Hampshire PCC says she wants public to help fight crime
Donna Jones has been speaking after her first month in the role
Last updated 10th Jun 2021
Hampshire’s new Police and Crime Commissioner says she wants an “army” of volunteers to be the “eyes and ears” of the county’s fight against crime.
Donna Jones praised neighbourhood watch schemes, saying they can play a big part in cracking down on anti-social behaviour.
“For me, Neighbourhood Watch is the army - them and me together, hopefully, we can be working to really identify where the antisocial behaviour issues are.”
She was speaking one month after being elected Hampshire’s third Police and Crime Commissioner. Ms Jones told us her time in the job would be “very responsive”.
She adds: “It’s about listening, it’s about engaging, it’s about making sure I’m working with organisations like Neighbourhood Watch, who for me are absolutely key.”
“I am happy and confident that by the end of 2023, with me pushing the way that I need to, we will recruit 600 extra officers here in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.”
Ms Jones was first elected to Portsmouth City Council in 2008, having previously worked in banking and as a magistrate. Six years later, she became the only woman to lead the council in its 48-year history.
She then unsuccessfully ran in the 2019 General Election as the Conservative candidate in Portsmouth South, finishing over 5,000 votes behind Labour’s Stephen Morgan.
Despite her years representing and living in Portsmouth, she says that hasn’t stopped her from being able to represent the whole of Hampshire.
“I’ve spent a lot of time visiting the north of the county, getting to know the towns and villages, spending time around Fleet, Farnborough, Basingstoke, Aldershot - so I can really understand some of the crime issues there, and where I can help and make a difference.”
Now one month into her time as Police and Crime Commissioner, Ms Jones told us how she had been making progress towards meeting the promises she made during the election.
A core pledge was to hire hundreds more police to tackle crime. On that, she says she’s already “ahead of schedule”.
“I am happy and confident that by the end of 2023, with me pushing the way that I need to, we will recruit 600 extra officers here in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.”
New technology also plays an important part in the Commissioner’s plans. She had pledged to deploy drones and cameras to ‘protect Hampshire’s countryside’, and now says she’s working to use technology to help with officers’ everyday tasks.
“I’m doing what I can to reduce the amount of time officers spent on admin - duties that take them off the beat – to make sure they are on the beat more. I’ve got a meeting this afternoon which is talking about police ICT, and about technology.”
One of her ideas is to give officers iPads so they can complete their admin work while out on the streets.
The Commissioner’s other campaign promises included installing mobile police desks in supermarkets, libraries and public buildings across the county, and investing more in crime prevention. That investment, she says, can come in many forms.
“Maybe it’s a bit more CCTV, maybe it’s me speaking to the local council to improve some street lighting, perhaps it’s some cognitive behavioural therapy, perhaps it’s some mediation.
“These are the sorts of practical steps we’re going to be taking to reduce those issues across the area.”
But Commissioner Jones stressed how she wants the police to deal more with low-level crime.
She says she’s aware there’s a perception amongst some people that the police don’t bother with certain types of crime reports.
“I’ve met with the Assistant Chief Constable Maggie Blyth - she leads on local policing. I’ve met with her pretty much weekly since I’ve been elected. She’s aware that we need to be responding to some more of this lower-level stuff.”
She adds: “We are going to keep plugging away and doing everything that we can so that the public feel as safe as they should feel in their communities, because that’s what people are telling me they want.”