Last updated on: Wednesday, July 21
The Safer Neighbourhoods Team for Odiham is:
PC Victoria Bolan (right, first photograph), PCSO Liz Wallace (left, first photograph), and Special Constable Iain Tunstell (far right).
We are based out of Odiham 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.
Your Safer Neighbourhood Team is working with your community to find out what matters most to you where you live. Local beat officers, residents and partner agencies will agree the main priorities for the area and try to find ways of how we will tackle them together.
Quantities of questionnaires were letter dropped and handed out to residents through the summer. These questionnaires asked residents to tell us what they felt the main problems were in the villages and areas they lived in, they also asked for feedback about how effective they felt the police were at dealing with incidents in their area.
The current beat priorities were set, they are as follows:
- Rural breaks to outbuildings, farms and vehicles
- Speeding vehicles through the villages
- Criminal damage and anti-social behaviour in Odiham
These have been set by responses that the residents have given us, if you wish to influence these priorities or feel that there are more important issues that are not being dealt with please contact us, or speak to us when we are out patrolling.
Update:
There have been a number of concerns raised by parents about vehicles coming out of the road which runs along by the cottage hospital. An idea is being put forward to erect a mirror so as to aid drivers to see if there are any children on the bend. A meeting will be taking place to discuss this option further. There are still a large amount of people speeding as they go out of the village towards the A287 Farnham Road. Traffic enforcement will be being carried out as well as continued monitoring - your have been warned!
RAF Families Week took place and was a huge success with no incidents for the police to get involved in. PC Bolan was asked to adjudicate for a record attempt of the three legged race. This has lots of participants and went very well, some appeared more competitive than others!
With the school year coming to a close PC Bolan and PCSO Wallace have now finished their visits. The feedback was good and they are now writing up their lesson plans for next year in the hope of continuing to have links with the young people in the area. It is hoped that by raising awareness of these issues with young children they will be safer and make the right choices when growing up.
It is also felt that by being present in the school it helps children to feel safe and at ease with the police, therefore able to approach us should they have any concerns or problems they want to discuss.
Pub Watch
Pub Watch is a scheme which sees all the licensed establishments in Odiham, Hook and the surrounding villages working together to promote safer drinking practices throughout the area. The scheme introduces the banned from one banned from all initiative. This appears to be going from strength to strength.
We now have six local trouble makers in the list who are no longer welcome in these establishments, offenders have been banned so far for threatening and violent behaviour and theft. Pub Watch is run by the landlords and it is their decision as to who gets banned and the length of the ban imposed. It is hoped that this will deter anti-social and unacceptable behaviour, keep the staff safe in their work environment and stop those who cannot conduct themselves in an appropriate way from spoiling the atmosphere for regular customers.
Beat surgeries are held in Odiham, however we still find that residents are not attending or approaching us with their views. If we are not aware of residents' issues then it is hard for us to be able to concentrate on these matters. Please let us know your concerns so we can focus our resources on them for you.
Whilst out on patrol we have been approached and advised about the disabled bays still being used by non-badge holders. The bays are opposite the local Co-Op store. We have spoken to a number of people who are not certified and have parked in these bays. We would ask that all residents respect the parking regulations and only use the bays if they are blue badge holders. Traffic wardens have been attending this area and are taking this very seriously, with penalties being issued.
Actions we have taken in relation to your priorities
You said: You wanted the team to reduce rural breaks to outbuildings, farms and vehicles
We did:
Patrols have been increased at optimum times to try to disrupt any offenders in the area, and special operations will be running throughout the year to aid in this goal. Most recently PC Bolan and PC Beale from Hook have been working through the night in order to show a more visible presence in rural areas. Please keep any valuable items locked away and secure in order to help prevent thefts and breaks.
Special Constable Tunstell is also attending as many farms as possible whenever he is on shift to hopefully deter any would be thieves and prevents breaks occurring.
Farm Watch is a valuable tool in helping to prevent rural crime, the scheme means that any crimes that occur in the rural community are circulated so that landowners can be on the lookout for suspicious vehicles and people. It also helps with the marking of property in order to make it more identifiable, and securing property in rural areas to make it harder for would-be criminals to strike.
Farm Watch has been a massive success and continues to go from strength to strength, if you wish to find out more please speak to one of us or email us here via this link and mark your message FAO of PC Mick Ames who runs the local Farm Watch and Country Watch schemes.
General advice is to keep all tools particularly garden equipment such as chainsaws, lawn mowers, hedge trimmers etc locked away securely. If possible mark these items to make them easy to identify. Shed alarms are available from most DIY stores and are worth the investment, especially if you have expensive tools stored away. It is also suggested that anyone who owns stables and stores their tack etc in them to think about alarming these.
If you would like your tack marked in order to help make it more identifiable and traceable please email us here following this link and a time and date will be arranged for a Equine Liaison Officer to attend and carry out this process for you.
You said: Prevent speeding vehicles through the villages
We did:
Hampshire Constabulary’s Road Policing Unit installed a number of Speed Indication Devices (SIDs) in the areas of Colt Hill, Dunleys Hill and Hook Road as well as on the RAF base.
Initial data shows cause for concern with speeding, due to this enforcement will be carried out at various times in order to try to slow traffic and give advice to motorists.
You said: Prevent criminal damage and anti-social behaviour in Odiham
We did:
Dare I say that criminal damage seems to have dropped off a little now with few incidents being reported.
I would say that Neighbourhood Watch has been of massive assistance with helping to identify those responsible, and members continue to report any suspicious activity to either the Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinator or ourselves and this has proved invaluable in us being able to trace the movements of the offenders. We ask that although this has dropped, people keep their eye out for anything they think is suspicious and remain vigilant. Please call it in as soon as possible in order to help police build a pattern and hopefully stop this damage from reoccurring.
If you see any incidents please phone the police at the time if possible. Please try to get the best descriptions you can including height, build, full description of clothing, top, hair colour and style if distinctive. If they are in a group it is better to get the description of one main offender rather than trying to give vague details of all.
Offenders brought to Justice
Following an attempted burglary whereby the occupant was woken to the sound of people trying to get into his house police were called and the offenders ran off. Police dog units attended the area and picked up a track which led firstly to a garage, which had also been broken into, then down onto the M3 where the offenders were caught trying to get away in their car.
It is thought that the offenders had tried to hide in the garage, however they continued to run when they heard the dog approaching. Two of the offenders are on bail, whilst the third was kept in custody.
A group were arrested after they tried to take advantage of an elderly woman by doing work on her house and they had tried to charge far too much for it. We were first alerted by a concerned neighbour and a joint operation then ensued between the police and Trading Standards.
When the rogue traders returned the following day to collect their fee from the woman they were arrested. This was a fantastic result, and shows that by working with partner agencies including Neighbourhood Watch we can help to protect the more vulnerable members of our community.
Following a burglary where a lot of high value games consoles, computers and jewellery were taken, enquiries were carried out in the local area to see if anyone suspicious was noticed by other residents. An anonymous tip came in shortly after, giving details of a man who had been seen trying to sell computers.
I and other units attended this address and the man was arrested for burglary, all the stolen items except for the jewellery were recovered. The offender has been charged; this was another fantastic result for the police and the aggrieved.
RAF Police and the Odiham Safer Neighbourhoods team work together at families’ day
Officers from the Odiham Safer Neighbourhoods team attended the recent families’ day at RAF Odiham. Over the last year the working relationship between our force and the Royal Air Force (RAF) Police has gone from strength to strength. It is important for the team to be integrated with RAF personnel as they are a large part of the community we police.
The RAF Police based at Odiham were issued with Airwaves sets this year and following various training packages are now on our system and able to call up and assist where they can.
Corporal Gareth Evans has recently been appointed as the Community Police Officer for the RAF Police and since this time has been patrolling regularly with PC Victoria Bolan in order to get to know the community of Odiham.
RAF Odiham families’ day takes place once a year at the base and is a chance for members of the RAF to invite along family members to look round the base.
This year there was a lot of support from local businesses, which meant that there was a vast array of stalls and activities for children and adults to take part in. This ranged from fair ground rides to flights simulators and even rides in the famous Chinooks which are based out of RAF Odiham.
There was also air displays by the Falcons and tornados, as well as fly over from the Spitfires, and Lancaster. The Odiham safer Neighbourhood team along with the assistance of PC Derek Morrow had stall where they were offering fingerprinting to children who received a certificate with their own prints on, a swell as crime prevention advice to adults and young people alike.
This was a lovely day for all RAF personnel and well deserved for those returning from long tours of duty in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Neighbourhood Watch
Police and the local Neighbourhood Watch are continuing to share information and work together closely. A special thanks to Sally Tunstell who is the co-ordinator for Odiham, her continued support and energy are a blessing to our local scheme.
If you are not a member of the local Neighbourhood Watch scheme, and would like to find out more about Neighbourhood Watch please contact us, details of how to do this are at the bottom of this web page. If you want to set up a Neighbourhood Watch scheme in your area please contact Sally Tunstell on this link here.
Crime Prevention Advice
Please follow these simple steps below to make your home more secure.
- Do not leave keys in view of doors or windows
- Do not leave keys in the hallway near to the door
- Lock the front door with the key and use extra bolts
- Consider an alarm that fits on the letter box (known as glass minders), it will alert you if the letter box is opened – thieves may use tools to reach through and remove keys to open the door!
- Close and lock all windows and doors if you are leaving the house
- Do not leave the front of house open if you are at the rear of the house
Please follow these simple steps to avoid becoming a victim of vehicle crime.
Don’t leave anything in your car – if it’s not there then it can’t be stolen! Thieves aren’t picky, they will often steal and item and look to see what it is later- Always secure your car, lock it and do up the windows even if you are posting a letter or going into the petrol station
- Choose a stereo that can be removed and make sure you take it with you! You should also mark it with your registration number and postcode in case it’s stolen
- Don’t leave you house keys, or anything with your address on it in your car, thieves could use this to get into your house
Please follow these simple steps to help keep your neighbourhood safe.
Report any anti-social behaviour to police even if you feel it to be quite minor – this helps police to build a picture of problems in the area and so be able to try to deal with it- Please report any suspicious vehicles in your area – often criminals will drive round an area prior to committing a crime
- Please report any door to door salesmen or people who come to your address who you feel are suspicious, give as much detail as possible including car details
Usually your gut instinct is right – if it looks out of place or suspicious there’s usually a reason for it!
How you can take action
Below are the dates for upcoming beat surgeries, this is an opportunity for you to come and meet us, ask any questions about the local area, and give any suggestions as to how we can improve our service to you.
Please take this opportunity to give us any feedback and report any concerns, we rely on YOU the residents to tell us what is happening, and we cannot meet your needs without this input.
If you have any suggestions or ideas as to locations and times when you would like us to attend your neighbourhood to carry out a beat surgery please let us know and we will organise a date.
Beat Surgeries
Come and tell us what is important to you in your neighbourhood, and play your part in setting local priorities.
We have been carrying out beat surgeries in Winchfield and Odiham. We are still finding that residents are not attending or approaching us with their views.
If we aren’t made aware of your issues or what you would like us to concentrate our resources on then we can not change anything. If you have anything you would like to make us aware of or any suggestions as to how we can better police your area please drop by and let us know, we are here to serve you and your community, however, we need you to advise us what you feel the issues are.
Odiham Beat Surgeries
The following beat surgeries will take place when the morning market is on, on the below dates:
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Tuesday, October 5
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Tuesday, November 2
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.
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.
Station Opening Times
Currently Odiham Police Station is open weekdays from 4pm till 5pm; this is staffed by our volunteer Station Enquiry Officer Gordon. At any other time if a police car is parked outside then please knock as there may be an officer inside.
There is an emergency telephone on the wall outside the station. There is also an answer phone service for the station; the phone number can be found in the Parish magazine.
Contacting us
Please remember that there are various ways that you can contact the police. Consider how urgent your call is. If there is a crime in progress it is better that we arrive at the time, whilst the relevant people are still about.
If you return home to find damage then contacting 101 will enable the police to respond at a convenient time for all.Emails and messages to the Odiham beat office will not get such a quick response since they depend on one of the officers being in the office – we try to be out and about much of the time. Please contact us via the details given at the bottom of the page.
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 Odiham Safer Neighbourhoods team
