UPDATED 27/09/2011
Sergeant Amanda Smith is responsible for the Safer Neighbourhoods team for Meon Valley North.
The officers on the team are:
Itchen Valley area:
- PC Ben Stoneley
- PCSO Helen Ashcroft
Alresford area:
- PC Ben Stoneley
- PCSO Steve Hull
Cheriton / Bishops Sutton & Upper Meon Valley areas:
- PC Paul McShea
- PCSO Siobhan Murray
Your local priorities
Locally, we work with your community to find out what matters most where you live. We will work with you and our partner agencies to agree the main priorities for the area and how we will work together to tackle them.
Community Priorities:
The areas that you the public would like the team to concentrate on:
You Said...
Beat 1 Itchen Valley PC Ben Stoneley and PCSO Helen Ashcroft, tackling:
- Speeding
- Theft and burglary
- Poaching
Beat 2 Alresford and New Alresford PC Ben Stoneley and PCSO Steve Hull
- Speeding
- Anti-social behaviour
Beat 3 Bramdean, Cheriton, Kilmeston and Tichbourne areas PC Paul Mcshea and PCSO Siobhan Murray
- Vehicle nuisance
- Speeding
Beat 4 Upper Meon Valley PC Paul Mcshea and PCSO Siobhan Murray
- Theft and burglary
- Speeding
- Poaching
Your Voice Counts
Have an issue to raise with the Meon Valley North Safer Neighbourhoods team?
Please click here to be taken to the force's Your Voice Counts page. You can complete the form online and have your opinions heard by your local policing team.
How to contact us
To contact the team responsible for your local area, call 101 and ask to speak to someone from your local Safer Neighbourhoods team. Alternatively please email meon.valley.north.snt@hampshire.pnn.police.uk. If you are calling from outside Hampshire and the Isle of Wight dial 0845 045 45 45.
Action we have taken in relation to your local priorities
What the team have done in relation to your priorities over the last two months:
Throughout the Winter months we have conducted several rural crime initiatives. The team have worked in partnership with our Countryside and Wildlife Officer and members of the Roads Policing Unit in an attempt to reduce rural crime including poaching, damage and theft. There have been a number of arrests for these types of offences.
Alresford Police Station Sation Enquiry Office to Open to Public
We are going to open the front counter/office on a trial basis until the end of the year.
Opening times will only be 3pm-5pm Sundays unless for operational reasons officers are required elsewhere.
Our officers will be able to assist with, property enquiries, information and advice. This will give the public a chance to utilise 'your voice counts' and to have a say in local policing priorites.
Further planned events and operations:
The up and coming months the team will be involved in:
1) Street Briefings to seek out your concerns and views about local policing priorities
2) Visiting vulnerable sites that can be targeted by thieves such as car parks within our area.
3) Looking at ways to further reduce anti-social behaviour in Alresford..
Keeping your valuables safe in rural beauty spots - a message from PCSO Helen Ashcroft
Vehicle crime is something that is happening across this area on weekly basis. Mainly cars left at beauty spot car parks, where personal items such as wallets, handbags and sat nav's have been left in the car, ready for thieves to come and help themselves to as you enjoy your walk in the country. I can not stress to you enough - if your going to leave your car in a rural area, please take ALL your belongings with you. As if you choose not to, you could end as a victim of vehicle crime. As you will read from the statement below, just how easy this can happen.
It Couldn’t Happen to Me
"I live locally, in a rural spot, surrounded by agricultural land. This summer all the fields had rape in them, and my Labrador puppy was suffering from scratches to her face from the crop stalks. So I often went up to Abbostone with my two dogs for walks.
The other day after driving down to Alresford to do some shopping, I had the idea it would be nice to go back there. It was Bank Holiday Sunday and arriving at the car park I noticed about 4 cars, more than normal, two with people in or around their cars. I waited a minute to see what they were doing, and as I waited I hid my wallet under the shopping. I saw one car drive away, the people in the car next to me seemed to be just sitting there. I thought nothing of it, got the leads, let the dogs out and went off for a walk.
I came back 45 minutes later to find the passenger window completely smashed, the shopping intact, but my wallet was gone. In it were credit cards, debit card, cash, driving licence, rail card, stamps, loyalty cards – so much of my life in one place. Plus it was a lovely wallet that had been a present from a friend.
My first reaction was complete shock - I couldn’t believe it had happened to me, and in a place close to my home. It took me straight back to Ghana where I lived for two years recently, and had my car broken into twice. I could understand it happening there, but not here in Hampshire!
After a while I was very angry with whoever had done it – I felt something of myself was stolen, not just the cash. But I have to say that I’ve often done this – hidden a handbag or wallet under something else in the car and assumed I’d be OK. But it’s just not worth it – not just the loss of money, it’s the upset, the hassle, and violation of one’s personal possessions.
I’ve learnt my lesson now, and won’t risk doing it again."
Debbie, Old Alresford
Equine Liason Officer
PCSO Siobhan Murray is the Equine Liaison Officer for the Meon Valley North area. Siobhan offers free crime prevention advice and a free tack-marking service. This is a deterrent to thieves and makes the tack returnable if recovered.
You can contact Siobhan direct on:
siobhan.murray@hampshire.pnn.police.uk
Your Voice Counts
Have an issue to raise with the Meon Valley North Safer Neighbourhoods team?
Please click here to be taken to the force's Your Voice Counts page. You can complete the form online and have your opinions heard by your local policing team.
How you can take action
Come and tell us what is important to you in your neighbourhood, and play your part in setting local priorities.
Beat Surgeries
Our Police Community Support Officers will be working in partnership with the local Neighbourhood Watch and will be calling on residents at their homes within their beat areas to conduct 'Street Briefings'. Residents will be asked to share their concerns and their opinions on local policing priorities.
Itchen Valley
Once a month, on a Tuesday PC Ben Stoneley and PCSO Helen Ashcroft will be at the following locations:
On these dates:
Alresford
PCSO Steve Hull will be at the Women’s Institute on Friday 5th February, between 10am and 11am and every fortnight from then on.
PCSO Steve Hull will be at Sun Hill School every Friday between 3pm and 4pm.
Cheriton, Bishop Sutton and Upper Meon Valley
These meetings are attended by police to give an update on local crimes and crime prevention advice:
PCSO Helen Ashcroft will be holding a Mobile Police in the car park of ‘The Trout’ on the following Saturday’s from 15:00 – 16:00: TBA
Avington Mobile Police Station
The mobile police station will be in Chilcomb (by the noticeboard) at the following times:
Community Boxes
These boxes will give local residents the opportunity to raise issues which may or may not be police related but issues that police assistance or awareness would be beneficial. The issue maybe something which we can pass over to a partner agency.
All information obtained will be treated as confidential unless of a nature which may need a certain amount of disclosure.
Community boxes will be available at static locations at:
- Doctors Surgery in Station Approach, Alresford
- Alresford District Council Offices, Alrebury Park in Alresford Road
If there are any suggestions where you would like these community boxes to be located please make contact with one of the team.
Parish Council Meetings
Beat one – PC Ben Stoneley and PCSO Helen Ashcroft.
Beat two – PC Ben Stoneley and PCSO Steve Hull.
Beat three and Four – PC Paul Mcshea and PCSO Siobhan Murray.
Our commitment to attending these meetings is at least once a quarter. If there are any operational policing needs which prevent officers attending we will do our upmost to let you know.
We and all interested persons and other partner agencies, seek to address those issued raised both directly at these meetings and those through other means such as 'Your Voice Counts ' campaign which is led by Hampshire Constabulary.
In order to try and counteract this effect, could all parish clerks ensure all dates of their meetings are forward as soon as possible. Meon Valley North Safer Neighbourhoods Team can also be contacted via e-mail below or by posting a 'Your Voice Campaign' leaflet in one of the community boxes. Locations of these community boxes are as detailed on this internet site.
We are currently looking at revamping the patrols of the mobile police station. We would like your views on this and in particular as to where the best locations, times and days of the week should we aim to cover.
Please contact us either via the above e-mail address, by telephoning 101 and asking for Alresford police station or by contacting Alresford Police Station, Station Road, Alresford SO24 9JQ.
In many areas, Meon Valley North are having an input into local parish magazines and other local interest groups, should you wish an input from us, however small, your local officer will be delighted to complete an article for you.
You could also volunteer to help the teams working in your local area and make a real difference to your neighbourhood. Click here for more information about police support volunteers.
Crime mapping and local performance information
Hampshire Constabulary has joined with partner agencies in the two counties to provide you with local information about crime and disorder, using a system called CADDIE. On the bottom left hand side of this page, you can enter your postcode into CADDIE to view information about your local area.
You can also view details of how we are performing against certain key criteria in your local area. Click here to see your local performance information.
How to contact us
To contact the team responsible for your local area, call 101 and ask to speak to someone from your local Safer Neighbourhoods team. Alternatively please email meon.valley.north.snt@hampshire.pnn.police.uk. If you are calling from outside Hampshire and the Isle of Wight dial 0845 045 45 45.
