Wokingham

Wokingham Borough Council has held its first review of a shop’s alcohol licence since taking over as the licensing authority in 2005 and suspended the licence of Barrett Food Stores, Barrett Crescent, Wokingham.

Thames Valley Police applied for the review after Barrett Food Stores, Wokingham failed a test purchase and the police came to believe there was a lack of management in respect of licensing law at the premises and some training issues over the sale of alcohol.

The Wokingham review was heard by the licensing and appeals (hearings) sub committee on Wednesday January 27 and the premise’s licence was suspended for a maximum of three months or until the store proves to the council that all the staff selling alcohol have undergone accredited training to do so.

Wokingham Borough Council became the licensing authority after licensing law changed in 2005 and it took over the role from Justices of the Peace. Since then, the council has worked closely with the police and licence holders themselves to cut sales of alcohol to under-age drinkers and to ensure licence holders act responsibly. This is the first time since taking over the role that Wokingham Borough Council has had to review a licence.

Wokingham Borough Council principal licensing officer Julia O’Brien said: “It is testament to the way all those involved in alcohol licensing have worked together that this is only the first time we have had to review a licence since taking over in November 2005. This has not been down to undue leniency on our part – we have always been ready to take enforcement action if necessary – but working together to train and support alcohol licence holders is by far the most effective way to ensure they act responsibly.

“It is a shame that we have had to have this review and the licence has been suspended, but it is a reminder to other licensees that will act if there is a feeling that licence holders are not acting responsibly.”

Wokingham Borough Council’s licensing policy has four objectives: the prevention of crime and disorder, public safety, the prevention of public nuisance and the protection of children from harm. Licence reviews can be requested by organisations such as the police, fire services and the council’s children’s services if they have concerns about a licence in relation to any of these. Thames Valley Police applied for the review into Barrett Food Stores premises licence because it believed the licence holder had seriously undermined licensing objectives of protection of children from harm and prevention of crime and disorder.

Wokingham Borough Council

Wokingham Thames Valley Police officers have arrested a man and a woman on suspicion of possession of drugs with intent to supply, after a drugs warrant was executed in Norreys Avenue, Wokingham, on Friday (5/2).

A 22-year-old man and a 36-year-old woman were arrested and released on police bail until 4 March.

Anyone with information about Wokingham drugs or any other crime should call police, via the 24-hour Police Enquiry Centre on 0845 8 505 505.

If you don’t want to talk to police or give your name, call the Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555 111.

Thames Valley Police ~ Wokingham

People with physical disabilities and long term conditions in the Wokingham Borough are enjoying more and more opportunities for worthwhile and rewarding ways to spend their days thanks to the changes being brought about by the transformation in adult social care by Putting People First* – and the development of these will be discussed by current and future social care customers and carers at a meeting this month.

Wokingham Adults with physical disabilities, along with other social care customers, are increasingly enjoying the chance to take control of their own care budgets under a system of self-directed support and using them in imaginative ways in both council-run services and those provided by voluntary and professional organisations.

There are already inspirational examples of how this is being done. Numerous sports and leisure activities such as sailing, therapeutic gardening, horse riding and pilates are being offered as well as one-to-one help to use community facilities. And the Wokingham council is determined to increase the opportunities available to people and has been consulting on how this can be achieved. As part of the consultation it has invited some 300 people to a meeting at The CResCent Centre, Warbler Drive, Lower Earley on Monday February 15 to discuss how more opportunities can be developed.

Wokingham Borough Council deputy executive member for social care and housing Cllr Bob Wyatt said: “In the light of the changes in the type of services required, we need the people who use and benefit from these day service opportunities to be involved in how they are developed. This meeting is part of making sure all voices are heard. The council needs to know what people will want in the future so that it can begin tailoring its services to meet those wishes and can encourage the development of services in voluntary or private bodies.”

Anybody with a legitimate interest in attending who has not been invited can contact Amanda Gordon on (0118) 974 6850, who will be able to arrange transport if necessary.

The future of Wokingham Westmead Day Centre is one of the topics that has been discussed in the ongoing consultation and could be discussed again at the meeting on February 15 because the centre has not been attracting new, young clients who are seeking activities outside the traditional social care institutions.

General manager Wokingham community care and housing Stuart Rowbotham said: “Nothing has been decided over Westmead but it is right that we are looking at it in conjunction with all day opportunities. We are in a position to offer the services and support that have been provided in Westmead in better, mainstream locations such as leisure and community facilities, although we recognise that some people prefer the perceived security of a dedicated space or base.

“A key result of people taking control over their care budgets is that it will force council services to be better and more attractive – if they are not, people will simply spend their care budgets elsewhere – and that is why we are desperate to get the views of all current and future social care customers and those who care for them.”

The feedback collected at the meeting and other consultation events will be used to draw up proposals for the future of day opportunities that will be considered by the council’s decision-making executive later in the year.

Wokingham Borough Council

Thames Valley Police officers have arrested two men and a boy on suspicion of criminal damage, after reports of graffiti at St Crispin’s Sports Centre, London Road, Wokingham on 3 February.

A 19-year-old man from Binfield, Bracknell, an 18-year-old from Easthampstead, Bracknell and a 17-year-old from Wokingham were arrested on Wednesday (3/2) and released on police bail until 15 March.

Anyone with information about Wokingham graffiti or any other crime should call police, via the 24-hour Police Enquiry Centre on 0845 8 505 505.

If you don’t want to talk to police or give your name, call the Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555 111.

Thames Valley Police ~ Wokingham

A Wokingham counselling and support service for victims of rape and sexual assault has been launched at ARC, the counselling service at 35 Reading Road in Wokingham town centre.

The free and confidential service is open to any victim (male or female) in the Wokingham Borough and is being supported by Wokingham Borough Council, the Police, Berkshire Women’s Aid and the national charity, Victim Support. It will offer victims the chance to talk to expert counsellors about their experiences and will be completely confidential – the advisors will not pass information on to anybody (not even the police) unless the victim wishes it.

Wokingham Borough Council community safety officer Carol-Anne Bidwell said: “In the past, rape victims from the Wokingham Borough had to travel to High Wycombe or Basingstoke for this sort of support and counselling and so it is a great step forward to be able to offer it in Wokingham Town Centre.

“The counselling offered is completely tailored to the victim’s needs – there is never any pressure to talk about things that they are not comfortable with and the counsellors never tell the victims what to do or judge their actions – they are there to listen and help the victims make their own decisions.

“It is also important to stress that the victims who report the crime to the police will be referred to ARC, but victims going to ARC will not be referred to the police unless they want to be – the service is completely confidential.”

Rape and sexual assault victims can make an appointment to talk to a Wokingham counsellor by calling ARC on (0118) 977 6710. The office is open from 10am to 4pm from Monday to Friday and 10am to 1pm on Saturdays but messages can be left outside of this time.

Cllr Bob Wyatt, deputy executive member for Wokingham community safety and member of ARC’s management board, said: “It is very important to have a counselling service such as this because of the dreadful nature of these crimes. The Wokingham Borough is a very safe place to live and work but sexual assaults can happen any where and we must help local victims as much as possible.”

Wokingham Borough Council

Thames Valley Police in Wokingham Local Policing Area (LPA) have been successful in their bid to the Local Criminal Justice Board’s Community Cashback Scheme to secure funding for the Just Around the Corner (JAC) team.

Berkshire West Basic Command Unit (BCU) was given £10,000 in funds recovered under the Proceeds Of Crime legislation, and Wokingham bid for a share of this money.

Wokingham Insp PJ Binns said: “The JAC Team worked extremely hard to provide a service to young people in Lower Earley during 2009, especially when the dispersal order was in place, and provided constructive and positive activities for young people.

“This money will assist the JAC team to continue their excellent work.”

Community Cashback is a new scheme to give local people a say in how criminal assets recovered through the Proceeds of Crime Act should be spent in their communities. The criteria were that projects should be community focussed and relate to improving the lives of local people through the reduction of nuisance and anti-social behaviour.

This money contributes to Operation Confidence, an anti-social behaviour campaign to address crime and disorder, and highlight what Thames Valley Police, its partners and local residents are doing to make communities safer.

Thames Valley Police ~ Wokingham

The Wokingham town centre neighbourhood policing team wants residents to have their say about any issues in the area.

Neighbourhood Specialist Officer PC Jo Bromley is holding a meeting on 4 February at 3pm outside Waitrose, Wokingham.

PC Bromley said: “We want to hear what issues the residents have in their neighbourhood and this is the ideal opportunity for them to come along and raise any concerns with the team.

“We look forward to meeting as many people as possible on the day.”

The Wokingham town centre neighbourhood policing team can be contacted on 0845 8 505 505, or you can find out more about them by visiting your neighbourhood page on the Thames Valley Police website. Dates of future meeting can be found on this site.

Thames Valley Police ~ Wokingham

The Wokingham Borough is a safe place and to help keep it that way a hate crime reporting centre has been opened in Wokingham town centre.

The centre, at the Bradbury Centre in Rose Street, Wokingham will be a friendly place where anybody who has been the victim of a hate crime can report the incident and have a chat to a specially trained member of staff. The centre is the brainchild of CLASP (Caring, Learning And Supporting Partnership) a self-advocacy group for people with learning disabilities and is open for anybody to use.

Hate crime is a crime or harassment motivated by hatred of another person simply because of their race, sexuality, religion, disability or gender. Through the opening of Wokingham reporting centres the council hopes that victims and witnesses of hate crimes will be encouraged to report incidents, other than to the police or the council, in confidence. People can give as much or as little information as they wish. By reporting these incidents victims and witnesses can help agencies to identify issues and take action against perpetrators, support victims and prevent escalation.

Wokingham Borough Council community safety officer Carol-Anne Bidwell said: “The Wokingham borough is an extremely safe place to live and the idea behind this reporting centre is to help keep it that way. This is about preventing major problems rather than reacting to them - as the expression goes, you don’t wait for rain before you fix your roof. The vast majority of Wokingham Borough residents treat each other with respect and would be revolted by any hate crime, and yet hate crimes do occur everywhere and so this centre will offer practical help.

“Victims of hate crime do not always want to go to the police – they may have had their confidence shattered or they may just not want to bother the police and this centre will provide a place they can go to report – in confidence if necessary – any problems.”

The reporting centre was opened on Friday January 29 along with a Wokingham internet café for people with learning disabilities that is also based at the Bradbury Centre in Rose Street.

Vicky Stubbs, who will run the reporting centre, said: “The training has helped me understand what a hate crime is and how I can help people who have been a victim of one. I will be able to listen and talk to people one-to-one and what they tell me can remain confidential.”

The internet café is being run by the council’s prevention team to provide social, stimulating opportunities in the community for people who may not otherwise be able to get online.

Lisa Hookway, who is running the Wokingham café, said: “Many of us take the internet for granted because we use it at home or work every day. But that is not the case for everybody and this café will be a place for people who may be less familiar with it to get online in a friendly, supporting atmosphere and to start exploring the world wide web.”

The internet cafe and the reporting centre will be open every Friday from 1pm to 3pm and the cost is £2 for the use of internet. The café is also for lunch, snacks, tea or coffee.

Wokingham Borough Council

Young and elderly people in Wokingham Town Centre are now able to meet their friends via a safer route thanks to a new zebra crossing in Station Road.

Young people who use Wokingham Youth Centre and older people who socialise at WADE Day Centre, both in Reading Road, have been able to cross Station Road much more safely thanks to the crossing built by Wokingham Borough Council.

And members of WADE and Wokingham youth café joined Cllr Keith Baker, executive member for highways and transport, on Friday (January 22) to see how the new crossing is helping them cross Station Road much more safely.

The Wokingham crossing also makes it safer for people to get to the registrars’ offices in the Old School House, as well as for people walking from the town centre to St Paul’s Church and people living in retirement homes in Reading Road. And getting to and from the council offices will also be a lot easier.

Cllr Keith Baker, executive member for highways and transport, said: “This new zebra crossing will make a real contribution to road safety in the area. It will make life a lot easier and safer for pedestrians and we are only too pleased to install the crossing on Station Road.

“This is a good example of responding to the needs of local residents. Lots of people walk to and from Wokingham town centre this way and the crossing will make it much safer for them.”

Edwin Weaver, member of WADE, said: The crossing was something that has been needed for quite a long time. I am very pleased with the crossing and think that everyone who comes to and from the town centre will also be very happy, as it was always very difficult to cross the road.”

David Butler, vice chairman of WADE, said: “The crossing is a wonderful asset to Wokingham and it is something that has been long needed. It is a good addition for the senior citizens of Wokingham, especially as it is adjacent to the council offices. We are really pleased with it.”

Adam Wingrove, from Wokingham Youth Café, said: “The crossing provides a safe way to cross the road. Hopefully it will bring more young people to the Wokingham youth café.”

Wokingham Borough Council

A man appeared at Slough Magistrates’ Court on Saturday (23/1) charged in connection with a sexual assault in Wokingham.

Colin David Martin Kinsella, aged 26, of Wokingham, was charged on Saturday (23/1) with one count of rape and one count of kidnap/false imprisonment with intent to commit a relevant sexual offence.

The incident was reported to Wokingham police at about 6pm on Thursday (21/1), and is alleged to have occurred earlier that day.

Kinsella has been remanded in custody until his next court appearance at Reading Crown Court on 1 February.

The victim is a 15-year-old girl. No further details will be given.

Thames Valley Police ~ Wokingham