Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Barber has raised serious concerns about the policing implications of the Government’s proposal to accommodate asylum seekers at MOD Bicester.
Mr Barber said he had received no direct communication from the Home Office before the plans were announced and warned that the proposed site could place a significant additional burden on local policing.
The comments add another important voice to the growing concerns being raised about the proposal for MOD Bicester Site A.
Concerns over pressure on local policing
In a statement following the Government’s announcement, Mr Barber said he was deeply concerned about the potential impact the asylum accommodation site could have on Thames Valley Police at a time when the force is already facing financial pressures.
He said:
“I am deeply concerned about the additional burden that the new asylum camp will place on local policing.”
The concern comes against a backdrop of wider funding pressure. Thames Valley Police was told in December that its core funding would be around £8.8 million lower than expected, with the Police and Crime Commissioner warning at the time that the settlement would leave a significant gap in the force’s finances.
Additional resources may be needed
Mr Barber confirmed that he has written to the Home Secretary requesting a meeting with officials to discuss what additional resources would be required if the MOD Bicester proposal goes ahead.
He highlighted concerns about policing demand both inside and outside the proposed site, as well as the potential resources required to manage protests connected with the development.
For local residents, this raises an obvious question:
If additional police resources are likely to be required, who will provide them and how will they be funded?
Wrong Plan Wrong Site believes these questions need clear answers before any final decision is made.
No direct communication from the Home Office
Perhaps equally concerning is Mr Barber’s statement that he had received no direct communication from the Home Office before the plans were announced.
As Police and Crime Commissioner, his role includes representing the public on policing matters and ensuring that the policing needs of communities across the Thames Valley are properly considered.
Yet he said:
“As Police & Crime Commissioner I have had no direct communication from the Home Office of the plans.”
For a proposal which could potentially create additional policing demands on this scale, that lack of prior engagement raises serious questions about the consultation and planning process.
Community impact must be properly assessed
Mr Barber also warned of the wider community impact of using MOD Bicester as what he described as an “open camp for asylum seekers”.
The proposed residents would not be detained at the site and would be able to leave and enter surrounding communities.
That means any proper assessment of the proposal must consider not only security within MOD Bicester itself, but also the potential impact on Bicester, Arncott, Ambrosden, Piddington and other surrounding areas.
Questions about neighbourhood policing, transport, public spaces, protests, emergency response and overall police demand should therefore form a central part of the Government’s feasibility assessment.
These concerns cannot simply be dismissed
Wrong Plan Wrong Site has repeatedly argued that the issue is not simply the accommodation buildings themselves.
It is the scale of the proposal, its location and its potential impact on the wider community and public services.
When the elected Police and Crime Commissioner responsible for policing across the Thames Valley says he is deeply concerned about additional policing demand, those concerns must be taken seriously.
Before the Government proceeds any further with MOD Bicester, local residents deserve to know:
- what assessment has been made of additional policing demand;
- how many additional officers or resources may be required;
- who would pay for those additional resources;
- what planning has taken place for protests and public order;
- how policing demand outside the site would be managed; and
- why the Police and Crime Commissioner was apparently not consulted before the proposal was announced.
The Government has said that it must ensure it “gets this right”.
That must include listening to the people responsible for keeping our communities safe.
