Thames Valley Police
Encyclopedia
Thames Valley Police, formerly known as Thames Valley Constabulary, is the territorial police force
responsible for policing the Thames Valley
area covered by the ceremonial counties
of Berkshire
, Buckinghamshire
and Oxfordshire
.
It is one of the largest territorial police forces in England
and the largest non-metropolitan one, covering 2200 sq mi (5,700 km²) and a population of 2,180,200 people.
these five forces were amalgamated on April 1, 1968 to form Thames Valley Constabulary.
Bracknell Forest LPA
Cherwell LPA
Chiltern LPA
Milton Keynes LPA
Oxford LPA
Reading LPA
South Bucks LPA
South and Vale LPA
Slough LPA
West Berkshire LPA
West Oxfordshire LPA
Windsor and Maidenhead LPA
Wokingham LPA
Wycombe LPA
Each area is responsible for delivering response policing, neighbourhood policing teams and a local priority crime and Criminal Investigation Department
(CID). Other functions that used to be held at Basic Command Unit (BCU) level (essentially a cluster of geographically grouped LPAs) are now delivered at Force Headquarters level using a shared service approach.
Thames Valley's Roads Policing Department operate diesel Vauxhall Vectra Estates and a handful of 2.8 Turbo V6 Saloons as well as a number of unmarked cars. More recently the force has introduced the Vauxhall Insignia estate vehicle for Roads Policing matters. This vehicle comes with a 2 litre petrol engine. The unit has a sub-department called the Roads Policing Pro-Active Team, who featured on the reality television programme Road Wars.
s, - 30 are general purpose dogs, 11 specialist search dogs and 11 firearms dogs citation required. Of the 30 general purpose dogs, nine are also trained for firearms. The dogs are mostly donated from the public or RSPCA, and are trained at the headquarters. They usually serve until they are 8 years old, receiving refresher training every year, and then living with their handler after retirement.
The team specialises in a number of areas including Method of Entry, Targeted intelligence led policing and specialist surveillance of criminals both covertly and overtly.
The teams use various types of vehicles both marked and un-marked and work 24 hours a day across the force.
guns.
The unit is also responsible for educating the public and training police officers in firearms.
The unit is made up of one Inspector, two sergeants, 14 constables and two support staff.
In 1988 Thames Valley Police hired professional police observers for ASU in the same year the department became a full time operational unit, only the third in the country at the time. Thames Valley Police bought a new helicopter in 1993.
In 1996 Thames Valley Police, Bedfordshire Police
and Hertfordshire Constabulary
combined funding and founded the Chiltern Air Support Unit
, they had received funding in 1995 to buy a second helicopter. The alliance is recognised to have started unofficially in 1992 when Thames Valley would sell flying time to its nearby forces.
In 1999 and 2002 the two Eurocopter A350s were replaced by two Eurocopter EC135
s, which are still in use today.
.
Until 1947 protection of the Royal Family
when in Berkshire and the guarding of Windsor Castle
was responsibility of Windsor Borough Police. They didn't amalgamate with Berkshire County Constabulary due to the importance of their role. They later amalgamated in 1947 under the Police Act 1946
.
and transferred to Thames Valley Police under a new name, the unit today is made up of one sergeant and seven constables and respond to around 350 operations each year.
The unit are involved in a variety of searching operations in river, underwater, underground, and cliff face conditions, searching for bodies, explosives, drugs, property, contraband and firearms and environments that can be affected by Chemical, Biological, Radioactive and Nuclear radiation.
The unit also helps during floods and natural disasters, five of its officers and Disaster Victim ID trained.
, Oxfordshire. Thames Valley Police has 48 police station
s.
The force is covered by two control rooms, one in Abingdon
covering Oxfordshire and Berkshire West, and one in Milton Keynes
covering the Milton Keynes
, Buckinghamshire
and Berkshire
East.
The three Police Enquiry Centres (PECs)
were formed in 2003, following the closure of local control rooms, to support the newly formed control rooms in Abingdon and Milton Keynes. They are located in Windsor
police station, at Fountain Court in Kidlington (now known as Headquarters North) and a small team at Milton Keynes control room. The PECs handle non-emergency and enquiry calls from the public and can take emergency calls during peak periods.
Sulhamstead House in Sulhamstead
is the Thames Valley Police training college, which also houses the Thames Valley Police Museum.
There are also several Roads Policing
bases at strategic locations around the force at Abingdon, Bicester, Taplow, Amersham, Milton Keynes, Three Mile Cross and Chieveley. Aylesbury no longer have a roads policing base
in the comb style with a Brunswick star
that reads 'Thames Valley Police' for foot patrol, but this was dropped for practicality and cost reasons in 2009. Now the standard headgear is a peaked cap for all officers ( with additional 'beading' around the edge for Inspectors and above) and a white peaked cap for traffic officer
s. Female officers wear a bowler hat, or a white bowler hat for traffic officer
s.
In 2009 Thames Valley Police proposed to be the first force to introduce the use of baseball caps as a primary mode of headgear. After trials were conducted the proposal was dropped as being 'a step too far from the professional image of the force'.
s, just the rank
and shoulder number.
Formal dress comprises an open-necked tunic, with white shirt/blouse and tie/cravat. All officers wear peaked caps, name badges and their rank on their epaulettes. The No.1 uniform is accompanied by black boots or shoes and occasionally black gloves, or brown gloves for the rank of Inspector and above.
The operational uniform, until 2009, consisted of traditional white shirt and tie with custodian helmet
s for Constable
s and Sergeant
s, but this was dropped when it was deemed to be impractical and outdated, notwithstanding the retention of this uniform by other forces, and the almost universal retention of the helmet.
digital radios, PDAs, Hiatt
rigid handcuffs, CapTor incapacitant gas, the autolock 22" collapsible baton, leg restraints, a resuscitation mask and a basic first aid kit. PCSO's don't carry autolock, handcuffs, leg restraints or Captor.
Should they be required to, some Thames Valley officers can use body-mounted cameras.
Police vehicles contain a variety of equipment, which can include Arnold batons, traffic cone
s, road signs, breathalyzer
s, stingers
, speed guns and more.
Vauxhall Astras are used as general purpose marked vehicles, they are used by both response officers and members of Neighbourhood Policing Teams. Vauxhall Corsas are also used as patrol vehicles by PCSOs and are usually semi marked (TVP insignia but no battenberg) although a number have no identifying marks at all. Vauxhall Vectra's and more recently Insignia's are used by the force's Roads Policing Unit, marked estates and hatchback's are generally used but there are a number of unmarked vehicles in the fleet also.
Vauxhall Zafira's are used by the Force Dog Section, although a number of other vehicles are used for non operational purposes.
Ford S-MAX MPVs are currently used by the force as Armed Response Vehicles kitted out with the RS Turbo 2.5T engine.
Thames Valley Police also utilise Ford Transits for Public Order and Prisoner escort vehicles as well as Vauxhall Vivaros which are issued to a number of Neighbourhood Policing Teams.
There are a small number of 4x4 vehicles in use around the force. Land Rover Defender 110s were the choice of vehicle and some are still in service but more recently Mitsubishi L200 Warriors have began to repalce many of the older Land Rovers.
Vauxhall Astra
- Response Car
Ford Transit Van - Public order
Vauxhall Vectra - Roads policing Department
Vauxhall Insignia - Roads policing Department
Volvo V70
- Roads policing Department
Mitsubishi Shogun - Roads policing Department
Vauxhall Zafira - Dog section
Mitsubishi L200 - Rural Policing
Vauxhall Corsa - PCSO unit
Vauxhall Vivaro - Neighbourhood policing
, which only have markings on the back and front, and read 'Neighbourhood Policing Team' on the side.
Thames Valley Police stopped using the 'jam sandwich' police car markings between 2000-2005 when battenburg markings
were invented.
Thames Valley Police's motto in Latin is Sit pax in valle tamesis meaning 'Let there be Peace in the Thames Valley', their slogan is 'Reducing crime, disorder and fear'. The Thames Valley Police shield is made up of features from the shields of its five founding constabularies including a blue river depicting the Thames river and five crowns palisado depicting the five founding forces.
s, over 500 are Police Community Support Officers and 3150 are civilian staff. Of the 908 volunteers, 500 are Police Support Volunteers and 408 are warrantedSpecial Constables.
Thames Valley Police are currently not recruiting Constables, PCSOs, transferred officers, civilian staff or control room operators due to budget cuts
. They are only hiring for roles that need to be filled.
Thames Valley Police is recruiting people for voluntary roles. Their Police Support Volunteer
scheme is one of the largest in the country, they now have 500 PSV
s. Their Special Constabulary
is also growing.
Training for new recruits in Thames Valley is held at Sulhamstead House in Sulhamstead
, England
. For Constable
s it consists of eight months' training and a two-year probationary period. For PCSO
s it consists of 18 weeks' training and a 15-weeks probationary period. For Special Constable
s it consists of 7 months of training during weeknights and weekends, and a two-year probationary period or less, dependent on the number of tours of duty.
Recruits receive their warrant card
and uniform in the first two months of training.
Once the training period is over, the new officers are posted in a local division.
March 2010 figures exclude 166 officers and 145 staff who were paid through the Thames Valley payroll system but were seconded to national and regional duties and were externally funded.
marked Thames Valley Police as 'fair' on local crime and policing, 'fair' on protection from serious harm and 'fair' on confidence and satisfaction.
In detail, Thames Valley was awarded only one 'excellent' for reducing road death and injury. They were 'fair' in all other categories except 'solving crime' and 'comparative satisfaction of BME community' and 'low/medium' for 'number of police officers and PCSOs'. They were praised for their 14% reduction in burglary after 'Operation Breaker' in July 2009.
Thames Valley Police received 947 complaints and 1903 allegations, the national average being 338 per 1000 officers, TVP has 372, and TVP is just above 369 per 1000 officers, the average from a group of similar forces.
Of allegations 23% were 'failure or neglect in duty', 19% were 'incivility, impoliteness and intolerance', 14% 'assault', 4% were 'discrimination' and 1% were 'breach of PACE Code A'.
And of the 1903 allegations, 51% were investigated, 36% were locally resolved, 6% were withdrawn, 7% were dispensed and 0% were discontinued. Of the 51% allegations investigated 13% were substantiated and 87% were unsubstantiated.
Thames Valley Police investigates the greatest amount of allegations compared to its peer forces, its investigation rate is 15% higher than the national average. Its use of 'local resolution' has dropped 12% since 2005/6. Thames Valley has fewer allegations that are withdrawn, dispensed or discontinued.
The firearms instructor was reported to have not been trained in firearms after failing the qualification at Metropolitan Police
training grounds, but TVP decided he would pass their less stringent test and was therefore suitable to teach the lesson. The instructor was told to cover the lesson at last minute and accidentally picked up a live round from the forces armoury instead of dummy rounds, a mistake caused by the ammunition being kept in similar Quality Street tins.
Mr Keith Tilbury underwent immediate surgery to his bowel, kidney, lung and liver, and in court it was said he was unlikely to work again.
Thames Valley Police pleaded guilty to breaching regulations, they were fined £40,000 and £25,000 for legal costs. Constable Micklethwaite initially denied any wrong doing, but later admitted to breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act
.
s that were both aged 16. Although this is not illegal, as the minimum age limit applies to Constables, not PCSOs. However the public and the Police Federation accused the idea as being "policing on the cheap" as an under 18 has a different wage scale and could cost £10,000 less. It was also feared that the officers were being placed in unreasonable danger as PCSOs have been attacked and stabbed in the past.
consists of 19 Members, 10 of which are elected members, with two from Oxfordshire County Council, one from Buckinghamshire
County Council, and one each from the unitary authorities
of Bracknell Forest
, Milton Keynes
, Reading
, Slough
, Wokingham
, West Berkshire
, and Windsor and Maidenhead. There are nine Independent Members of which one must be a Magistrate.
If the Government
continues with its plans for directly-elected Police Commissioners
the Thames Valley Police Authority will be scrapped.
on 20 March 2006 would see the force stay as a single strategic police force for the area, a merger with Hampshire Constabulary
having been rejected.
Due to the large size of Thames Valley Police and that it is already made up of five police forces, it is unlikely it will be asked to merge with another force.
(along with his aide, Sergeant Lewis), the main character in 13 novels by Colin Dexter
and 33 television episodes by ITV
. Also, Inspector Barnaby
's Midsomer Murders
often have recognizable Thames Valley locations behind fictitious names such as "Causton" (Wallingford), set in fictional Midsomer Constabulary.
In 1982 the BBC broadcast a nine part series by Roger Graef
and Charles Stewart entitled Police
, which showed a fly-on-the-wall account of Thames Valley's E Division based in Reading
. This featured the rather demeaning treatment of a female victim of rape which was much discussed in the media at the time.
Between 2003 and 2008 a Sky1 programme, Road Wars, followed the Roads Policing Proactive and Problem Solving Team while they carried out their duties. The series followed a select group of officers on duty, who as a result became too well known causing the Chief Constable to ask Sky to move their programme to another force.
The Thames Valley Police Museum is located within Sulhamstead House, known locally as the 'White House', at Sulhamstead
in the English
county of Berkshire
. The site was formerly the headquarters of the Berkshire Constabulary
, and is now the training centre for the Thames Valley Police. The museum is open by appointment.
The museum includes displays on the history of Thames Valley Police and the five police forces that were amalgamated to form the force in 1968; the Buckinghamshire Constabulary
, the Berkshire Constabulary, Oxford City Police, the Oxfordshire Constabulary
and the Reading Borough Police
. The museum's collections include items from the Great Train Robbery
of 1963, uniforms, equipment, medals, photographs, scenes of crime evidence, and occurrence and charge books.
In 2006, the exhibition space of the museum was renovated.
Merged content from Thames Valley Police Museum to here. See Talk:Thames Valley Police Museum.
lists and commemorates all British police officers killed in the line of duty, and since its establishment in 1984 has erected over 38 memorials to some of those officers.
The following officers of Thames Valley Police are listed by the Trust as having died attempting to prevent, stop or solve a crime, since the turn of the 20th century:
Territorial police force
The phrase Territorial Police Force varies in precise meaning according to the country to which it is related, generally distinguishing a force whose area of responsibility is defined by sub-national boundaries from others which deal with the entire country or a restricted range of...
responsible for policing the Thames Valley
Thames Valley
The Thames Valley Region is a loose term for the English counties and towns roughly following the course of the River Thames as it flows from Oxfordshire in the west to London in the east. It includes parts of Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, North Hampshire, Surrey and west London...
area covered by the ceremonial counties
Ceremonial counties of England
The ceremonial counties are areas of England to which are appointed a Lord Lieutenant, and are defined by the government as counties and areas for the purposes of the Lieutenancies Act 1997 with reference to the metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England and Lieutenancies Act 1997...
of Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
, Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
and Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
.
It is one of the largest territorial police forces in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and the largest non-metropolitan one, covering 2200 sq mi (5,700 km²) and a population of 2,180,200 people.
History
Policing in Thames Valley dates back to 1773 when Newbury Borough Police were operating as a small police force, their officers duties included usual policing activity as well as repairing gates and bridges. The force was one of around 20 borough forces that amalgamated with their county police force. These were Buckinghamshire Constabulary, Oxfordshire Constabulary, Berkshire Constabulary, Reading Borough Police and Oxford City Police founded in 1857, 1857, 1856, 1836 and 1929 respectively. Under the Police Act 1964Police Act 1964
The Police Act 1964 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that updated the legislation governing police forces in England and Wales, constituted new police authorities, gave the Home Secretary new powers to supervise local constabularies, and allowed for the amalgamation of existing...
these five forces were amalgamated on April 1, 1968 to form Thames Valley Constabulary.
Chief Constables
- Mr. T.C.B Hodgson, 1968 -
- Baron Peter ImbertPeter Imbert, Baron ImbertPeter Michael Imbert, Baron Imbert CVO QPM was Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service from 1987 to 1993, and prior to that appointment Chief Constable of Thames Valley Police from 1979 to 1985....
1979 -1985 - Mr Colin Smith 1985 -1991
- Sir Charles PollardCharles PollardSir Charles Pollard, QPM was Chief Constable of Thames Valley Police from 1991 to 2001.Pollard was educated at Oundle School and began his career in the police force at the age of 19 as a constable in the Metropolitan Police. He then undertook the accelerated promotions course at Bramshill Police...
1991 - 2001 - Mr Peter NeyroudPeter NeyroudPeter Neyroud CBE QPM is a retired British police officer. He was the Chief Executive Officer for the National Policing Improvement Agency , and former Chief Constable of Thames Valley Police. He from the NPIA in March 2010....
2002 - 2007 - Ms. Sara ThorntonSara ThorntonSara Joanne Thornton CBE QPM is currently the Chief Constable of Thames Valley Police. She replaced former Chief Constable Peter Neyroud who, in January 2007, moved to the role of Chief Executive of the National Policing Improvement Agency.Thornton was born in Poole, Dorset. She attended the...
, 2007 -
Organisation
Following the implementation of the Local Policing Model in April 2011, the force is split into fifteen Local Policing Areas (LPAs). These are coterminous with local authority boundaries. These in turn are split into a number of neighbourhoods which are coterminous with parish boundaries. This coterminosity is to ensure that local policing services are delivered in an accountable manner.Local Policing Areas
Aylesbury Vale LPABracknell Forest LPA
Cherwell LPA
Chiltern LPA
Milton Keynes LPA
Oxford LPA
Reading LPA
South Bucks LPA
South and Vale LPA
Slough LPA
West Berkshire LPA
West Oxfordshire LPA
Windsor and Maidenhead LPA
Wokingham LPA
Wycombe LPA
Each area is responsible for delivering response policing, neighbourhood policing teams and a local priority crime and Criminal Investigation Department
Criminal Investigation Department
The Crime Investigation Department is the branch of all Territorial police forces within the British Police and many other Commonwealth police forces, to which plain clothes detectives belong. It is thus distinct from the Uniformed Branch and the Special Branch.The Metropolitan Police Service CID,...
(CID). Other functions that used to be held at Basic Command Unit (BCU) level (essentially a cluster of geographically grouped LPAs) are now delivered at Force Headquarters level using a shared service approach.
Force Headquarters Teams
To support the LPAs, a number of teams are run from Force Headquarters with their staff deployed at various locations around the Force area:- Dog SectionPolice dogA police dog, often referred to as a "K-9 dog" in some areas , is a dog that is trained specifically to assist police and other law-enforcement personnel in their work...
- Major Incident PlanningEmergency managementEmergency management is the generic name of an interdisciplinary field dealing with the strategic organizational management processes used to protect critical assets of an organization from hazard risks that can cause events like disasters or catastrophes and to ensure the continuance of the...
- Major Investigation Team
- Counter Terrorism GroupCounter-terrorismCounter-terrorism is the practices, tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, militaries, police departments and corporations adopt to prevent or in response to terrorist threats and/or acts, both real and imputed.The tactic of terrorism is available to insurgents and governments...
- IntelligencePolice IntelligencePolice intelligence refers to an element of the British police. Staffed by police officers and support staff, its purpose is to track and predict crime with a view to curbing it...
- Corporate Communications
- Uniform Pro-Active Team
Roads Policing Unit
Thames Valley Police patrols 196 miles (315.4 km) of motorways including the M1, M4, M40 and M25, as well as many other 'A' roads.Thames Valley's Roads Policing Department operate diesel Vauxhall Vectra Estates and a handful of 2.8 Turbo V6 Saloons as well as a number of unmarked cars. More recently the force has introduced the Vauxhall Insignia estate vehicle for Roads Policing matters. This vehicle comes with a 2 litre petrol engine. The unit has a sub-department called the Roads Policing Pro-Active Team, who featured on the reality television programme Road Wars.
Dog Section
Thames Valley Police has 52 operational police dogPolice dog
A police dog, often referred to as a "K-9 dog" in some areas , is a dog that is trained specifically to assist police and other law-enforcement personnel in their work...
s, - 30 are general purpose dogs, 11 specialist search dogs and 11 firearms dogs citation required. Of the 30 general purpose dogs, nine are also trained for firearms. The dogs are mostly donated from the public or RSPCA, and are trained at the headquarters. They usually serve until they are 8 years old, receiving refresher training every year, and then living with their handler after retirement.
Uniform Pro-Active Team
Thames Valley Police has recently centralised all 3 of its Uniform Pro-Active teams to be run as a 'shared service' from its headquarters. The teams will be based at 3 'hubs', those being Aylesbury, Oxford and Reading. The team consists of 24 PC's, 3 Sgt's and 1 Inspector and are tasked centrally through a bidding system which is used in order to gain their services.The team specialises in a number of areas including Method of Entry, Targeted intelligence led policing and specialist surveillance of criminals both covertly and overtly.
The teams use various types of vehicles both marked and un-marked and work 24 hours a day across the force.
Armed Response Unit
Thames Valley Police's Armed Response Group is a 24/7 sub-department of the Tactical Support department that responds to major and serious crimes were firearms are involved. The unit responds to incidents with firearms and taserTaser
A Taser is an electroshock weapon that uses electrical current to disrupt voluntary control of muscles. Its manufacturer, Taser International, calls the effects "neuromuscular incapacitation" and the devices' mechanism "Electro-Muscular Disruption technology"...
guns.
The unit is also responsible for educating the public and training police officers in firearms.
The unit is made up of one Inspector, two sergeants, 14 constables and two support staff.
Air Operations Unit
The Air Support Unit was officially created in 1982 but the use of helicopters in Thames Valley goes back to 1963 when Oxford City Police experimented with a Brentley helicopter with a dog basket attached to the skids. Thames Valley Police rented helicopters for use on special occasions in the 1970s and 80's. The unit was founded in 1982 when part time daylight flights were routinely contracted and eight Sergeants were transferred from Traffic and Operations to ASU, the unit rented a Eurocopter A350 everyday, planning to fly only 650 hours every year. In 1986 the unit was moved to RAF Abingdon.In 1988 Thames Valley Police hired professional police observers for ASU in the same year the department became a full time operational unit, only the third in the country at the time. Thames Valley Police bought a new helicopter in 1993.
In 1996 Thames Valley Police, Bedfordshire Police
Bedfordshire Police
Bedfordshire Police, is the territorial police force responsible for policing the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire in England, which includes the unitary authorities of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Luton. Its headquarters are in Kempston. The county had an estimated population of 602,500 in...
and Hertfordshire Constabulary
Hertfordshire Constabulary
Hertfordshire Constabulary is the territorial police force responsible for policing the county of Hertfordshire in England. Its headquarters is situated in Welwyn Garden City...
combined funding and founded the Chiltern Air Support Unit
Chiltern Air Support Unit
The Chiltern Air Support Unit are a police helicopter unit that operates under a consortium agreement between Bedfordshire Police, Thames Valley Police and Hertfordshire Police.-History:...
, they had received funding in 1995 to buy a second helicopter. The alliance is recognised to have started unofficially in 1992 when Thames Valley would sell flying time to its nearby forces.
In 1999 and 2002 the two Eurocopter A350s were replaced by two Eurocopter EC135
Eurocopter EC135
The Eurocopter EC135 is a twin-engine civil helicopter produced by Eurocopter, widely used amongst police and ambulance services and for executive transport. It is capable of flight under instrument flight rules .-Development:...
s, which are still in use today.
Mounted Division
The Thames Valley Mounted Division was founded in 1985 and is today staffed by one sergeant, eight full-time police officers and four police grooms. The unit has nine police horses. The unit is responsible for preventing equine crime, assisting in searches of rural areas and mainly maintaining public order at demonstrations and sporting events, including the four football grounds in Thames Valley.Protection Unit
Thames Valley Police has the largest non-metropolitan protection group, they are responsible for guarding four fixed locations and protecting any visiting parties that require attention. The officers in the unit are physically superior and are required to pass stringent testing, they are also firearms authorisedAuthorised Firearms Officer
An Authorised Firearms Officer is a British police officer who has received training and authorisation to carry and use firearms. The designation is significant because within the United Kingdom, police officers do not routinely carry firearms...
.
Until 1947 protection of the Royal Family
British Royal Family
The British Royal Family is the group of close relatives of the monarch of the United Kingdom. The term is also commonly applied to the same group of people as the relations of the monarch in her or his role as sovereign of any of the other Commonwealth realms, thus sometimes at variance with...
when in Berkshire and the guarding of Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is a medieval castle and royal residence in Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, notable for its long association with the British royal family and its architecture. The original castle was built after the Norman invasion by William the Conqueror. Since the time of Henry I it...
was responsibility of Windsor Borough Police. They didn't amalgamate with Berkshire County Constabulary due to the importance of their role. They later amalgamated in 1947 under the Police Act 1946
Police Act 1946
The Police Act 1946 was an Act of Parliament of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that provided for the amalgamation of smaller borough police forces with county constabularies in England and Wales, allowed for the merger of county forces in certain circumstances and changed the boundaries of...
.
Specialist Search and Rescue Unit
Founded in 1956 as the Underwater Search Unit of Berkshire ConstabularyBerkshire Constabulary
Berkshire Constabulary is a former Home Office police force which was responsible for policing the county of Berkshire in Southern England. Berkshire Constabulary was merged with several other adjacent police forces in 1968 to form the Thames Valley Police....
and transferred to Thames Valley Police under a new name, the unit today is made up of one sergeant and seven constables and respond to around 350 operations each year.
The unit are involved in a variety of searching operations in river, underwater, underground, and cliff face conditions, searching for bodies, explosives, drugs, property, contraband and firearms and environments that can be affected by Chemical, Biological, Radioactive and Nuclear radiation.
The unit also helps during floods and natural disasters, five of its officers and Disaster Victim ID trained.
Public Order Unit
Based in Heyford Park in Oxfordshire the public order unit is responsible for providing tactical support during spontaneous or pre-planned events that may result in public disorder. This includes sporting events such as football matches and Royal Ascot, music festivals such as Reading Festival, and lawful demonstrations.Counter Terrorist Unit
Thames Valley Police's Counter Terrorist Unit is responsible for responding to any search related or explosive or terrorist incident, working with Protection Unit to guard anyone deemed to be at risk and with dog section to locate the explosive. The unit has four explosive ordnance disposal advisors.Locations
The headquarters of Thames Valley Police is at Oxford Road, KidlingtonKidlington
Kidlington is a large village and civil parish between the River Cherwell and the Oxford Canal, north of Oxford and southwest of Bicester.-History:...
, Oxfordshire. Thames Valley Police has 48 police station
Police station
A police station or station house is a building which serves to accommodate police officers and other members of staff. These buildings often contain offices and accommodation for personnel and vehicles, along with locker rooms, temporary holding cells and interview/interrogation rooms.- Facilities...
s.
The force is covered by two control rooms, one in Abingdon
Abingdon, Oxfordshire
Abingdon or archaically Abingdon-on-Thames is a market town and civil parish in Oxfordshire, England. It is the seat of the Vale of White Horse district. Previously the county town of Berkshire, Abingdon is one of several places that claim to be Britain's oldest continuously occupied town, with...
covering Oxfordshire and Berkshire West, and one in Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes , sometimes abbreviated MK, is a large town in Buckinghamshire, in the south east of England, about north-west of London. It is the administrative centre of the Borough of Milton Keynes...
covering the Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes (borough)
The Borough of Milton Keynes is a unitary authority and borough in south central England, at the northern tip of the South East England Region. For ceremonial purposes, it is in the county of Buckinghamshire...
, Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
and Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
East.
Single Non-Emergency Number
In law enforcement and telecommunications, Single Non-Emergency Number or SNEN is a phone service run by police forces and local councils in England and Wales and is used for the public to contact police forces in the UK...
were formed in 2003, following the closure of local control rooms, to support the newly formed control rooms in Abingdon and Milton Keynes. They are located in Windsor
Windsor, Berkshire
Windsor is an affluent suburban town and unparished area in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England. It is widely known as the site of Windsor Castle, one of the official residences of the British Royal Family....
police station, at Fountain Court in Kidlington (now known as Headquarters North) and a small team at Milton Keynes control room. The PECs handle non-emergency and enquiry calls from the public and can take emergency calls during peak periods.
Sulhamstead House in Sulhamstead
Sulhamstead
Sulhamstead is a village, electoral district and civil parish in Berkshire, England. It lies off the A4 national route between Reading and Thatcham, some west of central London.-Location:thumb|left|250px|1888 Ordnance Survey Parish Boundary Map...
is the Thames Valley Police training college, which also houses the Thames Valley Police Museum.
There are also several Roads Policing
Road Policing Unit
The Road Policing Unit is the term for the Highway patrol within the majority of British police forces.-Responsibilities:RPUs work with the National Roads Policing Strategy, which has five strands:* Casualty reduction.* Counter-terrorism....
bases at strategic locations around the force at Abingdon, Bicester, Taplow, Amersham, Milton Keynes, Three Mile Cross and Chieveley. Aylesbury no longer have a roads policing base
Headgear
Thames Valley Police officers used to wear the traditional custodian helmetCustodian helmet
Custodian helmet or centurion helmet, technically known as a 'Home Office pattern helmet', is a helmet worn by many policemen in England and Wales.-History:...
in the comb style with a Brunswick star
Brunswick star
The Brunswick star is an emblem which in outline is an eight-pointed or sixteen-pointed star, but which is composed of many narrow rays. It is used in Britain to surround the Royal Cypher on various badges, such as that worn on the caps and helmets of almost all police forces...
that reads 'Thames Valley Police' for foot patrol, but this was dropped for practicality and cost reasons in 2009. Now the standard headgear is a peaked cap for all officers ( with additional 'beading' around the edge for Inspectors and above) and a white peaked cap for traffic officer
Traffic officer
A traffic officer is a person with powers relating to the regulation of traffic on certain roads in England and Wales. In England, they are employed by the Highways Agency and in Wales by the Welsh Assembly Government and are not police officers or members of police forces.*Highways Agency Traffic...
s. Female officers wear a bowler hat, or a white bowler hat for traffic officer
Traffic officer
A traffic officer is a person with powers relating to the regulation of traffic on certain roads in England and Wales. In England, they are employed by the Highways Agency and in Wales by the Welsh Assembly Government and are not police officers or members of police forces.*Highways Agency Traffic...
s.
In 2009 Thames Valley Police proposed to be the first force to introduce the use of baseball caps as a primary mode of headgear. After trials were conducted the proposal was dropped as being 'a step too far from the professional image of the force'.
Uniform
When on duty officers wear a short sleeve black wicking t-shirt with 'Police' on the sleeves, and black uniform trousers with a cargo pocket on each leg. Thames Valley Police no longer use the traditional police jumper, having favoured the black fleece with police written on the chest and back. Thames Valley Police do not have Brunswick stars on their epauletteEpaulette
Epaulette is a type of ornamental shoulder piece or decoration used as insignia of rank by armed forces and other organizations.Epaulettes are fastened to the shoulder by a shoulder strap or "passant", a small strap parallel to the shoulder seam, and the button near the collar, or by laces on the...
s, just the rank
Police rank
- Australia :Generally, all police forces of Australia follow this rank structure with some individual state police forces have ranks differing slightly.Insignia of rank displayed on epaulette in italics and brackets...
and shoulder number.
Formal dress comprises an open-necked tunic, with white shirt/blouse and tie/cravat. All officers wear peaked caps, name badges and their rank on their epaulettes. The No.1 uniform is accompanied by black boots or shoes and occasionally black gloves, or brown gloves for the rank of Inspector and above.
The operational uniform, until 2009, consisted of traditional white shirt and tie with custodian helmet
Custodian helmet
Custodian helmet or centurion helmet, technically known as a 'Home Office pattern helmet', is a helmet worn by many policemen in England and Wales.-History:...
s for Constable
Constable
A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions.-Etymology:...
s and Sergeant
Sergeant
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
s, but this was dropped when it was deemed to be impractical and outdated, notwithstanding the retention of this uniform by other forces, and the almost universal retention of the helmet.
Equipment
Thames Valley Police officers carry TETRATerrestrial Trunked Radio
Terrestrial Trunked Radio is a professional mobile radio and two-way transceiver specification...
digital radios, PDAs, Hiatt
Hiatt
-Companies:*Hiatt & Co. A defunct UK based handcuff manufacturer best known for their Speedcuffs.-People:*Brenda Hiatt, American author*Fred Hiatt, American journalist*Jack Hiatt , American baseball player*John Hiatt , American musician...
rigid handcuffs, CapTor incapacitant gas, the autolock 22" collapsible baton, leg restraints, a resuscitation mask and a basic first aid kit. PCSO's don't carry autolock, handcuffs, leg restraints or Captor.
Should they be required to, some Thames Valley officers can use body-mounted cameras.
Police vehicles contain a variety of equipment, which can include Arnold batons, traffic cone
Traffic cone
Traffic cones, also called traffic pylons, road cones, highway cones, safety cones, construction cones or witches' hats or safety wizards, are usually cone-shaped markers that are placed on roads or footpaths to temporarily redirect traffic in a safe manner...
s, road signs, breathalyzer
Breathalyzer
A breathalyzer or breathalyser is a device for estimating blood alcohol content from a breath sample...
s, stingers
Spike strip
A spike strip is a device used to impede or stop the movement of wheeled vehicles by puncturing their tires...
, speed guns and more.
Vehicles
Thames Valley Police use various vehicles depending on the role they are required for. The bulk of TVP vehicles are Vauxhall.Vauxhall Astras are used as general purpose marked vehicles, they are used by both response officers and members of Neighbourhood Policing Teams. Vauxhall Corsas are also used as patrol vehicles by PCSOs and are usually semi marked (TVP insignia but no battenberg) although a number have no identifying marks at all. Vauxhall Vectra's and more recently Insignia's are used by the force's Roads Policing Unit, marked estates and hatchback's are generally used but there are a number of unmarked vehicles in the fleet also.
Vauxhall Zafira's are used by the Force Dog Section, although a number of other vehicles are used for non operational purposes.
Ford S-MAX MPVs are currently used by the force as Armed Response Vehicles kitted out with the RS Turbo 2.5T engine.
Thames Valley Police also utilise Ford Transits for Public Order and Prisoner escort vehicles as well as Vauxhall Vivaros which are issued to a number of Neighbourhood Policing Teams.
There are a small number of 4x4 vehicles in use around the force. Land Rover Defender 110s were the choice of vehicle and some are still in service but more recently Mitsubishi L200 Warriors have began to repalce many of the older Land Rovers.
Vauxhall Astra
Vauxhall Astra
Astra is a model name which has been used by Vauxhall, the British subsidiary of General Motors , on their small family car ranges since 1979. Astras are technically essentially identical with similar vehicles offered by GM's German subsidiary Opel in most other European countries...
- Response Car
Ford Transit Van - Public order
Vauxhall Vectra - Roads policing Department
Vauxhall Insignia - Roads policing Department
Volvo V70
Volvo V70
The Volvo V70 is a mid-size five-door estate car / station wagon manufactured by Volvo Cars since 2000. It is closely related to the S70, S60 and S80 saloons, as well as the four-wheel drive Cross Country and XC70....
- Roads policing Department
Mitsubishi Shogun - Roads policing Department
Vauxhall Zafira - Dog section
Mitsubishi L200 - Rural Policing
Vauxhall Corsa - PCSO unit
Vauxhall Vivaro - Neighbourhood policing
Livery
Thames Valley Police use the modern yellow and blue retro-reflective battenberg markings all over all operational vehicles, as well as the Thames Valley Police shield, and the contact phone number. The only exception of this is NPT carsNeighbourhood Policing Team
Neighbourhood Policing Teams are a concept developed by the United Kingdom police. It involves small teams of police officers who are dedicated to policing a certain community or area. There are 3,600 NPTs throughout the United Kingdom...
, which only have markings on the back and front, and read 'Neighbourhood Policing Team' on the side.
Thames Valley Police stopped using the 'jam sandwich' police car markings between 2000-2005 when battenburg markings
Battenburg markings
Battenburg refers to a pattern of high-visibility markings used to maximise conspicuity, primarily used on vehicles of the emergency services, but also in other applications such as uniforms...
were invented.
Name
Thames Valley Police has changed its name only once in its own history in 1971, from Thames Valley Constabulary to Thames Valley Police, a common change in most police forces that makes them more accessible.Thames Valley Police's motto in Latin is Sit pax in valle tamesis meaning 'Let there be Peace in the Thames Valley', their slogan is 'Reducing crime, disorder and fear'. The Thames Valley Police shield is made up of features from the shields of its five founding constabularies including a blue river depicting the Thames river and five crowns palisado depicting the five founding forces.
Strength and recruitment
Thames Valley Police employs 7,900 people and 908 volunteers. Of which 4250 are warranted Police OfficerPolice officer
A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
s, over 500 are Police Community Support Officers and 3150 are civilian staff. Of the 908 volunteers, 500 are Police Support Volunteers and 408 are warrantedSpecial Constables.
Thames Valley Police are currently not recruiting Constables, PCSOs, transferred officers, civilian staff or control room operators due to budget cuts
June 2010 United Kingdom Budget
The June 2010 United Kingdom Budget, officially known as 2010 Budget - Responsibility, freedom, fairness: a five year plan to re-build the economy, was delivered by George Osborne, Chancellor of the Exchequer, to the House of Commons in his budget speech that commenced at about 12.30 p.m on Tuesday...
. They are only hiring for roles that need to be filled.
Thames Valley Police is recruiting people for voluntary roles. Their Police Support Volunteer
Police Support Volunteer
Police Support Volunteer is a voluntary role within the ranks of British Police Forces that involves civilian and mainly office based duties. PSV schemes became popular after the millennium when forces were expanding and needed to be more connected to the community...
scheme is one of the largest in the country, they now have 500 PSV
Police Support Volunteer
Police Support Volunteer is a voluntary role within the ranks of British Police Forces that involves civilian and mainly office based duties. PSV schemes became popular after the millennium when forces were expanding and needed to be more connected to the community...
s. Their Special Constabulary
Special Constabulary
The Special Constabulary is the part-time volunteer section of a statutory police force in the United Kingdom or some Crown dependencies. Its officers are known as Special Constables or informally as Specials.Every United Kingdom territorial police force has a special constabulary except the...
is also growing.
Training for new recruits in Thames Valley is held at Sulhamstead House in Sulhamstead
Sulhamstead
Sulhamstead is a village, electoral district and civil parish in Berkshire, England. It lies off the A4 national route between Reading and Thatcham, some west of central London.-Location:thumb|left|250px|1888 Ordnance Survey Parish Boundary Map...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. For Constable
Constable
A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions.-Etymology:...
s it consists of eight months' training and a two-year probationary period. For PCSO
Police community support officer
A police community support officer , or community support officer is a uniformed non-warranted officer employed by a territorial police force or the British Transport Police in England and Wales. Police community support officers were introduced in September 2002 by the Police Reform Act 2002...
s it consists of 18 weeks' training and a 15-weeks probationary period. For Special Constable
Special constable
A Special Constable is a law enforcement officer who is not a regular member of a police force. Some like the Royal Canadian Mounted Police carry the same law enforcement powers as regular members, but are employed in specific roles, such as explosive disposal technicians, court security, campus...
s it consists of 7 months of training during weeknights and weekends, and a two-year probationary period or less, dependent on the number of tours of duty.
Recruits receive their warrant card
Warrant card
A warrant card is proof of identification and authority carried by police officers. The term is normally used only within the United Kingdom and in current and former Commonwealth countries...
and uniform in the first two months of training.
Once the training period is over, the new officers are posted in a local division.
Future of Thames Valley Police
In a report published by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary in July 2011, the impact on the number of police officers and staff partly due to the reduction to Thames Valley Police's budget following the comprehensive spending review is as follows:| Police officers | Police staff | PCSOs | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 March 2010 (actual) | 4,268 | 2,855 | 500 | 7,623 |
| 31 March 2015 (proposed) | 4,034 | 2,541 | 453 | 7,028 |
March 2010 figures exclude 166 officers and 145 staff who were paid through the Thames Valley payroll system but were seconded to national and regional duties and were externally funded.
Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary
A report from March 2010 by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of ConstabularyHer Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary
Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary for Scotland in the United Kingdom have statutory responsibility for the inspection of police forces.-England and Wales:...
marked Thames Valley Police as 'fair' on local crime and policing, 'fair' on protection from serious harm and 'fair' on confidence and satisfaction.
In detail, Thames Valley was awarded only one 'excellent' for reducing road death and injury. They were 'fair' in all other categories except 'solving crime' and 'comparative satisfaction of BME community' and 'low/medium' for 'number of police officers and PCSOs'. They were praised for their 14% reduction in burglary after 'Operation Breaker' in July 2009.
Independent Police Complaints Commission
In the year 2008/9 the number of complaints recorded decreased by 2% but an increase of 8% above the previous years national average. The number of allegations recorded increased by 23% and 11% above the previous years national average.Thames Valley Police received 947 complaints and 1903 allegations, the national average being 338 per 1000 officers, TVP has 372, and TVP is just above 369 per 1000 officers, the average from a group of similar forces.
Of allegations 23% were 'failure or neglect in duty', 19% were 'incivility, impoliteness and intolerance', 14% 'assault', 4% were 'discrimination' and 1% were 'breach of PACE Code A'.
And of the 1903 allegations, 51% were investigated, 36% were locally resolved, 6% were withdrawn, 7% were dispensed and 0% were discontinued. Of the 51% allegations investigated 13% were substantiated and 87% were unsubstantiated.
Thames Valley Police investigates the greatest amount of allegations compared to its peer forces, its investigation rate is 15% higher than the national average. Its use of 'local resolution' has dropped 12% since 2005/6. Thames Valley has fewer allegations that are withdrawn, dispensed or discontinued.
Firearms training incident
On May 30, 2007 at Thames Valley Police headquarters in Kidlington whilst teaching a half-day course on firearms, PC David Micklethwaite demonstrated a Magnum .44 revolver which he had mistakenly loaded with live rounds. He pointed the gun at Keith Tilbury, a police phone operator attending the course, and fired the gun, almost killing Mr Tilbury.The firearms instructor was reported to have not been trained in firearms after failing the qualification at Metropolitan Police
Metropolitan police
Metropolitan Police is a generic title for the municipal police force for a major metropolitan area, and it may be part of the official title of the force...
training grounds, but TVP decided he would pass their less stringent test and was therefore suitable to teach the lesson. The instructor was told to cover the lesson at last minute and accidentally picked up a live round from the forces armoury instead of dummy rounds, a mistake caused by the ammunition being kept in similar Quality Street tins.
Mr Keith Tilbury underwent immediate surgery to his bowel, kidney, lung and liver, and in court it was said he was unlikely to work again.
Thames Valley Police pleaded guilty to breaching regulations, they were fined £40,000 and £25,000 for legal costs. Constable Micklethwaite initially denied any wrong doing, but later admitted to breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act
Health and Safety at Work Act
The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that defines the fundamental structure and authority for the encouragement, regulation and enforcement of workplace health, safety and welfare within the United Kingdom.The Act defines general duties on...
.
Underage PCSOs
In 2007 Thames Valley Police admitted to being one of the five forces that had employed Police Community Support OfficerPolice community support officer
A police community support officer , or community support officer is a uniformed non-warranted officer employed by a territorial police force or the British Transport Police in England and Wales. Police community support officers were introduced in September 2002 by the Police Reform Act 2002...
s that were both aged 16. Although this is not illegal, as the minimum age limit applies to Constables, not PCSOs. However the public and the Police Federation accused the idea as being "policing on the cheap" as an under 18 has a different wage scale and could cost £10,000 less. It was also feared that the officers were being placed in unreasonable danger as PCSOs have been attacked and stabbed in the past.
Thames Valley Police Authority
Thames Valley Police AuthorityPolice authority
A police authority in the United Kingdom, is a body charged with securing efficient and effective policing of a police area served by a territorial police force or the area and/or activity policed by a special police force...
consists of 19 Members, 10 of which are elected members, with two from Oxfordshire County Council, one from Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
County Council, and one each from the unitary authorities
Unitary authority
A unitary authority is a type of local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all local government functions within its area or performs additional functions which elsewhere in the relevant country are usually performed by national government or a higher level of sub-national...
of Bracknell Forest
Bracknell Forest
Bracknell Forest is a unitary authority and borough in Berkshire in southern England. It covers the towns of Bracknell, North Ascot, Sandhurst, Crowthorne and surrounding villages and hamlets.-History:...
, Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes (borough)
The Borough of Milton Keynes is a unitary authority and borough in south central England, at the northern tip of the South East England Region. For ceremonial purposes, it is in the county of Buckinghamshire...
, Reading
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
, Slough
Slough
Slough is a borough and unitary authority within the ceremonial county of Royal Berkshire, England. The town straddles the A4 Bath Road and the Great Western Main Line, west of central London...
, Wokingham
Wokingham (district)
Wokingham is a local government district in Berkshire, United Kingdom. It is named after its main town, Wokingham. Other places in the district include Arborfield, Barkham, Charvil, Earley, Finchampstead, Hurst, Sonning, Remenham, Ruscombe, Shinfield, Twyford, Wargrave, Three Mile Cross, Winnersh,...
, West Berkshire
West Berkshire
West Berkshire is a local government district in the ceremonial county of Berkshire, England, governed by a unitary authority . Its administrative capital is Newbury, located almost equidistantly between Bristol and London.-Geography:...
, and Windsor and Maidenhead. There are nine Independent Members of which one must be a Magistrate.
If the Government
Premiership of David Cameron
The premiership of David Cameron began on 11 May 2010 when Cameron accepted the Queen's invitation to form a government. This occurred upon the resignation of Cameron's predecessor as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Gordon Brown...
continues with its plans for directly-elected Police Commissioners
Police commissioner
Commissioner is a senior rank used in many police forces and may be rendered Police Commissioner or Commissioner of Police. In some organizations, the commissioner is a political appointee, and may or may not actually be a professional police officer. In these circumstances, there is often a...
the Thames Valley Police Authority will be scrapped.
Proposed merger
Proposals made by the Home SecretaryHome Secretary
The Secretary of State for the Home Department, commonly known as the Home Secretary, is the minister in charge of the Home Office of the United Kingdom, and one of the country's four Great Offices of State...
on 20 March 2006 would see the force stay as a single strategic police force for the area, a merger with Hampshire Constabulary
Hampshire Constabulary
Hampshire Constabulary is the territorial police force responsible for policing Hampshire and the Isle of Wight in southern England.The force area includes the cities of Winchester, Southampton and Portsmouth...
having been rejected.
Due to the large size of Thames Valley Police and that it is already made up of five police forces, it is unlikely it will be asked to merge with another force.
Budget deficit
Thames Valley Police has to make savings of £52 million over the next four years. Chief Constable Thornton said that they would have to 'cut back on all non-essential activity'. 347 million pounds of savings have been identified including back office cuts and efficiency measures, as well as cutting officers numbers by 10%, meaning 800 officers.In the media
The most famous Thames Valley Police officer may be the fictional Inspector MorseInspector Morse
Inspector Morse is a fictional character in the eponymous series of detective novels by British author Colin Dexter, as well as the 33-episode 1987–2000 television adaptation of the same name, in which the character was portrayed by John Thaw. Morse is a senior CID officer with the Thames Valley...
(along with his aide, Sergeant Lewis), the main character in 13 novels by Colin Dexter
Colin Dexter
Norman Colin Dexter, OBE, is an English crime writer, known for his Inspector Morse novels which were written between 1975 and 1999 and adapted as a television series from 1987 to 2000.-Early life and career:...
and 33 television episodes by ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
. Also, Inspector Barnaby
Tom Barnaby
Detective Chief Inspector Thomas Geoffrey "Tom" Barnaby is a fictional detective created by Caroline Graham. DCI Barnaby is featured in the Chief Inspector Barnaby book series which began with The Killing at Badger's Drift in 1987. Barnaby is also the main detective in Midsomer Murders, a popular...
's Midsomer Murders
Midsomer Murders
Midsomer Murders is a British television detective drama that has aired on ITV since 1997. The show is based on the books by Caroline Graham, as originally adapted by Anthony Horowitz. The lead character is DCI Tom Barnaby who works for Causton CID. When Nettles left the show in 2011 he was...
often have recognizable Thames Valley locations behind fictitious names such as "Causton" (Wallingford), set in fictional Midsomer Constabulary.
In 1982 the BBC broadcast a nine part series by Roger Graef
Roger Graef
Roger Arthur Graef OBE is a criminologist and film-maker. Born in New York, he moved to Britain in 1962, where he has made ground-breaking documentary films with his ability to gain access to hitherto closed institutions, including Government ministries and court buildings.-Early life:Graef was...
and Charles Stewart entitled Police
Police (TV series)
Police was a BBC Television documentary television series about Thames Valley Police, first broadcast in 1982. Produced by Roger Graef and directed by Charles Stewart, it won the BAFTA award for best factual series....
, which showed a fly-on-the-wall account of Thames Valley's E Division based in Reading
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
. This featured the rather demeaning treatment of a female victim of rape which was much discussed in the media at the time.
Between 2003 and 2008 a Sky1 programme, Road Wars, followed the Roads Policing Proactive and Problem Solving Team while they carried out their duties. The series followed a select group of officers on duty, who as a result became too well known causing the Chief Constable to ask Sky to move their programme to another force.
IT resource merger
Thames Valley Police and Hampshire Police authorities have agreed to share ICT support and infrastructure, with all IT workers now employees of Thames Valley Police. This will also include the Isle of Wight, a division of Hampshire Police. The partnership in Information Technology is the first of its kind in the country.Thames Valley Police Museum
Sulhamstead
Sulhamstead is a village, electoral district and civil parish in Berkshire, England. It lies off the A4 national route between Reading and Thatcham, some west of central London.-Location:thumb|left|250px|1888 Ordnance Survey Parish Boundary Map...
in the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county of Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
. The site was formerly the headquarters of the Berkshire Constabulary
Berkshire Constabulary
Berkshire Constabulary is a former Home Office police force which was responsible for policing the county of Berkshire in Southern England. Berkshire Constabulary was merged with several other adjacent police forces in 1968 to form the Thames Valley Police....
, and is now the training centre for the Thames Valley Police. The museum is open by appointment.
The museum includes displays on the history of Thames Valley Police and the five police forces that were amalgamated to form the force in 1968; the Buckinghamshire Constabulary
Buckinghamshire Constabulary
Buckinghamshire Constabulary was the Home Office police force for the county of Buckinghamshire, England, until 1968.Buckinghamshire Constabulary was established in 1857. It later absorbed Buckingham Borough Police and Chepping Wycombe Borough Police...
, the Berkshire Constabulary, Oxford City Police, the Oxfordshire Constabulary
Oxfordshire Constabulary
Oxfordshire Constabulary was the Home Office police force for the county of Oxfordshire, England, until 1968.Oxfordshire Constabulary was established in 1857. It later absorbed Banbury Borough Police and Chipping Norton Borough Police and Henley Borough Police...
and the Reading Borough Police
Reading Borough Police
The Reading Borough Police was a police force for the borough of Reading in the United Kingdom. The force was created in 1836, at which time it had a strength of 30 constables, two sergeants and two inspectors....
. The museum's collections include items from the Great Train Robbery
Great Train Robbery (1963)
The Great Train Robbery is the name given to a £2.6 million train robbery committed on 8 August 1963 at Bridego Railway Bridge, Ledburn near Mentmore in Buckinghamshire, England. The bulk of the stolen money was not recovered...
of 1963, uniforms, equipment, medals, photographs, scenes of crime evidence, and occurrence and charge books.
In 2006, the exhibition space of the museum was renovated.
Merged content from Thames Valley Police Museum to here. See Talk:Thames Valley Police Museum.
Officers killed in the line of duty
The Police Memorial TrustPolice Memorial Trust
The Police Memorial Trust is a charitable organisation founded in 1984 and based in London. The trust's objective is to erect memorials to British police officers killed in the line of duty, at or near the spot where they died, thereby acting as a permanent reminder to the public of the sacrifice...
lists and commemorates all British police officers killed in the line of duty, and since its establishment in 1984 has erected over 38 memorials to some of those officers.
The following officers of Thames Valley Police are listed by the Trust as having died attempting to prevent, stop or solve a crime, since the turn of the 20th century:
- PC Roger Brereton, 1987 (shot in the Hungerford massacreHungerford massacreThe Hungerford massacre occurred in Hungerford, Berkshire, England, on 19 August 1987. The gunman, 27-year-old Michael Robert Ryan, armed with two semi-automatic rifles and a handgun, shot and killed sixteen people including his mother, and wounded fifteen others, then fatally shot himself...
) - WPC Joanne Mary Cochran, 1984 (fatally injured when her vehicle crashed during a police pursuitCar chaseA car chase is the vehicular pursuit of a suspect by law enforcement officers. Car chases are often captured on film and broadcast due to the availability of video footage recorded by police cars and police and media helicopters participating in the chase...
) - DC Ian Coward QPM, 1971 (shot nine times attempting to arrest an armed suspect; posthumously awarded the Queen's Police MedalQueen's Police MedalThe Queen's Police Medal is awarded to police officers in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth for gallantry or distinguished service. Recipients may use the post-nominal letters "QPM", although the right to use these was only granted officially on 20 July 1969...
) - Insp James Roy Bradley, 1967 (run over by a suspect car at a roadblock)
- DC Brian Moss, 1953 (fell through a roof while searching for suspects)
- PC William John Payne, 1949 (collapsed and died after pursuing a burglar)
- Insp Francis John East, 1944 (fatally injured when pushed off a vehicle by a suspect)
See also
- Chiltern Air Support UnitChiltern Air Support UnitThe Chiltern Air Support Unit are a police helicopter unit that operates under a consortium agreement between Bedfordshire Police, Thames Valley Police and Hertfordshire Police.-History:...
- Policing in the United KingdomPolicing in the United KingdomLaw enforcement in the United Kingdom is organised separately in each of the legal systems of the United Kingdom: England & Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland ....
- List of law enforcement agencies in the United Kingdom
- Thames ValleyThames ValleyThe Thames Valley Region is a loose term for the English counties and towns roughly following the course of the River Thames as it flows from Oxfordshire in the west to London in the east. It includes parts of Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, North Hampshire, Surrey and west London...