Hampshire Constabulary

Welcome to Basingstoke and Deane Country Watch

We are:

Sergeant Shaun Stinson

PC Lee Coleshill

PCSO Melissa Rowell

We specialise in dealing with issues related to rural and wildlife crime. We work closely with key partner agencies and the rural community to help us gather intelligence, provide a visible presence and tackle the issues that are important.

To register for Country Watch, download an application form here.

Operation Thornley

Operation Thornley was set up as a local scheme in the rural areas of the Basingstoke district in 2005. It was, and still is, a system that allows a member of the public to contact their local policing teams when they witness a poaching incident. The scheme proved so successful in our area that other operational policing teams in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight are now using it.

If you see an incident of poaching, be it fishing, hare coursing, deer stalking or anything else of a similar nature, you are encouraged to contact Hampshire Constabulary immediately and quote 'Operation Thornley'. The incident must be ongoing.

On receipt of a call of this nature, the police controller will instigate an action plan. You will asked some standard questions such as: 

• where are you?
• what have you seen?
• how many people are engaged in the unlawful activity?

Local police units will then be deployed to the area in an attempt to apprehend the offenders. If available, we will also deploy officers from the Roads Policing Unit, the Dog Section and even the police spotter plane.

We have caught and successfully prosecuted a vast amount of people involved in these types of offences. If we can, we will seize the offender's vehicles and if the court orders it, the vehicles are crushed.

For historical incidents you are still encouraged to let us know, but not using the Operation Thornley method. By calling us on 101 or 0845 045 4545 you will be able to leave all the details of what you witnessed earlier and these will be forwarded to the Country Watch team for further investigation.  

Secure your property - register it for FREE

We are currently running a campaign to prevent burglaries being committed to all out buildings, such as sheds, garages, farm stores and such like.

We all know that valuable items are stored in these buildings and that in itself makes them a place of interest to thieves.

You need to ensure that all of your items are marked in some way. Post coding is a simple method. By using UV marker pens it won't mark the property in a way that appears unsightly, but, if you are unfortunate enough to have any items stolen, by having it marked, the chances of having it returned should it be recovered are obviously increased.

Ask yourself:

• is the lighting at my property adequate?
• Are there locks on doors and if so, are they locked when the out building is not in use?
• Are you happy with the overall security?

If not, then you may wish to do something about it before it's too late. If you need further security advice then you can contact a member of the Country Watch team on the details below, who will be happy to assist or point you in the right  direction of our specialised crime prevention teams.

Do you have a list of all your property available, with descriptions and serial numbers? We now offer a FREE service where you can ensure all your valuables are listed with the Country Watch team, so that if your property is stolen and recovered, we have a better chance of reuniting it with you.

Download the form by clicking on this link and emailing it back to the Country Watch team.

Free tack marking

By being a member of our Country Watch scheme, we are able to offer you a free tack marking and crime prevention service. Officers are able to come to your stables or yard at your convenience to mark your tack including saddles and bridles. For further information or advice and to arrange for your tack marked please contact PCSO Melissa Rowell on the details below.  

Useful contacts

Click here for a list of useful contacts.

Please click here to find out more about policing in your local area