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THAMES VALLEY POLICE
Thames Valley Police is one of the largest Home Office police services in England and the largest non-metropolitan one, covering 2200 sq mi (5,700 km²) and a population of 2.1 million. The force is responsible for the Thames Valley area covered by the ceremonial counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire.
In December 2003, Thames Valley Police employed over 6,000 staff, including 4,189 police officers. Its motto is Sit pax in valle tamesis (Latin: 'Let there be Peace in the Thames Valley') [1]; its slogan is reducing crime, disorder and fear.
Police authority
Thames Valley Police Authority has 10 elected members, with two from Oxfordshire County Council, one from Buckinghamshire County Council, and one each from the unitary authorities of Bracknell Forest, Milton Keynes, Reading, Slough, Wokingham, West Berkshire, and Windsor and Maidenhead. There are three justices of the peace, one each from Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire.[2]
History
The Thames Valley Police force was formed in 1968 through the amalgamation of the Buckinghamshire Constabulary, the Berkshire Constabulary, Oxford City Police, the Oxfordshire Constabulary and the Reading Borough Police.
Proposals made by the Home Secretary on March 20, 2006 would see the force stay as a single strategic police force for the area. [3]
Locations
The headquarters of Thames Valley Police is at Oxford Road, Kidlington, Oxfordshire. The force is covered by three control rooms, with the one in Abingdon covering North and South Oxon, Oxford city, Reading and West Berkshire, one in Milton Keynes covering Buckinghamshire and East Berkshire, and one within the headquarters building covering motorways and general Roads Policing.
The former headquarters of the Berkshire County Police at Sulhamstead House in Sulhamstead is still used by the Thames Valley Police as its training college. It is also the location of the Thames Valley Police Museum.
There are also several Traffic Department (Roads Policing) bases at strategic locations around the force at Abingdon, Bicester, Taplow, Amersham, Aylesbury, Milton Keynes, Three Mile Cross and Chieveley.
In the media
The most famous Thames Valley Police officer may be the fictional Inspector Morse (along with his aide, Sergeant Lewis), the main character in 13 novels by Colin Dexter and 33 television episodes by ITV.
Beginning in 2003 a Sky One programme, Road Wars, followed the fourteen members of the Roads Policing Proactive Team while they carried out their duties. The unit operates high-specification unmarked Vauxhall Omegas and is tasked with "proactive" crime prevention and general traffic policing.
See also
References
External links
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