Alongside the Chief Constable, I was pleased to recently award over £200,000 of funding to 43 community organisations in the second round of this year’s Community Fund.
It is always a pleasure to meet so many deserving organisations at the presentation event, which took place in High Wycombe on 31 October.
As part of my responsibility in setting Thames Valley Police’s budget, I am currently seeking views from residents on police funding. The consultation forms part of my ongoing Local Crime Survey and asks residents to prioritise the areas of policing where they would like to see funding focused. The closing date for responses is Friday 3rd January 2025, in order to feed into the 2025/26 budgetary process. All responses are anonymous and will remain confidential.
As part of Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) Awareness Week last month, I was pleased to visit Alternatives to Conflict to find out how the Thames Valley ASB Mediation Service which I funded earlier this year is supporting residents who are in dispute to reach agreement.
At the end of October, I provided an update on the independent review into the policies and procedures relating to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at Thames Valley Police. I have now appointed Kerrin Wilson QPM to conduct that review, who will be reporting back to me in the New Year.
Finally, as we approach the Christmas period I know that many of our police staff and officers will once again sacrifice precious time with their families to serve our communities.
I wish you all a safe and merry Christmas, and look forward to continuing to ensure Thames Valley Police is working effectively to keep our communities safe in 2025.
Matthew Barber
Police and Crime Commissioner for Thames Valley