Thames Valley Commissioner urges Shabana Mahmood to reconsider Piddington decision

The Police and Crime Commissioner has written to Shabana Mahmood about how the proposed MOD Bicester asylum accommodation will affect community safety and police resources.

In the letter, Matthew Barber expressed his concerns to the Home Secretary about the planned site for 1,256 male asylum seekers.

Mr Barber told Ms Mahmood: "Residents in the villages and town near your proposed site at Bicester have genuine concerns about the impact of these proposals on their safety and security.

"I will continue to work with the Chief Constable to ensure the strongest possible police response, but we will need additional resources from the Home Office, and given the open nature of the site, we know that there will be an increased risk to the public."

The Commissioner warned that the area will "expect an increase in crime" as a result of the proposed centre.

Mr Barber cautioned: "We must expect an increase in crime as a result of the Government’s proposals. Experience in Thames Valley is that as a minimum, we can expect crime to take place between asylum seekers.

"We have seen this in asylum hotels and the size of the proposed camp near Bicester will only increase the scale of the problem."

He suggested that the Government has been "naive" in its approach to housing thousands of asylum seekers in ex-military sites.

He continued: "It is naïve to consider that such a large population of single men will not bring with it a greater risk of violent and sexual offences.

"Yesterday, the Minister said that public safety was and always will be right at the forefront of government thinking on housing asylum seekers. This is not how local residents feel."

Having spoken with Thames Valley Police, Mr Barber stressed that they will need to "increase local policing presence in the area" to reassure residents and "tackle an inevitable increase in crime".

He made clear: "Without significant additional funding, this will come at an unacceptable cost to local taxpayers and a reduction in policing services elsewhere.

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"I urge the Home Office to reconsider the plans for the use of MOD Bicester as an asylum camp altogether. However, if the Government is minded to continue with this proposal you must provide full cost recovery to Thames Valley Police."

Earlier this week, MPs voted against a Conservative motion to withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights "to deport illegal migrants".

They voted by 309 to 113 against the call, which would have led to abandoning plans to parachute asylum seekers into the disused MoD Bicester site, the centre of the Piddington backlash.

Louise Brooker told GB News that the women of the small Oxfordshire village "fear for their safety" and "fear for the safety of our families".

She said: "We speak for all women in the UK. It's not just a problem that is happening in Piddington, it is happening across the country and the Government need to get a grip of the out-of-control immigration that we are seeing as a country.

"It's a Government failure on your doorstep. They can't control the border, and now you're left feeling unsafe in your community.

"And they won't reach out and speak to us. So as a small village, we are very proud that we are managing to get to day to speak to them. If they won't come to us, we've come to them now."

GB News has reached out to the Home Office for comment.