Residents of Wallingford and the surrounding villages will have a chance to meet and question the key people working to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour at a Safer Communities Day.

The Safer Communities Day, on Wednesday, June 25, consists of two events:

  • Meet the people from 12pm until 4pm in Wallingford Market Place
  • Question time at 6pm in the Regal Centre, Wallingford.

Members of the neighbourhood policing team, fire officers, community safety officers and representatives from South Oxfordshire District Council will be available all afternoon to provide information about their services and demonstrate the work that is happening in the Wallingford area.

The Wallingford area Neighbourhood Action Group will also be surveying people to find out their priorities they want tackled. The NAG has already done a lot of work to tackle anti-social behaviour in the Market Place and now needs to identify its next priority.

Supt Andy Murray, Local Police Area Commander for the area, said: "I hope that this event will help us to connect further with our local communities and partners through neighbourhood policing. We aim to tackle the key quality of life issues raised by the neighbourhood and work with the community to address those issues. Our local officers will be at the event and available for people to speak to."

Sgt Fraser Weller, from the Wallingford Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: "This event is an opportunity to speak in confidence with local officers about any issues - from neighbourhood disputes to problems with litter and speeding, in fact any issue which affects you and your quality of life. Our crime reduction adviser will be there to give advice and we really appreciate the views of the Wallingford residents and would encourage as many people as possible to attend."

At 6pm at The Regal Centre there will be an opportunity to question the policy makers and community leaders on their achievements and plans for the future with a focus on crime, anti-social behaviour and road safety. The question panel will include:

  • Hazel Bell, Thames Valley Police Authority
  • Superintendent Andrew Murray, Police Area Commander
  • Councillor Dorothy Brown, Cabinet member for Community Safety, South Oxfordshire District Council
  • Bob Swanton, Fire and Rescue Service
  • Wallingford Area NAG representative
  • Ruth Whyte, Safer Communities Manager, Oxfordshire County Council.

Councillor Dorothy Brown, responsible for community safety at South Oxfordshire District Council, said: "As a council we recently agreed our eight priorities for the next year which include helping people to feel safe and secure. The Safer Communities Day gives people the opportunity to find out how we will be working in partnership to deliver their priorities for the area."