The police and crime commissioner (PCC) for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight has announced that funding totalling nearly £84,000 will be shared among 10 projects focused on the prevention of rural crime.
PCC Donna Jones awarded the funding to 10 successful applications that were submitted in the first round of the ‘Commissioner’s Emerging Need Fund’.
Jones said the projects will target rural crime across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight and make rural communities safer.
Successful applications include re-deployable automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras to target rural crime hotspots and thermal imaging equipment for police dog units.
PCC Donna Jones said: “I’m really pleased to be supporting a range of services that will help make rural communities safer and complement the existing initiatives and providers who are already tirelessly working to combat crime in the large rural areas that we have here in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
“Efficient policing and crime detection present their own challenges as 85% of the two counties is rural, countryside communities are more frequently becoming victims of serious and organised crime, and rural crime can often go unreported.”
Jones said the successful funding projects will add to the fight to counteract “countryside criminals who are intent of destroying livelihoods”.
The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary (HIOWC) said the funding its successful projects received will bolster its capabilities to deliver on its commitments to the rural communities of the areas.
Insp. Cath MacDonald, leader of the HIOWC country watch team, said: “The ANPR cameras will be deployed to hotspot areas identified by intelligence analysis and local officer knowledge, and as the intelligence picture changes we can re-deploy the cameras to new hotspot areas quickly and efficiently.
“Deployment of these cameras is a clear priority for people, as this was something highlighted by our communities as a necessity in our recent rural crime survey.”
The successful applications being funded by the Commissioner’s Emerging Needs Fund, and the amounts they have been allocated, are:
- HIOWC, re-deployable ANPR cameras – £25,000;
- HIOWC, thermal imaging equipment & ANPR purchase for northern area dog handlers – £14,440;
- HIOWC, mobile battery operated ANPR kit – £13,000;
- HIOWC, Mounted Rural Patrol volunteers, kit & equipment – £11,799;
- Elvetham Heath Parish Council, improved rural lighting – £3,221;
- Beaulieu Parish Council, replacement ANPR cameras – £1,590;
- Northwood Parish Council, security camera equipment – £1,000;
- Family Values, engagement programme for parents of teenagers – £5,000;
- Winchester Street Reach, weekly youth club in Micheldever – £4,509;
- The Reanella Trust, supporting young people on the Isle of Wight – £4,440.
“We also couldn’t be happier with the funding being provided for the Mounted Rural Volunteers scheme as they provide an excellent service to the constabulary, patrolling on horseback in areas that are otherwise difficult to access, and they feed crucial information and intelligence back to officers relating to rural crime and suspicious people or vehicles,” MacDonald said.
