Oxford Suburb Residents Voice Concerns Over Drugs, Anti-Social Behaviour

Anneliese Dodds, an MP, met with locals about crime. Police officers and councillors also went to the meeting. They talked about crime problems in the area. This includes issues around the Cowley Centre.

Dodds wants more police. She asked the crime commissioner for more officers. They need to address the problems. CCTV was installed under Cowley Bridge. It should help stop bad behavior.

Dodds thanked residents, police, and councillors. People worry about drug dealing and bad behavior. They need activities for young people. These activities could keep them away from crime.

She is happy community policing returned. New plans target knife crime, and she wants action on local worries. Dodds raised these concerns with the commissioner. She mentioned urban crime and child exploitation in Oxford.

Dodds also wrote to Matthew Barber, the police and crime commissioner. She asked about plans to stop county lines. Exploitation of children is a concern, and she asked for data on policing resources. The data should compare council areas in Thames Valley.

Councillors Elphinstone and Edosomwan attended. Elphinstone said people spoke about drugs, and bad behavior was also discussed. They need regular police contact to address worries and fight crime.

Reporting problems helps, she said. Residents understand how to report issues. Reporting led to CCTV under Cowley Bridge, which deters bad behavior, Elphinstone explained.

Police recorded 189 crimes last December. Most happened near Templars Square. Sixty-two were violence or sexual offences, twenty-six related to drugs, twenty-five were for shoplifting, and sixteen involved damage or arson.

Thames Valley Police work with partners to address drug and behavior concerns. They have a special operation for this focusing on bad behavior in Oxford. Police increased patrols in the area to deter criminals and reassure people.

Police encourage people to report problems. Call 101 or visit the website, or go to a police station or talk to officers. They can resolve the issues with more information, even if people don’t think it’s a police issue.

If a crime is happening, call 999. This includes drug use or dealing, so police can respond quickly.