University Policing Team foils crimes in and around campus

The University of Northampton Policing Team have been keeping students and town-goers safer by foiling crimes in the community, as well as on the University’s campus.

The University Policing team, which consists of one sergeant and five constables, are based at the Waterside Campus, and proactively patrol the campus, and surrounding areas, at no additional cost to taxpayers in Northampton. In April alone, the team have apprehended two criminals in the local area.

On Tuesday, April 9, a man was seen by the Security team at the University of Northampton, attempting to steal a bicycle, before then assaulting a man who tried to intervene.

The University Security team attended and detained the man and were quickly supported by the University Police officers on campus where, Colton Carl Lee Thornhill, 42, of No Fixed Abode, was subsequently arrested by PC Martin Usher and later charged with theft and common assault.

He pleaded guilty at Northampton Magistrates’ Court and was sentenced to five weeks in prison and ordered to pay a £65 fine.

On Wednesday, April 24, officers witnessed and immediately caught and arrested a shoplifter at a store in the St John’s area of Northampton while they were on patrol in the areas surrounding the Halls of Residence, in the town centre.

Andrew Richard Griffin, 26, of Stanley Road, Northampton, was subsequently charged with the theft, pleaded guilty at Northampton Magistrates’ Court and was given a community order.

Sergeant Lorna Clarke who leads the team at the University, said: “The University have put my team of officers here and as a result the surrounding areas benefit from an increase in police activity.

“We are out on patrol every day, and we are also able to tackle offences we come across, which are happening in the wider community. We also cannot know what crimes our presence in itself has prevented.

“The University and Northamptonshire Police are pleased that this investment is also supporting the surrounding community. These types of crime will take place in and around every university campus across the country so I’m pleased that we are here to take immediate action against them in Northampton and hopefully make our students feel safer as a result.”

Becky Bradshaw, Head of Campus Services at the University of Northampton said: “The University Policing Team are a fantastic resource, not just to help deter the kinds of crimes typically found in and around a university campus, but to support the core policing service offered to the surrounding community by Northamptonshire Police.

“The University funds this team, so in effect, the areas in the vicinity of any University owned property has seen an increase in police presence; not just in the town centre, but in the areas around the Boughton Green Road Halls of Residence and the Innovation Centre too.

“The University Policing Team, together with the University Security team, aim to create a safe environment for the University community and the wider community of Northampton, as well as send a strong message to criminals that these kinds of crimes are not welcome in and around the University. These arrests clearly show that anyone found committing crimes will swiftly face the consequences.”