Pangbourne residents want police to focus on tackling antisocial behaviour
Residents in Pangbourne say their top concerns include sorting antisocial behaviour (ASB).
Thames Valley Police’s Neighbourhood Team for the village recently conducted a survey into priorities of the people who live there.
In all, 160 people responded, and placed ASB at the top of their lists.
In second place was the use of e-scooters and e-bikes, while drug dealing was the third placed priority.
Officers say they will use this information to focus on the next three months.
Over the summer, the police have regularly patrolled Pangbourne Meadows and asked for witnesses to come forward.
They also reported the use of off-road bikes and appealed for footage and images from witnesses.
In August, they enacted a Section 34 Dispersal order for two days, granting them powers to exclude a person from the area if they felt it was likely they could cause a problem.
It also allowed officers to take under 16s home or to a place of safety.
They have also increased patrols in the Pincents Lane area of Calcot.
In a post on social media, officers noted: “The neighbourhood team have increased patrols in the area and engaged with the group of youths involved in these reports regularly.
“Alongside this engagement, officers have conducted home visits with those identified and spoken with parents as well as referring them to Youth Justice Support Team for intervention and engagement.
“Where crimes have been reported they have been investigated and dealt with accordingly.”
Police have also been taking action on the use of off-road bikes in Calcot and Tilehurst, with an e-bike recently seized.
Another priority officers have been tackling has been car meets in Theale.
The police wrote: “There are two strands to the ongoing work regard this issue.
“First, the neighbourhood team have continually worked to respond to car meets as quickly as possible to disperse vehicles and crowds quickly to decrease the impact to the local community.
“Alongside this the team are working with the local authority, and other partners, to work towards a longer-term solution.
“This work will be ongoing.”
