Police arrest 45 in Thames Valley organised crime group crackdown

Scores of criminal suspects were arrested during a three-day police crackdown in the Thames Valley, as the force said it would ‘never stop’ its fight against gangs.

Action in Berkshire saw 56 charges brought against eight people who were detained during a dawn raid in Slough, believed to have been part of a car thieving racket.

Officers also raided a Buckinghamshire travellers' site, where five people were arrested after a haul of stolen tools and more than 100 3D printers was seized.

Assistant Chief Constable (AOC) Dennis Murray, who led the operation, said: “We have made a substantial impact on organised crime groups operating in the Thames Valley with these three days of action to protect our communities. 

“It was incredible to see our people come together for a dedicated operation to fight serious and organised crime across Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Milton Keynes and Oxfordshire last week. 

“We will continue to work hard to serve victims, and we want any reading this to know they’re not alone, we’re here to support them and will do everything we can to bring those responsible to justice.” 

Hundreds of police personnel were deployed for the three-day operation, which took place from January 13 to January 15 and targeted organised crime gangs.  

Arrests were made over a string of offences such as stealing high-value motor vehicles, robberies and business burglaries.

Dawn raids were carried out at locations across the Thames Valley and included six simultaneous operations in Slough, where police uncovered knives and other weapons.

Eight suspects were arrested, charged and remanded into police custody over involvement in a gang stealing cars in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and London.

The force said intelligence for the warrants had been obtained through the Safer Langley scheme – a joint operation between police, Slough council and community groups.

In Buckinghamshire, another early-morning raid at a travellers’ site saw five arrested on suspicion of handling stolen goods and failing to appear at court.

The force said it had seized ‘large quantities of suspected stolen tools’ as well as more than 120 ‘brand new 3D printers’ during the operation.

A total of 70 ‘arrest attempts’ were made including those suspected of armed robberies, conspiracy to burgle, theft of motor vehicles and handling stolen goods.

Live facial recognition cameras were rolled out for the first time in three towns - High Wycombe, Milton Keynes and Reading – during the crackdown.

While the technology has faced some criticism from privacy campaigners, Thames Valley Police said it had played a ‘key role’ throughout the operation.

ACC Murray said: “We have achieved so much with this major operation to fight organised crime, with numerous arrests, charges, seizures and more. 

“We are proud of the incredible work of our officers and staff to plan and execute these days of action so thank you to them. 

“However, we know there will always be more to do to tackle serious and organised acquisitive crime and serve victims; and we will never stop.”