Category: Thame news

AN award-winning counter terrorism training course is being made available to the public for the first time and Thames Valley Police want you to sign up and help protect the UK.

 

Devised by CT officers and security experts, the ACT Awareness e-Learning package was previously only available to staff working in crowded places like shopping centres and entertainment venues.

Now Counter Terrorism Policing has decided to open up the training to anyone who wants to become a CT Citizen so they can learn how to spot the signs of suspicious behaviour and understand what to do in the event of a major incident.

The programme was originally devised in partnership with retail giant Marks and Spencer – and participants needed to be signed up by their employers. Today the online learning is available free of charge to anyone who wants to take part.

The decision to offer the training to the public was not made in response to the recent attack in London. However, the tragic events which took place just 10 days ago, when two people lost their lives to terrorism, were a stark reminder of the ongoing threat and the need for vigilance.

“ACT Awareness e-Learning is especially useful for anyone working in or regularly visiting crowded places,” said Detective Chief Superintendent Richard List.

“We developed each stage alongside industry experts and to date over one and a half million modules have been completed. The course has been so popular, with nine out of 10 users saying they would recommend it, we want to open it up to as many people as possible.

“The threat level remains at Substantial – meaning an attack is likely – so giving everyone the chance to be extra eyes and ears for police and local security teams help to keep all communities across the Thames Valley safe.

“The festive period is obviously a very busy one – so this is a good time to join up and become a CT Citizen.”

ACT Awareness is made up of seven modules that take a few minutes each to complete. You can pause and re-join at any time. In total it takes just 45 minutes – so less than an hour of your time could help to prevent an attack or help save lives if one was to happen.

The course is hosted by online training specialists Highfield. To register and start learning, click here

AS the nation went to the polls, students at Lord Williams’s School in Thame had already cast their votes – revealing a slightly different result than that of the official general election.

In a series of year group assemblies, students were presented with each of the four main party manifestos: Conservative, Labour, Liberal Democrats and Greens.
A brief overview of the democratic history of voting and importance of using your vote was explained. Students then had the opportunity to cast their votes on ballot sheets and post their votes in ballot boxes. Jon Ryder, Head Teacher at LWS was delighted with the exercise: “We encourage our students to be informed about the wider world and to become active citizens.

“The school general election has been a fantastic example of democracy in action and a great tool to engage political awareness” he said.

 

THAMES Valley Police has released CCTV images of two men who officers would like to speak to following a theft in Thame, when a woman was robbed of her purse.

At around 12.50pm on Tuesday, November 5, the victim, a woman in her seventies, was watched by a man as she used her chip and pin card to pay for her shopping in Waitrose, Thame. He then followed her out of the shop and waited until she got into her vehicle before getting her attention to tell her someone had hit the back of her car and that he would show her the damage.

Whilst she was out of the vehicle, her bag was left unattended on the passenger seat, where another offender took the purse containing her cards.

The offenders then used the victim’s cards to withdraw cash and purchase goods.

Investigating Officer PC Julie Nutland, based at Didcot police station said: “I am keen to identify the men in these images as I believe they may have information to help our investigation.

“If you recognise these men, or believe it could be you, please get in touch by calling 101 or making a report online quoting reference 43190345211.

“Alternatively, you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously via their website or on 0800 555 111.”

UNELECTED bodies have become increasingly influential in proposals for future development in Oxfordshire, according to a group professionals concerned about the current direction in land use, planning and transport policy in Oxfordshire.

The group, known as POETS (Planning Oxfordshire’s Environment and Transport Sustainably) have stated that they are concerned about the promotion of current plans for unprecedented levels of growth ‘which take little account of the climate emergency or the needs of the environment’. At the same time little attention is paid to meeting local needs, they say.

These are some of the key findings of a new report by POETS. They highlight the role being played by The National Infrastructure Commission, which is promoting major growth in the Oxford to Cambridge “arc”, including doubling Oxfordshire’s population by 2050′; Highways England, a government company promoting a motorway standard ‘expressway’ across this area; England’s Economic Heartland, a made-up area which overlaps with the arc, and again is promoting major development; The Oxfordshire Local Economic Partnership (LEP), which contains some local authority appointed members although they are outnumbered by other interests.

Amongst other things the latter has produced a ‘Local Industrial Strategy’ which has to be taken into account by local planning authorities in preparing their local plans. The POETS report also mentions The Oxfordshire Growth Board. While this involves the leaders of the county and five district councils, they are not directly elected, and the board also contains representatives of other interests. Homes England, the government’s self-styled ‘housing accelerator’ is advocating major housing growth, notably on land it owns at Chalgrove, in a location POETS believes is badly served by public transport and ‘poorly located for travel by bike or on foot’.

The POETS conclude: “It is difficult if not impossible for ordinary members of the public to influence, or in some cases even gain access to these bodies. Highways England for instance has notoriously persuaded some local authorities to sign agreements forbidding them to disclose information about its planning for the expressway. England’s Economic Heartland has restricted information on its transport planning to selected partners who happen to be major construction and engineering firms.

The POETS report points out that the increasing influence of such bodies carries risks both for the future of Oxfordshire and for local democracy itself. Chris Cousins, one of the report’s authors, said: “We are concerned that ordinary people feel increasingly disenfranchised from the planning process. Anyone who is concerned about climate change, for example, will find little to reassure them that these unelected bodies are proposing substantive action to address it.

“Despite professing support for local decision-making, central government has reduced both the power and the resources available to directly elected local authorities. The creeping growth of unelected organisations is unhealthy for our democracy. We need government at all levels to give priority to tackling the climate emergency. This should involve empowering directly elected local authorities, and enabling us as citizens both to contribute and to hold our elected representatives to account.”

The full POETS report can be read here: https://www.poetsplanningoxon.uk/poets_democratic_deficit_report_081219.pdf

A detailed report on the findings of the Oxford Citizens Assembly on Climate Change, the first of its kind in the UK, has been published.

The report, which has been produced by experts at Ipsos MORI who independently facilitated the Citizens Assembly on behalf of the City Council, summarises its findings and recommendations.

The Citizens Assembly addressed three themes, divided into five separate areas:

How do we use less energy?
Buildings – how do we ensure our buildings are fit for the future?
Transport – how do we develop a sustainable zero-carbon transport system?
How do we make more energy?
How do we transform our energy system to ensure it comes from renewable sources?
How do we improve environmental quality on the journey to net zero?
Waste – How do we reduce our waste to deliver net zero?
Offsetting – How could Oxford offset the emissions it can’t reduce?

Ipsos MORI’s headline findings were:

THE majority of Assembly members felt that Oxford should aim to achieve ‘net zero’ sooner than 2050. However, even among those who agreed with this, there was little consensus on when ‘net zero’ should be achieved

There was widespread belief that Oxford should be a leader in tackling the climate crisis

Assembly Members found a great deal of encouragement in the examples of what is already being done across Oxford to address climate change and meet the goal of becoming ‘net zero’

Enhanced biodiversity was central to the overall ‘net zero’ vision of Oxford with increased flora and fauna in the city centre, along with more cycling, walking, and public transport, and far fewer cars

The buildings sector should adopt improved building standards, widespread retrofitting, and more domestic and non-domestic energy needs being met by sustainable sources

Around one in four to one in three Assembly Members rejected the most ambitious – and, therefore, challenging to achieve – visions of a future Oxford

They were also perturbed by the extent to which the burden of change was – in their eyes – being placed on individuals

There was, therefore, a sense that the Council needs to communicate a shared vision and strategy to reaching ‘net zero’ that shows the roles played by local and national government, businesses, and individuals

Specifically, Assembly Members wanted more information about how to recycle correctly

There was a demand for more education and information provided for the wider public in Oxford to help them understand what they can personally do to help

What happens next?

A report, containing Oxford City Council’s initial response to the Assembly’s recommendations, will be presented to the Cabinet on December 19. This report will include the City Council’s proposals, which will feed into its 2020/21 budget, to respond to immediate issues arising from the report.

In the New Year, the findings will feed in to the City Council’s upcoming Sustainability Strategy, including an Action Plan to determine how the City Council can play its part in tackling the climate emergency over the coming months and years.

As recommended by the Assembly, City Council will also look at its role in convening and engaging stakeholders and the wider public to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. One clear request from the Assembly was to produce educational material and information about how individuals can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and the City Council will now work up detailed plans to achieve this.

Read the full Oxford Citizens’ Assembly on Climate Change report HERE