Thames Valley Police rated "Outstanding"
Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) has rated Thames Valley Police at "Outstanding" in their latest inspection.
As part of it's annual inspections of police effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy (PEEL), HMICFRS assesses the efficiency and leadership of forces in England and Wales.
The Inspectors concluded,
"Thames Valley Police is judged to be outstanding in the efficiency with which it keeps people safe and reduces crime. Our overall judgment this year is an improvement on last year when the force was judged to be good for efficiency overall. The force is judged to be outstanding in its understanding of demand; its use of resources to manage demand is also assessed to be outstanding; and its planning for future demand is judged to be good."
Report shows the true extent of modern slavery in the Thames Valley
A report released on the eve of International Day for the Abolition of Slavery by the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) shows that Modern Slavery is more prevalent in the Thames Valley than previous estimates suggested.
The report, which was commissioned by the PCC and undertaken by academics from the University of Huddersfield, presents an evaluation of a new service to identify and support victims.
The Thames Valley Independent Trauma Advisory (ITA) pilot project was initially funded by the PCC in 2014 to work with victims of Modern Slavery and exploitation and assist them to access support, ensure their safety and help them recover from their experience. The PCC was then able to secure match funding from the Home Office to further develop and evaluate the model for another two years from 2015 to 2017. The evaluation of this project has informed the Office of the PCC and partners about the nature of Modern Slavery in the Thames Valley including how prevalent it is.
Currently the most conservative estimate of Modern Slavery are based on criminal justice figures which suggest that in the year 2016 there were around 533 Modern Slavery victims in the Thames Valley region. However, the latest evaluation used data from support services and estimated the actual number to be considerably higher at around 2,500 victims in 2016.
Over the course of the two year pilot, the ITA project supported 145 victims. The number of victims referred to the service increased over the period and many victims experienced more than one form of exploitation. Many of the perpetrators identified were lone individuals or couples, for example ‘friends’, private landlords and family members, and few cases involved gangs or criminals involved in drug-dealing and violence.
Contrary to the common perception that most victims are trafficked from outside the UK the new findings from the evaluation show that over 50% of victims referred to the service were UK citizens. The evaluation concluded that trafficking is just one process that perpetrators of modern day slavery might use, rather than defining the experience of all victims. It is important to address mistaken perceptions about Modern Slavery so that signs are not overlooked and vulnerable people are left at risk.
Tackling rural crime with the Kubota
Rural crime remains a priority for the Police & Crime Commissioner. Thames Valley Police have put together a series of short films highlighting some of the ways in which they are getting to grips with rural crime across our area. Click here to see how the police are using the Kubota to tackle criminals.
Can you help support victims as an approved counsellor?
The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Thames Valley has a responsibility for supporting victims of crime and we have developed a number of services to do this under the ‘Victims First’ banner. All of these support services are available regardless of whether the victim has reported the crime to the police or not.
One of the services we offer is our Victims First Specialist Counselling Service which receives referrals for victims who require counselling, matches them with an appropriate counsellor and then funds these sessions.
We are currently seeking qualified counsellors who have evidenced experience and knowledge of supporting victims of crime, including abuse, to join this service as an ‘Approved Counsellor’.
Once you have achieved ‘approved status’ you will be included on our database and be considered for any referrals we receive near your location and with the initial needs that match the support you offer.
We cover the whole of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, including Milton Keynes, and Oxfordshire so are seeking counsellors from those areas but also for any individuals or organisations who work close to those county borders.
More information on the service as well as the application form to become an ‘Approved Counsellor’ can be found at https://www.thamesvalley-pcc.gov.uk/victims-first/counselling/
You may also be interested to view our Victims First website which has a directory of support services and information for victims: www.victims-first.org.uk
If you have any further questions or queries then please do not hesitate to contact us by emailing counsellinghub@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk
Victims First is now on Facebook
We have launched a new Facebook page as part of our Victims First initiative www.fb.com/victimsfirstTV.
As more and more people turn to social media as a source of help and advice it is vital that we make maximum use of Facebook to reach out to vulnerable victims to ensure they are receiving the help they need in times of crisis.