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Hampshire Constabulary - Paul Robinson (18th Mar 2019 - 21:03:51) I am sure you will have received this week your Council Tax Bill and, like me, you may be wondering how it is that once again the percentage change from last year for the cost of policing the county has increased by a whopping 13.5%. Far greater than all the other services put together! Is this increase reflected in the conviction rate of crime in the village? Is this increase reflected in the number of police seen in the village? The Police and Crime Commissioner has said that the conviction rate has suffered because they have less police officers than they need. So where is the money going? Paul Robinson

Re: Hampshire Constabulary - Adrian (19th Mar 2019 - 09:41:47) Someone’s had a pay rise or is it the new panda cars? Definitly it’s not an increase in visible Plods.

Re: Hampshire Constabulary - JR (19th Mar 2019 - 13:09:24) Perhaps we will get 13.5% more speed camera vans on the A3 now. Actually, 13.5% more visible police presence in the village would be great but then 13.5% of zero is still zero.

Re: Hampshire Constabulary - D (19th Mar 2019 - 14:48:40) When the government perform cutbacks to these essential services such as police, fire and ambulance, there’s an immeadiate knock on effect of ‘working smarter’ within that service. Hasn’t knife crime gone up due to lack of funding from Theresa May whilst she was home secretary? Fortunately for the police, they are able to pull back some of that missing finance from a rise in council tax, albeit a minute amount in comparison. Yes it’s annoying that we don’t see a ‘bobby on the beat’ in Liphook, but then do you see them in Petersfield or Haslemere or even Guildford, on a regular basis? It’s a tough and thankless and job with ever increasing demands on the service they provide.

Re: Hampshire Constabulary - jaybee (19th Mar 2019 - 16:26:26) I was also surprised by the increase in rates for the police and crime commissioner, but in checking back I find that the increase in 2003 was 29.5% and in 2002 27.3% certainly more than this years increase of 13.5% In the last 20 years the increase has been £89.35 in 1999 to todays figure of £335.77 for band D. I would have thought that the increase in funding would have resulted in a better service but the reverse has happened. Twenty years ago we had police visible on the streets. We had police stations in Petersfield Alton and Whitehill. now closed, we knew how to contact the police and that they would respond. Today we appear to have a drug problem locally, people dealing others racing cars up London Road and nothing happening. Has anyone got an answer

Re: Hampshire Constabulary - Rob (20th Mar 2019 - 08:37:26) Although don't forget that £89 20 years ago probably is £390 or close to it in today's money taking into account compound inflation... Knife crime is nothing to do with numbers and all about the spineless politicians pandering to the PC brigade. Stop and Search was "unfairly" targeting young black men apparently. When they stopped stopping and searching them the knife crime went up and up and up.... As it's largely gang members, who are mostly young black men stabbing and killing other gang's members you'd have thought that the PC brigade would be up in arms that stop and search isn't being deployed. But should we be too concerned?

Re: Hampshire Constabulary - Scott (20th Mar 2019 - 10:47:24) Rob Could you please put into context the final sentence of "But should we be too concerned"

Re: Hampshire Constabulary - Richard (20th Mar 2019 - 14:44:50) The inflation adjusted figure (From Band of England) is £151.51.(from 1999 to 2018), from £89. I happen to agree with Mr. Robinson's original post...we seem to be lacking value for money or accountability for our rates.

Re: Hampshire Constabulary - Rob (20th Mar 2019 - 16:47:50) Oh I'm not doubting that we don't get value for money, just that it isn't quite as simple as the cash value. In terms of my last comment, should we be too concerned? What I mean is as long as they only kill each other, so what? Less criminals on the streets can only be a good thing surely? All the bleeding heart liberals in Islington will have to get their coke from somewhere though....

Re: Hampshire Constabulary - Guy Stacpoole (20th Mar 2019 - 19:55:04) When, as a district councillor, I attended a presentation by the police and county in Petersfield, the late County Cllr John West, advised us of the additional monies required to have police back on the streets and local police stations reopened; the sum was in easy reach and seemed really worthwhile to most of us. I won't comment on the sum because times have changed sufficiently to make it irrelevant, but the principle remains the same. It's just that they daren't ask!

Re: Hampshire Constabulary - Paul Robinson (20th Mar 2019 - 21:03:24) Good evening Guy, I am afraid that the local bobby walking the streets, chatting to the locals is very much a thing of the past along with Spangles and Sherbet Dip Dabs. Most police constables are now equipped with state of the art technology which will alert them to trouble spots and incidents which they will (when possible) attend in a squad car (do they still call the 'squad cars'?) So it is with police stations. If you wish to return a dropped wallet or a lost dog, then the nearest station is, I understand, Aldershot or Winchester. The last time I tried to report a lost Springer Spaniel, that the postman had shut into my porch believing it was mine, she was snoozing in her basket in the kitchen, I had to drag it over to Alton police station while all the while it was trying to rape my Barbour coat on the back seat! What I do not understand is that despite calls to 101 about illegal drug dealing in identified areas in the village, absolutely nothing is done about it. We still have a Bank in the centre of the village with a hole in the wall where there used to be a 'Hole in the Wall' and no one has been arrested for this. I suspect that Liphook is not considered to be major crime area and the police resources are being concentrated elsewhere and that is where our money is being spent. Paul Robinson

Re: Hampshire Constabulary - D (21st Mar 2019 - 13:45:56) An extract from BBC news about exactly your query Paul Robinson. “the settlement is not enough to reverse the 30% real-terms cut in central government funding [for policing] since 2010. By last December there were 44,000 fewer officers, staff and community support officers than in 2010.” So as explained earlier, a poorly funded essential service trying to ensure a modicum of responsibility to providing safety. And on the issue of the antisocial behaviour of the illegal substance users, the marked and unmarked police cars have been spotted in Liphook trying to deture the issue but in real terms, they are not going to send their fleet of vehicles to this village when it is a prolific through the county/country. I would advise anybody to call 101 every time they suspect drug use, to help build a case of patrolling the area more frequently.

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