Last updated on: Monday, October 24
The Safer Neighbourhoods Team for Overton, Freefolk and Laverstoke is:
PC Richard Baldwin (picture coming soon)
We are based out of Whitchurch Police Station.
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.
Our priorities for this neighbourhood are:
- Tackle anti-social behaviour and criminal damage around the village
- Reduce speeding across the beat
- Crime prevention for theft related matters
Country Watch
Please click here for more information about the Country Watch scheme in this area.
July saw yet another brilliant Scarecrow Festival which showcased the fantastic community spirit of the village. Unfortunately the success of the Scarecrow Festival had a detrimental effect on the number of reported crimes in the area. I would imagine 'scarecrow related crime' is a fairly unique cause of criminal trends - less unique are the idiots who were responsible for stealing some of the wonderful displays around the village. If anyone has any information that could help identify those people responsible, please let me know.
Burglary in the village
Overton suffered a burglary in July, whereby thieves targeted a house that was not lived in. Whilst house break-ins are extremely rare in the village; we would urge all householders to review their home security. If you would like any practical advice in securing your home, please make contact with us to arrange a home visit from your local beat team.
Spooky lights reported in the Overton and Laverstoke area
During the month we received a report of strange lights being seen in the night sky, however it turned out to be a rather disappointing conclusion when it transpired that two powerful lights from the Micheldever area were oscillating in a pre-programmed movement and illuminating the overhead clouds giving the illusion of lights darting around in the night sky, so no need for the services of 'Mulder and Scully'!
Updates on Twitter and overtonvillage.com
For anyone who follows Twitter or likes the occasional 'tweet', follow us @OvertonPolice. We also supply regular updates via the Overton village website.
Action we have taken in relation to your priorities
You said: Tackling anti-social behaviour and criminal damage around the village
We did:
July was a disappointing month with quite a lot of bad behaviour in the village. We had report of a window being broken by a football at the community centre and also hanging baskets and scarecrows being either damaged or stolen. We also received reports of litter being strewn all over the football pitches up at Berrydown.
We had three reports of rowdy and inconsiderate behaviour and four reports of criminal damage throughout the month. If you witness any bad behaviour in your area please contact the police immediately by phoning 101.
You said: Road safety across the beat area
We did:
Work continues with the Roads Policing Unit from Whitchurch in a bid to reduce road casualties and make sure all road users keep to the applied speed limits.
A drink/drive campaign is still being conducted across the county during the summer months and this month saw two drivers being charged locally with drink driving.
There were five reported RTIs that required police attendance in the beat area during the month - one serious injury RTI at Frost Hill and four damage only RTIs on Laverstoke Lane, Winchester Street, Bridge Street and Red Lion Lane.
You said: Crime prevention for theft related matters
We did:
New for this year; we will be concentrating our efforts on 'target hardening' the communities of Overton, Freefolk and Laverstoke to deter opportunist criminals.
Theft of lead from buildings is still occurring in the area with two properties on the High Street falling foul of thieves during the month. Please note there are non-lead alternatives available on the market place which are worthless to the would be thief. Your local beat team are conducting routine checks on houses and parked cars to identify any insecurities or to check for valuables on display. We'll either knock on your door or write to you explaining what we've seen and advise you how easy it would have been to have stolen your property.
Crime prevention advice - 'Don't give a burglar a break this summer'
- Many burglars target only empty homes. If you are going on holiday or even if you’re just out at work all day, try to make it look like someone is home and don’t advertise your absence.
- Use timer switches – available from most DIY stores – to switch on lights, radios and other appliances when you’re out or away.
- If you’re going away, get a friend or neighbour to collect your post, draw your curtains and make your home look lived in.
- If you are taking your car on holiday, ask a neighbour to park in your drive.
- Remember to cancel milk and papers.
- Write your home address on a piece of paper and keep it inside your suitcase. Make sure your address isn't visible from the outside.
- Hide financial documents and keys – if someone does break in you don’t want them to also steal from your bank account or take your car.
- Walk around the outside of your home and take a good look inside and see what valuable items you have on display.
Offenders brought to justice
Three people were arrested across the beat area this month.
Beat crime stats:
Reported crime figures for the Overton beat area for 2011:
January 11
February 13
March 12
April 18
May 10
June 8
July 17
Total crime reports for 2011 = 89 ( compared to 88 for the same period in 2010 )
The 17 crimes for the month are broken down as follows:
One burglary
Nine thefts
Two theft from motor vehicles
Four damage
One other
(The Overton Beat area extends to Polhampton Lodge (B3051) to the North, Ashe to the East, Freefolk to the West and the A303 to the South)
For more infomation about Overton village in general, please click on this link.
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. Look out for the Mobile Police Office in your area! It is a chance for you to meet the local beat officer and for you discuss any issues you may have.
Beat surgeries
Regular surgeries are held in the Parish Office, St Mary's Hall, Overton High Street from 12pm until 2pm, the next beat surgery dates are:
- Monday, November 14
- Monday, December 5
Mobile Police Office
The Basingstoke Rural Mobile Police Office visits the village every Tuesday. Station Enquiry Officer Stewart Packham will be onboard ready to take your questions and note your concerns.
The Mobile Police Office can be located in the Community Centre car park between 2.30pm and 4.30pm.
Free tack marking service
Would you like the opportunity to have your tack security marked and the details recorded and held by your local policing team?
If you are interested please make contact with PC Lee Coleshill, our Country Watch Officer. You can contact PC Coleshill via the contact details below.
Volunteering
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.
Your Voice Counts - community priorities
Your Safer Neighbourhoods team wants to hear from you. Have your say on what the policing priorities should be for your area, by clicking here to download a copy of the form and send it back to your local team.
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
If you would like to speak to the officers responsible for your local area please call 101 or email the Overton Safer Neighbourhoods team
