Nuclear weapons crime in the UK has been reported to Thames Valley Police.
AWE Aldermaston and Burghfield are policed by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) Police.The MoD police are armed. They have the same powers as civilian police, including powers of arrest, both within AWE and in the surrounding areas. There are also private security guards, who do not have powers of arrest.
The MoD police do not have their own detention facilities. After arrest you will be handed over to Thames Valley Police.
Thames Valley Police Stations
In past cases of mass arrests (over 40), Slough and Abingdon police stations have also been used.
All Thames Valley police stations are listed on their website, here: Thames Valley Police Stations. The most commonly used police stations for detention after arrest at AWE Aldermaston and Burghfield are:
Loddon Valley
Rushey Way,
Lower Earley,
Berkshire
RG6 4PS
Loddon Valley is between 11 and 13 miles from Aldermaston
Thames Valley Police - Find your station
Newbury
Mill Lane, (next to the court)
Newbury,
Berkshire
RG14 5QU
This police station is between 10-12 miles from Aldermaston
Thames Valley Police - Find your station
Slough
Windsor Road,
Slough,
Berkshire
SL1 2HH
Reading
Castle Street
Reading
Berkshire
RG1 7TH
Abingdon
Colwell Drive
Abingdon
Oxfordshire
OX14 1AU
How to find someone who has been arrested and detained
Note: The police are under no obligation to provide you with information about a detained person. It can help if the arrested person has asked the police to inform their Legal Supporter/Team about their detention.
In an ideal world, everyone who has been arrested asks the police to ring the Legal Support number (see Bust Card), then sometimes the police might ring the LS number with list of names. This rarely happens.
Do not ring the police station too soon. There is always a delay. It can take them several hours to process arrests, and if the police station is busy, arrested people can be held in a van outside the police station for several hours.
To find out if someone is being detained ring the Thames Valley non-emergency number 101 and ask to speak to the custody sergeant at the relevant police station.
• Tell them you are the Legal Supporter for an action, and that you believe that they have several people in detention.
• If they confirm this, ask them to give you the names.
• If they are feeling generous then they might tell you how many people are in detention.
• Do not say “Do you have Mrs Bloggs?”, as Mrs Bloggs may be giving a different name or may not have been arrested.
Bust Card
For this you will need to make preparations in advance (see Bust Card)
Anyone taking part in an action is given a Bust Card with your group’s Legal Support number, and a solicitor’s number.
When an arrested person taken into custody at a police station, they need to tell the custody sergeant that want Legal Support to be informed of their detention. [See Police Stations]
If the police don’t ring you (very likely), you just have to be persistent and ring round likely police stations (see above).
At this stage do not give anyone’s name to the police unless you are absolutely sure they have been arrested.
Once Legal Support has been informed, LS can ring the custody sergeant, and check on progress, time of release, whether anyone needs a lawyer etc.
West Berkshire Magistrates Court
The Court House
Mill Lane
Newbury
Berkshire
England
RG14 5QS
0118 980 1800
Open or download Police and Police Stations in PDF
