BICESTER POLICE STATION

Thames Valley Police Authority is one of 43 police authorities in England and Wales. Its primary responsibility is to secure and maintain an efficient and effective police service in Thames Valley. It does this by:

Hiring, and if necessary firing, the Chief Constable and senior police officers – it also checks on complaints against the police.

Setting the policing budget and level of council tax.

Publishing an annual plan, based on consultation with local people, setting out the services the police force should deliver and targets it should meet.

The Police Authority is mainly concerned with the monitoring and scrutiny of the police force and does not have a role in the management of operational policing matters - this falls strictly within the remit of the Chief Constable of Thames Valley Police. However, it can require the Chief Constable to submit reports on particular operations which generate public concern.

In addition, the Chief Constable submits an annual report to the Authority on the policing of Thames Valley and attends monthly Police Authority meetings to deliver reports and updates.

You can take some simple and cost-effective steps to tighten your home security and dramatically reduce your chances of becoming a victim of burglary. The same applies if your home has been broken into before – please address any weaknesses in your home security.

Thames Valley Police’s ‘Safer Homes’ campaign aims to raise awareness among householders about what you can do to prevent and reduce burglary.

At least 80 per cent of burglaries are committed by amateur opportunists who take advantage of open or vulnerable doors and windows, keys left in insecure ‘hiding places’, and unlocked side gates, for example.

In around 25 per cent of break-ins, particularly those that take place in the spring and summer, entry is gained through insecure doors and windows, especially at the rear of the property.