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Tackling crime, disorder, anti-social behaviour and alcohol and drug misuse. Reducing the fear of crime
Dial 101 for police, not 0845, in non-emergenciesHampshire Constabulary's non-emergency number 0845 045 4545 will now be fully replaced by 101. However, in an emergency which requires immediate assistance, you should still dial 999. Residents in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight can dial 101 to contact an officer, report a crime that doesn't require an immediate response, or if they have a general police-related enquiry. The easy-to-remember 101 number is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Calls from landlines and mobile phone networks cost 15 pence per call, no matter what time of day or how long you are on the phone. Hampshire Constabulary still operates its landline number 01962 841534. People who are hard of hearing or speech-impaired can textphone 18001 101.
Off-road vehicles targeted by thievesOwners of off-road vehicles, such as quad bikes, are urged to take steps to secure them in a bid to deter thieves. Police in Ringwood recently recovered two stolen off-road bikes with the aid of a search warrant. As a result of this, Safer Neighbourhood Team Sergeant Mark Roberts raised the concern that vehicle owners should be encouraged to store property as securely as possible. The Safer New Forest partnership advises that all motor-cycles, off-road bikes and pit bikes should be locked, secured and/or immobilised. In addition, the vehicles should be photographed by the owners and registration numbers and identification marks should be recorded to assist in identifying any recovered vehicles. Owners may also wish to go online to use Immobilise, the UK national property register, at www.immobilise.com By creating a private and secure portfolio of your property online, you can use Immobilise to instantly tell police, insurers, and the second-hand trade if you are a victim of theft or lose the items. Cllr Jill Cleary, New Forest District Council portfolio holder for housing and communities, said: "By taking care to secure your off-road motor vehicles and by registering them online at Immobilise, owners can create a real deterrent to thieves. "These actions will also help greatly in recovering stolen property and capturing thieves. - You can also help deter thieves by displaying a Hampshire Constabulary notice in your car or van which states: 'No valuables have been left in this vehicle.' They are available free of charge in New Forest District Council's information centres or by contacting Stephanie Bennett at Safer New Forest, New Forest District Council, Appletree Court, Lyndhurst SO43 7PA. Tel. 023 8028 5588 or email stephanie.bennett@nfdc.gov.uk
| | | Help us to help you say police'Help us to help you' - that's the plea from New Forest police who are cracking down on antisocial behaviour and crime that goes unreported. Safer New Forest is backing the call which reminds residents with neighbourhood concerns to report it to the police. It follows a number of incidents in which local people have become the victims of damage to their cars or homes but not contacted the authorities. Hythe and Dibden community safety officer, and former policeman, Norman Bareham highlighted the communication problem that can exist after he reported two car break-ins in his community newsletter. "I was distributing letters to homes in the streets where the break-ins had taken place when I was approached by local residents who told me that similar things had happened to their vehicles. 'Did you report it to the police?' I always ask. 'No, there didn't seem any point,' they said. "Well, if you don't tell the police (or community safety patrol officers) these things are happening - we cannot do anything about it," said Norman. The New Forest Safer Neighbourhood police teams encourage people to report any information about antisocial behaviour or local crime by dialling the police direct on 101 for non emergency problems (always dial 999 in an emergency) or by contacting your local beat officers on their patrols or at street meets. "We want to reassure the community that we will deal with these reports when information is provided. But without your help in the first instance, we can't know everything that is going on in your community," said New Forest East Inspector Alex Reading. "The New Forest is one of the safest places in Britain to live, with a low level of crime, and we want everybody to help us keep it that way." Cllr Jill Cleary, New Forest District Council portfolio holder for housing and communities, said: "Antisocial behaviour and criminal damage creates a great deal of distress to the victims. "I would appeal to the public not to turn a blind eye to crime and antisocial behaviour in your community, report those involved to help your area become a nicer place to live." |
| Forest fights back against rural crimeThefts of farm machinery and other types of metal have been on the increase in the New Forest. But now the Safer New Forest Partnership is fighting back against rural crime by providing security marking kits for use by vulnerable residents or repeat victims in the community. The Partnership, which includes New Forest District Council, Hampshire police, fire service and probation, has purchased the SelectaDNA Trace kits in a bid to reduce the number of thefts from farms and community buildings around the forest, such as schools and halls. The DNA kits are supplied by security company Selectamark and will be handed out by the Country Watch police teams to enable people to permanently mark any of their property with a special solution containing a unique DNA code. If a marked item is stolen and recovered, police can analyse the code and trace it back to the registered keeper. SelectaDNA has been successfully used in crime reduction initiatives throughout the UK as burglars know that it can incriminate them. NFDC portfolio holder for housing and communities, Cllr Jill Cleary welcomed the initiative. She said "Use of the SelectaDNA trace kits will help to make people feel more secure about their property and make the forest an even better place to live."
New Forest Chief Inspector Lucy Hutson, said: "This project will help us in our crackdown on metal thieves and give more farmers and residents the opportunity to get their valuable possessions marked. "As well as the property marking, this initiative will give us the ideal opportunity to speak to people and offer them crime prevention advice.
"Signage will also go up at properties using the DNA technology, warning possible burglars that we are working in the area, to act as a deterrent." Forest homes, farms, shops, churches and schools have all been affected by metal thefts, with roof lead, manhole covers, copper cables, aluminium road signs, ornate church flashing, horse and cattle troughs and farm batteries being stolen. Police are appealing for witnesses to any suspicious behaviour involving metal, such as people digging up cables or anybody on rooftops, especially at night, to dial 999 immediately to report it to the police. Cllr Cleary added: "I urge everybody who lives or works in the New Forest to keep a lookout for any suspicious behaviour, whether it is in the middle of the day, at teatime, or late at night under cover of darkness. Metal theft is a huge problem nationally and here in the New Forest, it is vital that we report any incidents immediately."
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 free purse lanyards available from Stephanie Bennett, 02380 285588 or email stephanie.bennett@nfdc.gov.uk | | |
Safer New Forest PartnershipThe Safer New Forest Partnership aims to reduce crime, disorder, anti-social behaviour and drug and alcohol misuse and reduce the fear of crime. Every year the Partnership looks at the recorded crime figures and listens to what the local communities say are their biggest worries and experiences. This assessment is called the annual strategic assessment and it helps the Partnership identify what are the key priorities for improvement that it must focus on. Just because something is not a priority does not mean that it is not tackled; all partners go about their business as usual but working together they aim to deliver the following priorities: Priority One : Intervention and Empowerment This priority will include all work to intervene in reducing offending behaviour and empower communities to reduce risk of victimisation Priority Two: Crime Reduction This priority includes all enforcement work and target hardening. If you would like to get in touch with us, perhaps you have an idea or a piece of work that might help us, or you disagree with the priorities or the work being undertaken please contact the Community Safety Co-ordinator stephanie.bennett@nfdc.gov.uk, 02380 285588. Please also let us know if you have looked for some information and not found it here; this will help us continue to improve this website. |
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