Hospital trust spends more than £800k on security annually

More than 80 crimes at Wexham Park Hospital in Slough were reported to police last year with the hospital trust spending more than £800,000 a year on security. 

With 82 crimes, the hospital had the second highest number of incidents in the Thames Valley Police area, coming second to John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford which had 84 reported crimes.

Heatherwood and Wexham Park Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust's interim chief operating officer John Wood said: "The trust takes any form of crime extremely seriously, and has robust procedures in place to report all crime carried out on our premises. 

"We use every avenue possible to prevent crime occurring, and to use the full force of the law if it does."

He said providing security cover and CCTV, as well as repairs and replacement of equipment, costs the trust more than £800,000 a year.

The figures have been released by the police through a Freedom of Information request, although specific details about the date and nature of each crime have not been revealed to avoid identification of people involved.

Out of 564 crimes reported in hospitals covered by the force, Heatherwood Hospital in Ascot accounted for 15 while St Mark's Hospital, in Maidenhead, had five and King Edward VII Hospital in Windsor had just three.

The most common offence across the area was theft with 270 occurrences, followed by 110 assaults and five acts of criminal damage. There were also two threats to kill and three sexual assaults.