Police will be upping patrols in response to the three stabbings which have taken place across Oxfordshire in the past seven days, a crime chief has told the Oxford Mail.
In response to the three separate incidents, one which claimed the life of a victim in his 30s, Thames Valley Police has pledged to increase the number of officers on the streets.
Detective superintendent Stan Gilmore said: “Thames Valley Police has increased patrols to areas most affected by violence and has invested in enhanced problem solving action, working closely with the Violence Reduction Unit, and will continue to monitor the results of these additional activities.”
His comments come after three separate stabbings took place across the region in the past week.
On Monday, October 4, a man was stabbed in the back at Abingdon Fair. Four people were arrested and released on bail.
Four days later, a man was killed after he was stabbed to death in Bayswater Road, Barton. A man has been charged with murder and will appear in court tomorrow.
Then in the early hours of Sunday, October 10, a third victim was stabbed in Bicester. Five people have been arrested.
All cases are currently ongoing.
Det Sup Gilmour, director of the Thames Valley Violence Reduction Unit, told the Oxford Mail: “We should all be concerned whenever a serious crime happens but there is a strong partnership in place across Oxfordshire between the Thames Valley Violence Reduction Unit and the Safer Oxfordshire Partnership Coordination Group that is working with and for our communities to reduce serious violence.
“This partnership includes additional funding and resources to tackle the causes of violence through early intervention and prevention and through targeted enforcement.
He continued: “On top of this, TVP is committed to supporting the national effort to reduce knife crime by providing enhanced focused enforcement through, for example, Operation Sceptre.”
He added: “Although we have seen three significant incidents in the last ten days, knife crime is reducing year-on-year in Oxfordshire and indeed across the Thames Valley.”
