As many as 'three murders a week' in Thames Valley as police force awarded for conviction rate

Thames Valley Police has been recognised for its work investigating murders as the force revealed that the number has almost doubled in the region in recent months.

The force's Major Crime Unit has been awarded the Thames Valley Police Federation Team Excellence Award.

Supt Kevin Brown, who leads the unit, said that his team had shown "huge commitment, enthusiasm, motivation, and above all resilience" investigating what is usually two major new cases a month, but which can be as many as three a week.

The team says it's dealing with an "unprecedented level of murders and serious crimes" but hopes they can help people affected to "find closure".

The team succeeds in charging offenders in more than 95% of cases.

The Thames Valley Police Major Crime Unit covers homicide and serious crime investigations across the whole of the Thames Valley, with three offices in Aylesbury, Oxford and Taplow.

The unit also has a complex child sexual exploitation team, a review team for cold cases, and a small team dedicated to the Didcot Power Station investigation. The core team that deals with homicide is relatively small, comprising 35 Detective Constables, 11 Detective Sergeants, four Detective Inspectors and four Detective Chief Inspectors.

Supt Brown said: "Over the past 14 to 16 months we've sadly seen a huge rise in homicides and serious violence, so much so that it's almost double our usual amount.

"We have seen a rise in cases involving mental health, a rise in cases where it's intra-familial, so siblings on parents for instance, as well as more recognisable domestic violence. "Knife-enabled crime has gone up significantly, some to do with drug use but also sadly more cases of young teenagers who have died of knife wounds".

One recent case of knife crime was the killing of Olly Stephens in Reading.

The 13-year-old was stabbed to death by two boys in Bugs Bottom park in the Caversham area of Reading in January 2021.

He had fallen out with them on social media and had been "lured" to the park by a 14-year-old girl, where he was then "ambushed" by two boys and stabbed to death.

In September 2021, two 14-year-old boys were jailed for his murder.

The 14-year-old girl, who pleaded guilty to manslaughter, was jailed for 38 months.

• Amanda and Stuart Stephens, Olly's parents, speak of the loss of their 'generous and loving' son Olly

Another family, devastated by knife crime, is the family of Raheem Hanif.

The 26-year-old was stabbed and attacked with a machete just yards from his home in Tilehurst, Reading in February 2021.

Raheem tragically died of his injuries at the scene, while his father Abdul, 47, sustained a broken arm in the same incident.

A man and a teenage boy were sentenced to life in prison for his murder. Two others were jailed for manslaughter.

Supt Brown praised his team at Thames Valley Police for their hard work and persistence in bringing offenders to justice.

He said: "The disruption to officers' home lives is huge and I'm thankful for the support of their families too.

"It's a massive commitment, but they're all doing it in order to find justice for bereaved families. "Despite the added pressure, we're still able to charge offenders in over 95% of the cases we deal with. It's good for the investigators as they can see the results of their considerable efforts, and it's reassuring for the families that someone is being held to account for the death of a loved one - that can go some way to helping them find closure." The team richly deserved the Excellence in Policing Award, said Supt Brown: "The team are very humble people and they don't do this for recognition, they do it because they want to make things better for bereaved families.

"But they're really pleased to be recognised. They are putting themselves out there every single day, as a lot of police officers do, but particularly in the early stage of an investigation they can be working 15-20 hours a day for two to three weeks." Thames Valley Police Federation Chair Craig O'Leary said: "The Major Crime Unit has had to investigate an unprecedented level of murders and serious crimes, and there has been a real impact on the officers when they have a county-force size team and budget but are dealing with large inner-city-level demand. "I'm thrilled that we are recognising the excellent work that they do - the level of investigations is first-class and they work exceptionally hard to bring offenders to justice." The 2022 Thames Valley Police Federation Bravery Awards take place on 28 April.