Wallingford, Berinsfield and Cholsey

Knife crime and drug use in Wallingford, Benson and Berinsfield

The Neighbourhood Team remains focused on addressing ongoing concerns around knife-carrying and drug-related activity within the area. Officers continue to use stop and search powers lawfully and appropriately, based on reasonable grounds, to detect and disrupt those involved in carrying weapons. Targeted patrols and intelligence led activity support our efforts to reduce harm and remove weapons from our streets. Our approach is firm: when legal grounds exist, we will use these powers to keep the community safe.
Between the 18th and 24th of May, the national Op Sceptre campaign saw targeted activities around the town, including test purchasing of knives in retail outlets, weapon sweeps of public spaces and focused presentations to schools and youth groups.
Knife-enabled crime in Wallingford remains very low, which is reassuring. However, we are mindful that weapons and drugs are often closely linked, and we are determined not to become complacent. We will continue to remain vigilant to the risks associated with individuals carrying weapons.
Nationally, there is a well-established link between drug supply, serious violence, and knife carrying, with weapons often used for protection, intimidation, or the enforcement of drug debts. This is particularly evident in areas affected by County Lines activity, where young people can be exploited and drawn into both drug supply and associated violence.
To address this, we continue to work closely with local secondary schools and youth services to raise awareness of child criminal exploitation, drug misuse, and the risks linked to County Lines. Education and early intervention remain vital in preventing young people from becoming involved in criminal activity, and we are committed to supporting schools with advice, guidance, and safeguarding where necessary.
Alongside this, we carry out joint visits with housing partners to addresses of concern, ensuring that vulnerable residents are identified early and provided with the appropriate support.
While this is not a widespread issue locally, we recognise the importance of early intervention and disruption to prevent these patterns from becoming established in our communities.
We also recognise that prevention is key. By identifying individuals at risk early and working with families and partner organisations, we aim to divert young people away from harm before they become involved in more serious offending.
Our approach remains clear: while knife crime levels are low, we will continue to act robustly where concerns are identified, using all available powers and partnership opportunities to keep the Wallingford area a safe place to live, work, and visit.
We are aware of reports of drug-related activity in Wallingford and Benson - including within people’s homes - and we are continuing to focus patrols in these areas in the coming month. We will continue to use all available tactics—both overt and covert—to identify those responsible and deal with them robustly. We are also working with local pubs and bars through Pubwatch and licensing meetings to identify and prevent drug use and related behaviour within licensed premises.
We ask the community to remain vigilant and report anything suspicious, as so much of the information we act upon comes directly from you. Your reports help us build a clearer picture, identify offenders, and protect vulnerable people.
We are also working closely with the courts and housing authorities, with options of full and partial closure orders where high levels of drug related activity and ASB have taken place.
If you have concerns about someone who may be affected by drugs, please contact us directly or seek confidential advice through Talk to FRANK.
If you have information linked to drug use or supply, cuckooing, exploitation, or knife-enabled crime, you can report this via 101, our online reporting tool, or anonymously through CrimeStoppers. If a crime is happening at the time, always call 999.

Anti-social behaviour (ASB) in Wallingford, Benson and Berinsfield

Wallingford and the surrounding villages remain a key focus for the team although May has seen a decrease of 21% in reported anti-social behaviour from the previous month. Recent reports have centred around Waitrose, Bullcroft, Kinecroft, the riverside area, and the Market Place in Wallingford, and several locations around Benson and Berinsfield too.
We are continuing to tackle ASB through a mix of high-visibility patrols, plain clothes operations, and strong partnership working. The team regularly works alongside the Community Safety Partnership, housing associations, local authorities, and education providers to educate young people, intervene early, and address behaviour through a range of proportionate measures.
The team continues to patrol ASB hotspot areas, host Have Your Say meetings, and school visits, balancing this with growing demand across all areas of policing. While there is a national focus on increasing officer numbers, this does not always translate directly to additional neighbourhood officers locally. As a result, we are prioritising our patrols using data and intelligence to ensure we are visible where it matters most and delivering the greatest impact for our communities.
The Community Safety Partnership has recently carried out an Environmental Visual Audit in key locations, and we continue to work closely with all partners to reduce both the frequency and the impact of ASB in the area.

Pubwatch has been particularly successful among participating venues, offering a strong support network for licensed premises. The scheme benefits from regular contact, guidance, and assistance from the Neighbourhood Team and the wider police community.

If you or your organisation would like to host a future Have Your Say event, please get in touch. Your feedback is helping shape the priorities as we develop a collective approach for 2026.

Reduce retail crime in Benson/Cholsey/Wallingford

The team continues to work closely with the dedicated Retail Crime Team and local retailers to tackle shoplifting across the town. We are encouraging all stores to make full use of the current DISC App, and new AUROR app, which enable retailers to quickly and effectively share images of offenders and report incidents directly to us. We encourage all business owners locally to engage with these initiatives and recognise the benefits, so they do not miss out on this valuable tool in detection and prevention of retail crime.

Operation Purchase remains a key focus for the team, involving high visibility patrols in hotspot areas and target-hardening measures to deter offending and support store staff.
The local NH team has secured further positive outcomes for shoplifting over the last month and is developing plans to utilise advanced policing technology, alongside partner working, to target and disrupt repeat offenders.
We will continue working with retailers and business owners to improve communication, take robust action against offenders, and recognise both the national focus on retail crime and the significant personal and financial impact it has on local businesses.
The Neighbourhood Team will continue to work closely with Licensing to prevent the unlawful sale of vapes, alcohol, and regulated energy drinks to children, helping keep young people safe. Please report any concerns you may have to us via our website reporting tool or 101.

Heritage Crime in Wallingford

While we have not seen a significant rise in heritage-related incidents recently, the Neighbourhood Team remains fully committed to protecting the historic sites, buildings, and landmarks that are such an important part of Wallingford and the surrounding villages. Heritage crime—including graffiti, criminal damage, and the theft of historically significant items—can cause lasting harm to the character and integrity of these locations, and we take these matters very seriously.
We are aware of continued trespassing at the Carmel College site, as well as other abandoned buildings in the area, often linked to so-called “urban exploring.”
These sites present serious safety risks, including unstable structures, collapsed flooring, and concealed hazards, placing individuals at real risk of significant injury or worse. We would strongly discourage anyone from entering these premises.
We are also aware that damage has been caused to listed buildings within the site, which are of historic importance to the local area. This damage is unacceptable and contributes to the long-term loss of valued heritage assets.
Whilst trespass itself is generally a civil matter, those entering these sites should be under no misunderstanding—such activity can quickly lead to criminal offences, including criminal damage, burglary, theft, and public order offences. Where offences are identified, individuals may be arrested and prosecuted.
We will continue to carry out targeted patrols and work with landowners and partner agencies to deter trespassing, protect the site, and take enforcement action where appropriate.
We also ask parents and carers to ensure they are aware of their children’s whereabouts and to discuss the risks and consequences associated with entering unsafe, restricted sites.
We continue to work with local schools and the local authority and we will continue to respond swiftly and appropriately to any future reports affecting heritage structures. Protecting the history of the area is a shared responsibility, and we remain focused on early identification of those responsible and preventing further damage.
We recognise just how important the area’s heritage is to residents, visitors, and the wider community. Because of this, we will continue to work closely with local councils, heritage organisations, and partner agencies to preserve these buildings and spaces for future generations.
The team also continues to collaborate with the Rural Crime Taskforce, who along with the NH team, made several arrests connected to the theft of historical items from religious establishments in the region. This joint work reinforces our collective commitment to safeguarding heritage sites and ensuring those who target them are dealt with robustly.