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The Home Office has allocated £860,000 to the Thames Valley area, part of a £24m Serious Violence “Grip” fund made available to the 18 police force areas with the highest levels of violent crime. The funding is provided to increase the use of “Hotspot Policing” tactics, using frequent, short high visibility patrols in focused areas where crime takes place, along with planned proactive operations. There will be a rolling programme of operations, developed by local policing teams and utilising additional support from specialist officers. I’ve attached some photographs from an operation undertaken on Tuesday in Reading, funded through this programme – this saw a drugs warrant exercised at a premise in the Whitley area, leading to the arrest of a 37-year-old woman on suspicion of drugs supply offences. A possession with intent to supply quantity of both Class A and Class B drugs were recovered, including 60 individual wraps of what is believed to have been crack cocaine or heroin. Also, demonstrating the clear link between drugs and violence, three prohibited knives which included two large machete-like blades were also seized. PC James Dunwell of the Reading Stronghold Team pictured holding the large bag of seized items, which included scales and mobile phones. As part of the ongoing efforts to protect vulnerable people and prevent drugs-related activity and the violence/disorder associated, neighbourhood officers served Closure Notices at a property on Waterloo Rise and Surrey Road in Reading. Roads Policing Unit officers undertook an ANPR operation on the Basingstoke Road, leading to the stop of the car pictured – a driver was reported for driving without a driving licence or insurance and the vehicle was seized. Pictures attached.