Maidenhead & Windsor

At about 7.45pm on 8 November, police received reports that large groups of youths were congregating in Sunderland Road, Maidenhead.

There was a rapid police response with a team of officers deployed to the Maidenhead area. The large police presence prevented any serious trouble and the situation was kept under control. However, there were several reports of damage to cars in nearby streets that night. Officers stopped and checked a large group of youths, and later arrested a 17-year-old man on suspicion of criminal damage. A 20-year-old man was arrested the following day (9/11) on suspicion of violent disorder. They have both been released on police bail.

Supt Dan Hale, commander of Windsor and Maidenhead local police area, said: “We are treating recent incidents of anti-social behaviour in Pinkneys Green extremely seriously, and we have put a number of measures in place to tackle the problem.

“In response to the incident on 8 November, we mounted Operation Lowdown last weekend (10-12 November). On Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, we deployed extra officers to patrol the area.

“Shortly after midnight on 10 November, two 17-year-olds and a 19-year-old were arrested on suspicion of criminal damage after several cars were vandalised in North Town Road earlier that night. All three were released on bail. There were several other arrests over the weekend for various offences, including possession of Class A drugs, and a number of people were stopped and searched by officers. However, the highly visible police presence prevented any further outbreaks of crime and disorder.

“Since 1 April 2006, there has been a dispersal order in place covering the Pinkneys Green estate, and this has recently been extended to run until 31 December. Police patrolling the area regularly use their powers under the order to disperse groups of youths. Although most people comply with police requests, there have been several arrests of people who have refused to disperse.

“At the end of November, we will officially launch the Neighbourhood Policing initiative in Pinkneys Green and Furze Platt. The area has been selected as the first neighbourhood in Maidenhead to go live with this new style of community policing, which is designed to address precisely the sort of problems experienced by residents in the locality.

“Taking a partnership approach to tackling anti-social behaviour and quality-of-life issues, Neighbourhood Policing has been proven to make a difference in other parts of the Thames Valley.

“We hope that people from across the community will join police, the Royal Borough and other partner organisations in working together to put an end to the mindless behaviour of a small minority, which has caused so much nuisance and distress to residents.

”Information provided by local people is invaluable to police, helping us not only to identify offenders but also to deploy officers where they are most needed. I would encourage people to get involved by attending neighbourhood forums, joining neighbourhood watch schemes, coming along to beat surgeries, talking to officers on patrol, or calling police on 0845 8 505 505. If you prefer to remain anonymous, you can pass on information via the confidential Crimestoppers number, 0800 555 111."

Thames Valley Police ~ Maidenhead