Out on Patrol

On Friday night, Mark and I joined Kev from Thames Valley Police’s Roads Policing Unit for a late shift across Oxfordshire. It turned out to be a very quiet evening — more than 150 miles of driving on Halloween, under clear autumn skies and with remarkably little trouble to be found.

Early in the evening, the roads were filled with families out trick-or-treating — clusters of small ghosts, witches and superheroes darting between houses, parents chatting good-naturedly at the kerbside. By the time the night drew in, the streets had emptied and Oxfordshire settled into an almost eerie calm.

We heard reports of some relatively low-level anti-social behaviour in Oxford itself, but nothing that required our attendance. Late on, one vehicle flagged up on the ANPR system as possibly stolen, but despite a careful search, it was never located — most likely a hire car that hadn’t been returned on time.

I was in the back seat while Mark rode up front with Kev — the perfect vantage point to watch the professionalism and quiet efficiency of modern policing at work. The long hours gave us plenty of time to talk about the challenges officers face today: the weight of paperwork, the behaviour of drivers, and the constant balance between visibility, prevention and response.

For a High Sheriff, spending time with the emergency services is more than just observation — it’s about understanding, first-hand, the pressures, decisions and realities that underpin public safety in our county. Seeing the work from the inside gives real context to the partnerships and policies that shape Oxfordshire’s resilience and wellbeing.

And — if I’m honest — it wasn’t without its moments of excitement. When the suspected stolen car pinged on the ANPR, I can’t pretend I didn’t enjoy, just a little, the brief burst of 120 miles an hour down the M40 as we set off in pursuit.

My sincere thanks to Kev and the Roads Policing team for welcoming us on board and offering such an enlightening view of life on the roads. It was a privilege to see our county through such a very different lens.