MOBILE police offices will be making their way to villages in the Petersfield area as part of a crime-fighting initiative to increase police presence in rural communities.
Three Ford Transit vans have been converted into temporary police stations and will be bringing much-needed beat officers, support staff and special constabulary officers to rural areas across the county.
This week Petersfield inspector Steve Sargent confirmed that villages in this area can expect to see the Hampshire Constabulary stations.
He said: ÒPeople in the Petersfield area will definitely be benefiting from the new mobile police offices.
ÒWe are currently organising some dates and times and we will be pushing out a schedule as soon as it is ready.Ó
The news will be warmly welcomed by villagers concerned by the sale of police homes and the decreasing number of officers seen on the beat.
Insp Sargent said: ÒMembers of the public, particularly in the outlying rural areas, are always asking us to make ourselves more available in the community and this is one way of doing that.
ÒWhenever the mobile police office visits an area there will also be one officer on patrol.
ÒIt will give people the chance to report stolen property or other crimes. It also provides an opportunity for people to ask questions and talk to police officers.Ó
ÒWe hope this initiative will bring us closer to the rural communities in the area and we hope it is well used.Ó
Liss parish councillor Sue Halstead is welcoming the initiative and says anything the police can do to improve their presence in rural areas would be a positive step.
She said: ÒAs a village we have very close links to our two community officers but anything police can do to make themselves more available to the village is welcomed.
ÒThe issue of policing in rural areas comes up whenever we have a meeting or discussion about crime safety.
ÒI donÕt know how this will affect Liss or any other village yet but I think itÕs an excellent initiative. The more people have access to police officers, the better.Ó
The mobile offices have been financed by Hampshire ConstabularyÕs allocation from the governmentÕs rural crime-fighting fund, which totalled £220,000.
They will be equipped with police radios and a mobile phone with a direct link to the force inquiry centre at police headquarters in Winchester, which will enable faster crime recording and will reduce paperwork.
Assistant Chief Constable Phillip Jacobs said that the provision of the new mobile stations was in response to the needs and wishes of the rural communities.
He said: ÒWe recognise the importance for there to be a visible police presence among communities to help deter crime and we hope these mobile offices will increase the impact of policing in our rural communities.
ÒThis initiative seeks to increase the penetration and availability of policing services and these mobile offices are intended to help build stronger links between the communities of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight and the police who serve them.
ÒThis is the first time we have taken the office-based part of policing to the streets. We hope its benefits will be reaped by the community and the officers working in that community.Ó
AltonÕs Inspector Steve Mote echoed these sentiments and pointed out that the initiative will only be successful if residents in the villages make use of the new mobile stations.
He said: ÒWhile the onus is on us to get out into the community, this initiative will only succeed if the rural population at large come out and speak to us.Ó