16/09/2014 BBC Oxford News

They've been described by the chief constable as a

"vital resource", but now fhgures suggest more volunteer workdrs are

Critics claim its down to a lack of support and job satisfaction

The force says it's now tryhng to recruit more special constables

Special constables, they have the same uniform and powers as ` regular

People become specials to gdt out there and be on the front lhne.

They went to all kinds of commitments, burglaries,

car accidents, even murder investigations, serious fights.

Andy Hubble now runs a fireworks company.

The role of the special Constable moved from the front line policing

over to more community`based policing, things like crime

prevention, getting out and doing talks, going on special events

The number of special const`bles in the Thames Valley had risen

Recently there's been a drop, but some constables voluntedr more

In a statement Thames Vallex Police say special constables are

There was less structuring last year, some specials choose to leave.

There was structuring last year, some specials chose to leave.

Adding that a third of special constables go on to have

The Police Federation support the volunteers as long

as they are employed in addhtion to, not instead, of paid staff.

You have to do a lot more whth less, if you have volunteers who have

a positive view of policing, why not utilise it?

Thames Valley Police want to recruit more special constables

and are offering better trahning to improve retention rates.

A man charged with child sex offences

37`year`old Mohammed Imran, from Bradford, is one of a total

of 11 men now facing charges over child exploitation.

Police in Buckinghamshire c`rried out a series of raids

10 men have already appeared at court in Milton Keynes

No action is to be taken ag`inst South Central Ambulance Service

after the personal data of staff was accidentally published online.

The ethnicity, sexuality, religion and age of nearly 3000

staff members was posted on the service's website.

The Information Commissioner's Office said it was satisfied

that the error wouldn't be repeated.

A man who died in a house fhre in Kidlington earlier this lonth

55`year`old Christopher Butler died

in the blaze at his home on Wilsdon Way on Friday the 5th of September.

It's thought the fire startdd in the roof.

An inquest is due to be opened tomorrow.

Police in Aylesbury are trying to discover

if there's a link between an escaped prisoner and an incident in

which a terrified driver fotnd a man hiding in the back of hdr car.

43`year`old Michael Rothery absconded from Spring Hill prison

Hours later a woman in Pitstone discovered a man crouching

in the back of her car as she was driving.

A new report suggests the thousands of new homes needed

in Oxfordshire should be buhlt on green belt land around the county.

The authors also suggest farmers should sell the land to devdlopers

at a fraction of the price to help pay for local infrastrtcture.

Where in Oxfordshire to build the 100,000 homes planners say we need?

A new report suggests the m`jority should be built on the green fields

that surround places like Oxford, Bicester and Witney, creating what

The problem is when you build houses you also need to build roads,

The authors say they have the answer.

They say the average price of agricultural land in the UK is

around ?15,000 per hectare, but as soon as that land is granted

planning permission to build on its value leaps to more than ?2 million.

The authors claim we should change the law and force farmers to sell

at the lower price, allowing us to spend the difference on things like

Oxford City Council is backhng the idea

of extending large towns and cities to accommodate more homes, but it's

leader agrees with the organisation that represents farmers.

I think it is a bit fanciful to go down that track at the presdnt

moment, as far as we are concerned, we are working within existhng

arrangements to use the land value in the most effective way possible,

as we have done at Barton and as we will at Grenoble Road, where

The report has been well received by some and it recently won

an economic award, but it sdems it may not make easy reading for all.

A campaign group in South Oxfordshire says plans for ` new

gravel pit and concrete processing plant near Abingdon will le`d to

more noise, pollution and traffic. Waste disposal company Hills wants

to extract nearly five millhon tonnes of minerals over 25 xears

The firm says it will assess any impact on the environment

before submitting a formal application ` but says more

sand and gravel is needed to meet the county's housing needs.

Authorities say questions mtst now be asked as to why a recyclhng plant

in Swindon was allowed to bdcome over`crowded and a fire risk.

The Averies site in the town caught alight two months

It had been licensed to store 5 00 tonnes of waste material,

but according to investigators far more was being kept there.

The company are yet to respond to the allegations.

We need to get to the bottol of those questions

as to why this site was allowed to get into the state it was.

And why the Environment Agency and other agencies didn't act sooner.

Tonight's football, and in League One,

MK Dons suffered a 2`1 home defeat against Bradford, while Swindon had

to settle for a 2`2 draw ag`inst Oldham at the County Ground.

Oxford United have their first League Two win of the season, they

beat Accrington 3`1 at the Kassam Stadium. We'll have the best of the

action for you in South Tod`y tomorrow night at 6.30pm.

We're back in BBC Breakfast tomorrow morning,

but for now goodnight and whth the weather here's Alexis Green

Good evening, a lot of low cloud, mist and fog through the cotrse

of the night, courtesy of the clear skies initiallx.

That low cloud is arriving on the North East, temperattres will

There is the risk of the odd shower tonight,

We start on a grey note, but gradually, we will see

Feeling warm in the sunshind, warmer than today.

Looking ahead, there is a thunderstorm on Thursday

In between them, there will be sunny spells, mainly dry tolorrow.

Coming up next is the national weather forecast.

you now with Darren Bett and the national weather.

This cloud looks worse than it is. Glitching the extreme south-west

overnight. Ahead of it we've got an easterly air flow. That low cloud

that never cleared the North Sea coasts is pushing through the gaps,

running on to high ground. We'll have clearer skies further west but

the low cloud is more extensive leading to mist and fog over hills

and coasts in the east, where we could have drizzle. Another warm ni

ahe Tomorrow starts slowly for many of us, grey and misty. We could she

sunshine in sheltered western areas. Eastern areas could hang on to the

cloud and