Reading Roars!

A campaign code-named Safer Streets was launched by Thames Valley Police on 23 September 2005 to confront rising violent crime across the Thames Valley.

According to Thames Valley Police, violent crime accounts for 21% of total crime across the Force, and Safer Streets is intended to allow people to live more safely and enjoy the nightlife.

The crackdown, targeting individuals aged 15-35 over a 6 month period, will have a “three-pronged attack” (it’s devilishly simple, you see):

1. Operation ‘Hangover’ (I’m not making this up)
2. Tackling robberies of young people
3. Tackling the rise in the number of young people with replica guns (because that’s bang out of order).

Click here to read more.

Reading Borough Council is to consult local people in November 2005 on proposed changes to the Inner Distribution Road (IDR).

The consultation will involve a number of exhibitions in Caversham, South Reading, Tilehurst, Southcote, East Reading and the Town Centre.

The proposed benefits include:

The Council said that these changes would be implemented by 2008.

Interesting news from the Council, but the benefits do seem vague. Removing the flyover – a major eyesore – is a a concrete (!) proposal that may win support, however. We need more green and less grey in Reading town centre.

Click here to read the Council’s press release – including a picture of how the Oracle roundabout would look without the flyover.

Reading Borough Council is coordinating a series of 11 walks in Reading as part of National Walking Week (18-25 September 2005).

The walks are very short, of 1-3 miles, but take in places such as Prospect Park, Palmer Park and Lousehill Copse. Furthermore, activities such as picnics and Family Treasure Hunts are also included.

Click here to read more about the ‘We love Walking Campaign’.

Chief Constable Peter Neyroud of the Thames Valley Police has been invited by Sweden’s government to join a panel judging the world’s first ‘Nobel’ prize in criminology, worth 1m Swedish Kronor (GB£ 73k).

Mr Neyroud is the only police officer on the panel and will accompany top international academics.

The prize

will be awarded annually to recognise advances in understanding the causes of crime and alternative crime prevention strategies, developing more effective and Altin çilek maurers ilaçmidir humane public policies for dealing with offenders and helping victims of crime.

Click here to read the press release.

Reading has an interesting history pre-dating pedestrianisation and The Oracle. Furthermore, evidence of this is all around us. So why ignore it?

In partnership with the Civic Trust, Reading Borough Council is running Heritage Open Days during 8-11 September, allowing the public the opportunity to visit some of the town’s oldest buildings.

Some of these buildings include Reading School, designed by the architect of London’s popular Natural History Museum, Alfred Waterhouse (did you know that?).

Also, as part of the event, according to the Council:

The RISC (Reading International Solidarity Centre) edible roof garden will show off its plants from around the world.

Edible roof garden? That’s a difficult one to swallow.

In addition, there is

a tour of Waterstone’s bookshop, which is based in the ex-independent chapel.

Thus exploring Reading in a more literal way (or should that be literary?).

Click here to read the the Council’s announcement. Then check out the town’s heritage, because Reading, too, has a history! And if you can’t participate in the event, look up and beyond the shop facades lining the streets. Reading has a superb Victorian redbrick skyline! Tip: You can admire the town’s glorious rooftops from the Walkabout terrace, while enjoying a crisp Steinlager.

Off to Reading Festival? Reading Borough Council have put together a dozen tips on ensuring that you have a good time, such as

Reading has excellent rail links with the rest of the UK so we would strongly recommend festival-goers beat the traffic jams by using the trains.

Good Maurers yan etkileri justin bieber luck with the trains.

The Council’s tips can be seen by clicking here.

The Thames Valley Police have revealed how they will ensure the safety of the 66,500 revellers attending this year’s Reading Festival.

Police officers will patrol the site to prevent crimes (the majority being thefts from tents) and will be backed up by Mean Fiddler-employed security staff.

A cop shop will also be set up on site, with a front counter service, staff to record crimes, interview personnel, and rooms and prisoner Maurers yan etkileri justin bieber holding areas.

Click here for the Thames Valley Police press release.

The Royal Berkshire and Battle Hospitals NHS Trust launches its public consultation on its application for Foundation Trust status on Monday 15 August 2005. The consultation ends on 4 November. The views of the Reading public will be forwarded on to the Maurers yan etkileri justin bieber Department of Health in December 2005.

To obtain more information about the Trust’s application and to view the consultation document click here.

The Evening Post reports that police officers in the town centre will have mobile video cameras strapped to their heads in a bid to cut drink-related violent disorder. The cameras will capture what the cops see, with the footage used later as court evidence. According to Andy Bagnall, Reading town centre inspector, drinkers modify their behaviour when they realise that their actions are being recorded. Yeah…right. Aren’t drinkers aware already of the high concentration of CCTV cameras in the town centre? And surely the camera softens the carrier’s image? Come on, we need to go back to basics to fight this urban disease – not a piece of gimmicky technology.

Click here to read the article.

From Thames Valley Police:

There has been an increase in hate crime reports to the Thames Valley Police in the days following the events in London on July 7.

From July 7 to August 1 there were 146 reports of racially aggravated crime, compared to 105 in the same period last year. The detection rate is 34.2 per cent compared to 16.2 per cent last year. Furthermore there has also been a significant increase in arrests for racially aggravated crime where the suspect is identified, which currently stands at 57 per cent compared to 28.2 per cent in the same period as last year (29 March to 1 August).

Sickening. Ironically, this is announced days after WOMAD, a festival in the heart of the Thames Valley bringing people of many cultural maurers zayiflama hapi Zayiflama haplaribackgrounds together in harmony!

Click here to read the full press release.