The Chief Constable for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary, Scott Chilton, has announced significant changes on how our police force will operate.
This change will see a return to a geographical policing model, achieving the Police and Crime Commissioner’s, Donna Jones, priority of bringing the police closer to communities as part of her Police and Crime Plan.
Under this plan, there is now a District Commander for every district in Hampshire that oversees all aspects of policing – from the officers responding to 999 calls, the investigators dealing with crimes that cause harm in our communities and bringing criminals to justice, and more visible neighbourhood officers to deal with issues that are causing concern.
The Chief Constable has also announced the introduction of Neighbourhood Enforcement Teams, who will be able to act fast on the information and intelligence coming in from our communities to target hotspots and catch those who are committing crime.
These teams have been created from the extra 50 officers that the Police and Crime Commissioner announced on top of the 600 already recruited as part of the uplift programme.
This comes as the Forces has returned to common sense policing, scrapping the requirement for officers to hold a degree and instead implementing the first scheme of its kind the country, Hampshire Policing PLUS.
This means that those who want to join policing can spend their time learning the skills required to be excellent officers without the distraction of unnecessary academic study, which takes up hundreds of thousands of hours of their time which could be better used out on the streets fighting crime, arresting people and making communities safer.
Chief Constable Scott Chilton said: “When I became Chief, I was clear that I wanted my officers, staff and volunteers to not only create communities that were safe, but that felt safe. To do this I have set three really clear priorities. Relentlessly pursue those criminals that cause harm to our communities, provide exceptional local policing, and put victims at the heart of everything we do.
“Our communities want and expect to see police officers and staff dealing with the issues that they care about, responding when they need us, dealing with those who cause harm in our communities and making our two counties a hostile environment for criminals."
Commenting, Leo Docherty MP said:
"Donna Jones and Chief Constable Scott Chilton have announced significant changes in how our police in Hampshire will operate.
"These changes will see a new common-sense structure, strengthening local neighbourhood policing, and having dedicated officers for communities.
"The Neighbourhood Enforcement Teams our new Chief Constable, Scott Chilton, is introducing has only been possible thanks to the 600 new frontline officers Donna has secured for the force."