A LARGE police presence had people in Wokingham puzzled last night, with many taking to social media to ask what was going on.
Members of Thames Valley Police had been seen by Wokingham’s railway station and near Elms Field, causing residents to speculate.
Their appearance comes days after another spate of vandalism in the town centre which saw shop windows smashed and plants knocked over.
A car was also vandalised.
And there have also been concerns over knife crime following an alleged stabbing on Station Approach earlier this year.
Residents ask why police were present
Why Thames Valley Police were at Wokingham Station
Members of Thames Valley Police Wokingham Neighbourhood Police team teamed up with British Transport Police for an exercise aimed at reducing knife crime.
And it was a success as the officers managed to arrest three people on suspicion of shoplifting, in addition to carrying out a range of searches.
In a tweet, the force said: “[There was an] increased police presence in Wokingham this evening following a joint knife crime operation with @BTP at Wokingham Train Station and in the surrounding area.
“Numerous searches carried out and three people arrested on suspicion of multiple shopliftings in the town”