The unit is designed to give the many rural villages covered by Hampshire Police a physical station presence that has been previously absent.
The mobile station will be manned by two officers, one to take enquiries in the unit itself, and one to perform high visibility foot patrols.
The trial will run from Monday, February 18, to Monday, April 1, throughout Hampshire, and the unit will be stationed in the Alton area on February 21 and 22, March 7 and 8, and then again on March 21 and 22. The facility will operate for 10 hours per day and will travel according to a set route.
A renewed police presence on rural streets should have many knock-on benefits, according to the head of Alton Police, Inspector Steve Mote.
He said: ÒAs well as providing the residents of the rural villages with a point of contact with the police, the high visibility unit should also go a long way to reducing the fear of crime. It will provide assurance that the police are addressing rural issues, and by operating a mobile system, we can provide these services at a number of locations.
ÒThe facilities installed in the unit will much depend on the services people require during the trial. If people tell us what they want out of this service, we can do our best to provide it.
ÒThe vehicle will visit as much of the area as possible. It will park up at designated places for a period of time and so give local people the chance to speak to officers about their issues in particular.
ÒTwo officers will be on duty at any one time and one of them will always be a rural community beat officer who works in the Alton area. They will therefore be well placed to discuss and hopefully resolve rural problems.
ÒThis is very much a trial, the like of which has never been conducted in Alton before. After the trial, we hope to have a much better understanding of the real issues that people have and that in turn will enable us to deploy the mobile police station to best effect in the future.
ÒI have sat down with my rural beat officers and together we have come up with a series of locations where the officers will stop when they come out on the first dates. Undoubtedly experience will tell us if we have chosen the right places and those will be addressed on subsequent visits.
ÒThe initial timetable is meant only as a guide and will be very much dependent on how much interest and business we generate.
ÒNo doubt cynics will view this as a token gesture but I would simply say that we have to begin somewhere and this is an ideal opportunity to start doing something really constructive and worthwhile.
ÒSo, while 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. In time, it may be possible to invite other agencies who work with us to come out on patrol and so provide an even more effective service.Ó
Timetable:
Thursday February 21.
0830-0930 - Bentworth, Village Green.
1000-1100 - Shalden, Village Hall.
1100-1300 - Lower Froyle, Village Hall.
1330-1430 - Bentley, near the Convenience Store.
1500-1600 - Binsted School.
1630-1730 - Kingsley School.
Friday February 22.
0830-1000 - Selborne, The Plestor.
1030-1200 - Upper Farringdon, Church Lane and Lower Farringdon, Chase Fields.
1215-1245 - West Tisted, Post Office.
1300-1330 - Monkwood, Priors Lane.
1330-1430 - Ropley, Village Hall.
1445-1600 - Medstead, Village Hall.
1615-1800 - Four Marks, Oak Green Parade.