ONE hundred and fifty Thames Valley Police special constables took part in an operation to arrest 10 offenders who failed to turn up at court.

The special constables, part time police officers who volunteer for at least four hours a week, spent an average of 10 hours each planning and carrying out the arrests.

A 28-year-old man from Kidlington was the only person from Oxfordshire arrested during Operation Reaper on Sunday.

He was arrested for failing to appear at court on suspicion of assault by beating and was remanded in custody to appear at Slough Magistrates’ Court on October 27.

Special constabulary chief officer Mark Hinks said: “I would like to thank all my officers who gave up their Sunday to support Operation Reaper.

“The operation has been a success with many arrests, but also just as importantly with lots of valuable intelligence sources and recorded.

“Some teams also assisted in an automatic number plate recognition operation, supported frontline teams during a challenging day force-wide.”

Assistant chief constable Alan Baldwin said of the special constables: ““The difference they make in policing is there for all to see.”

Our top stories

  • Do you want alerts delivered straight to your phone via our WhatsApp service? Text NEWS or SPORT or NEWS AND SPORT, depending on which services you want, and your full name to 07767 417704. Save our number into your phone’s contacts as Oxford Mail WhatsApp and ensure you have WhatsApp installed.