Neighbourhood policing strengthened in Hampshire and Isle of Wight
Summer blitz kickstarts return of visible policing to high streets
Named, contactable officers are now in place across every neighbourhood in Hampshire and Isle of Wight, according to the Home Office, providing a more direct link between the public and police to tackle crime.
Tasked with restoring a connection with the communities they serve, these dedicated officers will provide a guaranteed response for local concerns and enquiries.
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary are also now holding regular public meetings to give residents and businesses a voice on the issues they face, in addition to a dedicated antisocial behaviour lead delivering tailored action plans to tackle these concerns.
It is being seen as a key milestone in the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee – a flagship commitment in the government's central Plan for Change – aimed at returning visible policing to communities after years of decline. The number of people who regularly see police patrolling in their local area has halved in the past decade, while shoplifting has soared to record levels across the country and latest statistics show 17,200 ASB incidents in Hampshire and Isle of Wight.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said:
“Communities are sick of the antisocial behaviour and shop theft blighting their town centres. There are too many neighbourhoods across the country who simply do not feel safe.
“A connection between the police and public has been lost for too long but restoring visible officers to our streets and giving communities a proper named contact will rebuild those bonds with the communities they serve.
“The work forces have done so far under this government’s Plan for Change to restore trusted neighbourhood policing is already making a clear difference. We are now ending the postcode lottery of policing and ensuring every single community has a voice to make their streets safer.”
The Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee is also now delivering increased patrols in town centres and other hotspot areas across Hampshire and Isle of Wight, including places such as Southampton, Winchester and Portsmouth using local intelligence to protect their high streets from shop theft and violence.
This has been kickstarted by the Home Secretary's Safer Streets Summer Initiative, with 28 towns across the region joining over 500 nationwide in a coordinated blitz on town centre crime and antisocial behaviour.
And to ensure Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary gets the support it needs to keep its streets safe, 65 additional neighbourhood officers will be joining neighbourhood policing teams by Spring next year. This means up to 3,000 more officers and PCSOs in neighbourhood policing across all police forces in England and Wales.
Officers from Havant’s Neighbourhood Policing Team worked with a range of partners to address a spike in youth-related antisocial behaviour and violent crime at the Greywell Shopping Centre in Leigh Park. The team collaborated with partners such as local retailers, Havant Borough Council and outreach services to better share information and identify those involved.
Effective management and diversionary planning, as well as proportionate enforcement activity, has seen significant reductions in ASB and violent crime and the creation of community events to help break the cycle of offending for young people
Assistant Chief Constable Tara McGovern said:
“Our mission is to provide exceptional local policing in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. That’s why, in the past two years, we have transformed the way we work, to give more power back to policing districts and bring officers closer to the communities we serve. This work includes the introduction of named, contactable officers under our Local Bobbies scheme in January 2024.
“This summer, our officers are working hard to tackle ASB and make our streets safer. The Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee suggests we are on the right track but we are not complacent and we will look at every available option to better serve our communities.”
Paul Gerrard, Director - Campaigns, Public Affairs and Policy, Co-op said:
“Co-op has been a relentless campaigner to tackle retail crime and our partnerships with police forces across the UK are central to how we protect our colleagues, the shops they run and the communities they serve.
“We currently have 20 police partnerships nationwide, which continues to drive an increase in the number of offenders tackled, more sentences handed down and more rehabilitation orders than ever before.
“Our partnership with Hampshire Police and the NBCS focused on Southampton and Portsmouth is a brilliant example of how when retailers and police commit to working together and share intelligence, the prolific and persistent offenders who are behind the vast majority of retail crime can be tackled ... and that's good for shops but also the communities that rely on them.”