Abingdon Town

Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) in Abingdon Town Centre

The team worked closely CID following a female being sexually assaulted by an unknown male on the Drayton Road area. Due to completing enquiries to identify witnesses we were able to identify the male and find CCTV in the area. When looking for CCTV it was identified that a camera was obscured by foliage; the site was contacted and the vegetation has since been cut back to improve visibility and enhance future crime prevention.
The team is collaborating with partners to develop a Lift the Curfew initiative in Abingdon. The aim is to empower women to feel safer when out after dark and to promote confidence in the night time environment. This project is currently in the planning stages, and the team is enthusiastic about progressing it with support from the town centre.
Following recent reports of indecent exposure in the Harcourt Hill and Didcot areas, the Abingdon NHPT successfully identified a suspect. He is currently on bail while officers continue to gather witness statements and progress the investigation

Retail theft and financial scams in Abingdon

Waitrose was arrested who was from the Hampshire area where he was dealt with for several thousand pounds of thefts. He through the work of the team has released that Abingdon will not be a soft target for travelling criminals.
With the opening of the new M&S food store the team of course had to visit to check their security, not their baked goods (though they looked tempting). It was good to speak with their undercover security guards who showed off their impressive CCTV system. This has helped strengthen links with new businesses in our area.
Through the team’s strong local knowledge of known offenders in the area, officers were able to identify a male linked to multiple shopliftings on Northcourt Road, as well as a series of thefts from motor vehicles in Sutton Courtenay. He has since been arrested, and the team is now preparing all case files for submission to the CPS for a charging decision.
In addition, officers identified another male responsible for a series of shopliftings across several stores in the town centre, along with the theft of a push bike. The team has been working closely with Probation in relation to both individuals to ensure that all appropriate measures are being considered to reduce their offending and prevent further harm within the community.

Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) in Abingdon

There have been recent issues of ASB at Costa coffee in town, so the team arranged a meeting with regional managers to discuss the issues and see if they could provide CCCTV so those involved could be identified.
A youth with gel toy gun who thought it was fun to shoot at people with the town centre, where it hit a person in their eye. This youth was spotted by our CCTV system in the town centre in the precinct again with the gun shooting it. The youth was stopped by our team and gun seized from them. This now will be referred to our Youth Justice Unit to make a decision on diversion, as we are committed to guiding our young people towards better choices.
The team are aware of the issues multistorey car park in the Charter and have raised to the owners over suggestions to reduce the ASB from installing cameras to tidying the site up of rubbish. Due to recent arson attempts at the site the team were patrolling the area and found a youth graffitiing the area, where he was issued a community resolution and taken home to his parents who were definitely going to be also issuing their on form of punishment.