gov.uk/think_media/241024/241108/horse_filler.mp3

New Inspector Welcomed To Durlsey Safer Community Team

A new neighbourhood policing Inspector has joined the Dursley Safer Community Team (SCT).  

Inspector Tony Jones will now oversee neighbourhood policing in the Berkley, Cam, Dursley and Wotton Under Edge Communities alongside Sergeant Neil Gibbs and the seven officers, six Police Community Support Officers and 11 Special Constables that make up the Dursley SCT.

Tony has been working for Gloucestershire Constabulary for 23 years. He joined the Constabulary in the Stroud area and has since worked on the motorway unit, in armed response, Cirencester and Stonehouse.

He has also had great success as a sergeant on the Priority Policing Team at Stroud tackling amongst other issues drug dealing and dwelling burglaries.

He has joined the SCT to continue the work the SCT have been doing with residents and business in the different communities to tackle the issues that are of most importance to the people that live in the area.

Inspector Jones said; “The team already carry out a lot of positive work engaging with the local community and working with our partner agencies to tackle the concerns of the residents. I’m eager to see this hard work continue and to further improve the public’s confidence in their local policing team. 

“I’m looking forward to establishing myself as part of the team, getting out and about, promoting our work and emphasising that keeping people self from harm is at the heart of all the work we do.”

To find out more about Neighbourhood Policing and your local Safer Community Team, please visit the Neighbourhood Policing section of the Gloucestershire Constabulary website.

Bogus Callers & Village Agents Information

Police Information Points

Police Information Points are set up in various locations over the Dursley INA.  They are very visible and in place for residents to pass information to local officers who look after their P.I.P.  They are also well stocked with crime prevention information along with any relevant 'local' information which is particular to the area where they are located.

You will find a black folder near the P.I.P  where you can place an item of concern straight into the folder.  Local officers check and sign after each visit and make sure information entered by residents has or will be dealt with.  Typically residents may have concerns about speeding vehicles/nuisance behaviour or concerns which might not be police related but can be passed onto  local council neighbourhood wardens to address such as dog fouling or local authority housing issues.

Your local police information points are located at;

Coaley Community Shop [PCSO Paul Bowman] ~ Updated and checked via the Mobile Police Station.

Co-op Rosebery Road Dursley [PCSO Claire Silcox & PCSO Josh Griffiths/PC Mark Wilson]

Spar Shop Kingswood [PCSO Andy Tring]

Newtown Stores & Sharpness Docks Post Office [PCSO Mike Trebble]

Vale of Berkeley College [PCSO Mike Trebble]

Rose and Crown Public House - Nympsfield [PCSO Claire Silcox/Josh Griffiths/PC Mark Wilson] *New Location*