Gerrards Cross Summer School has been part of the local community for 37 years and is organised by a group of dedicated volunteers. From Monday 26 th July
through to Friday 6 th August, there are is an exciting range of day courses that you can choose from: hear about ‘Scandals in Stately Homes in Bucks’ (D7), Art Deco
& Nouveau (D11), Silk Painting (D39), ‘Fishermen, Cabbages & Goose Girls’ (D25), perhaps ‘London in 50 Objects’ might interest you (D26), Lip Reading (D18), ‘Brunel to HS2-Railways’ (D49) is proving very popular and as always, there are wonderful craft classes to entice all those with an artistic flair… or those want to
try it out!
This last year has been very difficult on all of us in many ways and we welcome the lifting of restrictions, and we look forward to welcoming you to Gerrards Cross Summer School also.
Please see the full brochure online at https://www.gxca.org.uk/summer-school/ to read all about the courses and download an application form.
Latest Update from The Chesham Neighbourhood Team
The Chesham Neighbourhood Policing Team consists of Sergeant Roy Evans, PC’s Gavin McVeigh, Jack McGregor, PCSO’s Les Roche, Harry Carter, Lee Bryan and
Matthew King.
The priorities for your Neighbourhood Policing Team (NHPT) are decided by the Policing Issues Panel; comprised of representatives from Community Boards from the whole of Chiltern & South Bucks. The Police do not run the panel, although we do attend as representatives. This allows us to speak to a wide cross-section of the community, find out what you most want improved in the area and consider how we and others can accomplish these aims.
You said: Burglary is a concern
We did: Burglary has always been a concern of local residents and we do everything we can to tackle this. Although most burglary investigations sit with a CID departments, the neighbourhood team is very much focused on crime prevention.
In Chesham, we have seen a massive reduction in dwelling and non-dwelling burglary offences. We appreciate that some of this reduction will be down to the national pandemic and houses being occupied more but it is also felt that the numerous operations we have been conducting has kept offenders out of the area and has prevented burglary offences from restarting.
Operations include Pandilla, Groundhog and Greenbelt. On a recent Groundhog operation in Chiltern and South Bucks, we saw 10 arrest and 11 traffic related offences dealt with utilising Roads Policing, Dog Section, Neighbourhood and our cross border colleagues from the Metropolitan Police. On a recent Greenbelt operation, we saw 3 arrest and a further 11 traffic related offences dealt with. The figures do not include the searches conducted, stop checks and intelligence submissions.
As per our last update, we have been proactive in the rural areas and we have been actively promoting Country Watch. Visiting local farms and businesses, we have been offering crime prevention advice and the benefits of joining the scheme.
You said: Anti-Social Behaviour is a concern
We did: As per previous reports this year, COVID-19 introduced a new problem for the police to manage and this has been a particularly big area for us in day to day policing since March 2020. Although restrictions have eased, we are still required to manage reported issues.
As previously mentioned in forums and via newsletters, Anti-Social Behaviour falls into a lot of different categories such as traffic / speed related incidents, drugs possession, littering / dog fouling, parking etc. ASB fall into three subcategories which are personally targeted, community and environmental. Although we review a lot of these calls and deal with all three, personally targeted ASB is the majority of the work allocated to neighbourhood officers.
Most of our current workload within the Anti-Social Behaviour category stems from neighbour disputes. We continue to work with our partner agencies such as the
community safety team, housing, environmental health and mediation charities.
You said: Speeding is a concern
We did: The neighbourhood team have been out and about conducting speed enforcement in Chesham concentrating on roads that have been highlighted as a real
concern.
Traditionally Speed enforcement is conducted by the traffic department and Safer Roads speed vans. On one particular day in Chesham, Roads Policing officers issued 50 seatbelts tickets on St Mary’s way in three hours. During this period, they also stopped a vehicle and arrested the driver on suspicion of drug driving. In Ashley Green 8 drivers were stopped and reported for driving over the speed limit, a vehicle was seized due to having no tax and a few other drivers were issued fines for failing to MOT their vehicles. At the end of March and then again in May, the DVLA have attended Chesham again with many vehicles being clamped, recovered and or fined on the spot. As per previous reports, I would urge people to report no Taxed vehicles directly to the DVLA. Police will assist the DVLA with seizing a vehicle when it is “being driven” on a road.
It is unfortunate that during this quarter, we have had negative feedback regarding speed enforcement even when speeding is highlighted as the main concern in Chesham. Despite the feedback, we will continue to address the issues as we know this is a concern to the majority of Chesham residents as per the Policing Issues Panel survey results.
Other News
Drugs
Drugs is always a concern in Chesham and we attempt to tackle drugs head on. We have continued with our drugs operations in Chesham where persons were stopped, searched and arrested.
Gathering intelligence, the stronghold team with Neighbourhood support conducted numerous warrants where multiple addresses and vehicles were searched, arrests were made for possession with intent to supply drugs, various items were seized and valuable intelligence gained. These investigations are ongoing. Although investigations take some time, we hope to see positive results.
Operation Aidant
As part of our neighbourhood duties, we work with the National Crime Agency in tackling Modern Slavery. A week of action was conducted were we visited Car Washes, Nail Bars and builders yards. We also spoke with street beggars. During this week, we were able to identify vulnerable persons in Chiltern and South Bucks and Modern Day Slavery referrals were made.
Pc Ben
Pcso’s Lee Bryan and Harry Carter have been doing a great job visiting primary schools and introducing Pc Ben. Pc Ben is a book that tells the story of a police constable called Ben and the many lives he gets to help every day whilst out on patrol. The book focuses on the younger audience and gives children the chance to learn how the police “like to help”. Pc Ben can be seen online here
Staff changes within Chesham Neighbourhood.
We say goodbye to Pc Hugh Flanagan who was successful in promotion and has transferred back to Amersham Police Station on the emergency response team. Congratulations Hugh.
Despite the attempt to keep him working, we will also be saying farewell to Pc Gavin McVeigh who will be retiring at the end of July after serving 30 years in Thames Valley Police and the Royal Ulster Constabulary. He will be missed by the team.
We will also be saying farewell to Pcso Matt King. Although we see him leave the team, he was successful in his application to join Thames Valley Police as a constable and will be starting his training Mid-August. Matt has requested Chiltern and South Buckinghamshire as his preferred base station so we look forward to him returning to the area.
We will be welcoming Pc Matthew Styles who starts in Chesham early August. Matthew brings with him years of experience on various departments including Emergency response and Neighbourhood Policing.
Pc Jack McGregor has been with the Chesham Team for a year now on an attachment. We were really pleased to hear that he will be remaining in Chesham as a permanent officer taking on Gavin’s previous supervisor role and will be point of contact for the rural locations.
We will also see new Police Community Support officers start in the next few months.
Social media:
As always we ask our readers to consider subscribing to our Thames Valley Alerts, Facebook and Twitter accounts. www.thamesvalleyalert.co.uk ‘TV Alerts’ allow the subscriber to filter the subject matter which is of relevance to them, and only requires an email address to begin receiving local policing information.
Our “Twitter” feed @tvp_chiltsbucks will show you what the policing team are doing, will provide crime prevention information, witness appeals and “Good Result” stories. Our Facebook group TVP Chiltern and South Bucks provides the same information as Twitter but seems to be the preferred social media site used by the public.
We do not take reports of crime via social media and we do not see comments placed into personal social media groups. Some feel that if they post about an incident, they will have a direct response. This is not true as local groups are not monitored. Other policing areas are experiencing the same issues. To report crime online. You can do so here
Friends of Lowndes Park, Chesham
More information on www.lowndespark.org.uk, or phone Joan Clark on 01494 783035
Wednesday 7th July
Cleaning Up Captains Wood – This is a popular wood on the outskirts of Chesham that needs a little TLC to keep it lovely. Our task today will be clearing it of all the rubbish we can find. Litter pickers and black bags will be provided. Please wear appropriate clothing, footwear and gloves. Meet at 10am at the parking area in front of the shops in Greenway HP5 2DA. Map
Sunday 18th July
Canons Mill & River Chess Bypass - We will be clearing the bypass channel in the River Chess between The Moor and Canon’s Mill. We will also be litter picking there and in the surrounding area. Tools are available but it would be useful if you could bring one or more of the following: secateurs / shears / loppers / saws. Litter pickers and black bags will be provided. Please wear appropriate clothing, footwear and gloves and waders or wellies if you work in the river. Meet at 10am at Canon’s Mill, Waterside, Chesham opposite Hill Farm Road. Map
We are in need of volunteers to help with gardening in the Park. We meet in the Archena Garden from 10am-12 noon on the 2nd Sunday in the month. Our July work party will be on Sunday 11th. Meet at Archena Garden, at the lower corner of the Park, just off Church Street. Any help would be welcome - you don't need to be a gardener!