Page updated August 17, 2010
Meet the Team
Sergeant Guy Farmer is responsible for the Safer Neighbourhoods team covering Cosham. Cosham's officers are:
- PC Dan Darwin
- PC Sharon Lewry
- PC Steve Ellis
- PCSO Mike Ferguson
- PCSO Rob Lammiman
- PCSO Dave Lines
- SC Paul Jones
- SC Maichael Reynolds
- SC Painter
Quick links:
Action we have taken in your area
Justice Seen, Justice Done
Facebook
Where can you meet the team?
Contact us
Click here for our latest community newsletter -
in Association with the Safer Portsmouth Partnership
Local priorities in your area
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.
The community priorities for Cosham are:
- To reduce ASB, including inconsiderate cycling, in Cosham High Street
- To reduce anti-social use of vehicles, including speeding
- Reducing burglaries, dwelling and non-dwelling, within Cosham
Action taken in relation to your priorities
We are working to improve the quality of your area by tackling the above priorities, and will update you as we act. Below are actions we have taken so far to benefit the community:
You said: You wanted us to reduce burglaries, dwelling and non dwelling in the area
We did: Hampshire Constabulary are currently engaged in a force wide operation (Nemesis) targeting burglars within the force area. As a Safer Neighbourhoods team we are committed to support this operation through high visibility patrolling, public reassurance, information and intelligence gathering, robust targeting of offenders and meaningful engagement with the communities we serve to improve awareness of crime prevention measures.
We have conducted high visibility patrols, gathering intelligence from members of the public and actively targeting suspected offenders. The team are very flexible in their approach and will work on operations to tackle this at times where it is needed most.
You said: You wanted us to reduce cycling in the precinct
We did: Proactive action is being taken by the team to stop people cycling in the pedestrian area of Cosham High Street. Offenders will expect to receive a fixed penalty notice of £30 if they are seen riding their bicycles in this area, as well as those who are riding on the pavements in other areas of Cosham. A zero tolerance approach is being taken by the team to combat this problem and a number of tickets have been issued.
Justice Seen, Justice Done
Following a spate of around 23 offences, an individual was caught on CCTV removing windscreen wipers. The individual has now been charged and is being monitored by agencies. As a result of this action windscreen wiper thefts have now totally ceased.
Community tensions were building in Cosham due to local businesses being harrased by groups of youths, with the harrassment often being of a racial nature. The youths have now been identified and repremanded, and have been referred to the Preventing Youth Offending Project who have issued warnings. The problem appears to have now ceased and local businesses are no longer having any issues.
Positive action is being taken with regards to licensing. Recently, the Railway Public House in Cosham High Street was issued with a closure notice due to breaching licensing conditions. The pub has now reopened after addressing these breaches.
We work closely with Trading Standards and carry out test purchase operations. Tesco in Cosham High Street and Clement Atlee Way have both recently been fined for selling alcohol to under 18 year olds. Random tests are carried out throughout the year to ensure licensing conditions are being met.
Drug warrants have recently been executed in residential homes in the Cosham area and four 5ft cannabis plants were seized. We continually act on intelligence gathered to disrupt this sort of activity.
Community NewsUpdated!
Summer Bus Operation kicks off in Cosham
On Tuesday, July 14, PC Dan Darwin of the Cosham Safer Neighbourhoods team ran the first of a two-part bus operation to combat criminal damage being committed against local public transport in the area.
The operation was arranged after PC Darwin learned from the First Bus company that on some of their local transport routes, their vehicles were being attacked whilst on the move by youths who were throwing stones at the windows.
Each time this kind damage occurs, it not only puts a bus out of action but also places passengers and drivers at serious risk of injury.
PC Darwin said: “On the day we had seven police constables and two police community support officers carry out the op, riding along on bus routes to catch out anyone causing trouble. We rode along routes that are anti-social behaviour ‘hotspots’ for bus drivers, and our presence seemed to improve the confidence of everyone on the bus.
“There were a wide variety of passengers on board, ranging from the elderly to the young, and everyone we engaged with including the drivers were happy to see us on board the buses and felt was a positive step forward to tackling anti-social behaviour.”
This was the first of two operations that are being carried out by Cosham Safer Neighbourhoods team and the district’s Targeted Patrol Team, and the second part will be carried out during the summer holiday period. To learn more about Hampshire Constabulary’s summer ASB campaign,click here.
ACT Now Exercise launched in Portsmouth
In June members of the Cosham and Drayton & Farlington Safer Neighbourhoods teams (SNT) took part in the launch of a terrorist exercise in Portsmouth recently. The exercise, known as 'All Communities Together Now' (or ACT Now for short), was successfully launched at the Charter Academy School in Southsea to help school pupils learn more about the roles of the police in extremist activities.
Community Engagement Sergeant Simon Roberts led the event, which involved 150 pupils at the school and ran for four consecutive days. Students watched a series of short films that told the story of an unfolding terrorist plot, and were then asked what they would do in that situation if they were police officers. Immersing themselves in their fictional roles, the students took the lead on the situation and learned about the dilemmas the police are presented with in potentially dangerous extremist situations.
Vice Principle of the Charter Academy School, Sandra Barker said: “This was clearly a stimulating subject for the pupils of the school, and they engaged very well with the police during the exercise. From speaking with the students we found that they often didn’t understand the reasons that the police behave the way that they do, with most of their knowledge being from fictional television programmes. This event helped dispel the myths surrounding police actions, and helped to build trust between the pupils and the police.
“I think that ACT now is very effective on younger members of the community. It definitely has a positive influence on a demographic that largely relies on others when forming an opinion about the police.”
PCSOs Rob Lammiman of the Cosham SNT and Kris Richards of the Drayton and Farlington SNT both volunteered to attend and assist the pupils in the exercises.
PCSO Lammiman said: "We feel that teaching younger members of the community about subjects such as this is beneficial to everyone. When members of the community understand why we react to certains situations the way we do, it helps us when extremist activies take place, and also brings the communty together in such an event. By running these events we are helping members of the public to understand the importance of community cohesion in these situations, as well as helping them gain a better understanding about police actions.”
The event was an overwhelming success, and proved just how useful the knowledge gained during the ACT Now exercises are to members of the community.
Rail Safety Awareness Day helps the public to stay safe
Following the tragic death of a student in February, agencies joined together in raising public awareness on rail safety.
Network rail attended a community meeting in Cosham involving several agencies and organised a ‘safety day’, which took place on Tuesday, April 20. Police, the Fire Service and community wardens from Portsmouth City Council provided enthusiastic support, and spoke to a large number of residents and train users about staying safe when around trains and train lines. Over 900 motorists and pedestrians were spoken to and leaflets were handed out providing important information on rail safety, and members of the public gave a positive response.
Ellie Reilly of Network Rail said: “The level crossing at Cosham has up to 220 trains per day passing through at speeds of up to 70mph. We held this event to highlight the often tragic consequences which could result from taking risks at level crossings. It is both incredibly dangerous and illegal to swerve under or around barriers or ignore warning lights and signs, and we hope that by understanding the consequences, people who currently misuse the level crossing will act more responsibly.”
Sergeant Guy Farmer of the Cosham Safer Neighbourhoods policing team said: “Working on events like this is important to us because it encourages various agencies to work together and strengthens our relationships with them, forming good partnerships. We feel that working together can be of great benefit to the community’s safety and wellbeing, and helps get the message out that we are there for them.”
Youth Cafe
A Youth Café is now up and running on Wednesday evenings at the Highbury Community Centre. So far it has been well received and attendances are steadily rising. Please come along, you will be most welcome.
Get connected via Facebook
Would you like to see regular updates on your local police force?
If so, we would like to invite you to follow us on our Facebook page, 'Hampshire Constabulary'. On this page we will keep you informed on the work we have been doing to tackle criminal activity and provide you with important updates. We will also be releasing appeals for witnesses and information, and will ask for your input on various topics of discussion.
To get involved, search 'Hampshire Constabulary' on www.facebook.com or click here.
About the Team 
Cosham neighbourhood is covered by a team of both police officers and the extended police family, who are patrolling the streets and available to you, the community, to voice opinions and concerns.
The team wants to find out what matters to people in your area and we’d be happy to attend your neighbourhood watch, residents association or other local meeting to talk about crime and anti-social behaviour. Just drop a line on email or give us a call using the contact details below.
Sgt Farmer says: ”My team and I are dedicated to making Cosham a safe and pleasant place to live, visit and work. We welcome any suggestions you may have.”
How you can take action Updated!
The Cosham team are keen to speak to the local community regarding any issues they have in the local area and will be holding a number of community days where the public will be able to meet members of the Safer Neighbourhoods team, trading standards and community wardens. We will also be available for security marking cycles and giving general crime prevention advice.
The team will be in Cosham High Street in the Community Bus on the following Wednesdays, from 10am until 2pm:
- September 8
- October 6
- November 3
- December 1
There will also be a number of beat surgeries at Tesco in North Harbour on the following Wednesdays, from 4pm until 6pm:
- August 18
- September 15
We have a limited number of UV marking pens that will be handed out to the those attending in order to mark your valuable property with your name and post code. This writing is invisible but can be seen using a UV light and makes your porperty traceable should it ever be lost or stolen and recovered by police. Computer systems, DVDs, TVs etc can be marked with a UV pen offering extra security for your property.
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.
Contact us
To speak to the officers responsible for policing your local area, please call 101 or email: coshambeats@hampshire.pnn.police.uk
