Local policing areas:
» Eastleigh
» New Forest
» Test Valley
© Crown Copyright All Right Reserved 100022114. 2008
Chief Superintendent Richard Rowland (pictured, left) is the Commander in charge of policing in Western Hampshire. His deputy is Superintendent Rob Dexter (pictured, right).
The Western Operational Command Unit (OCU) is coterminous with the New Forest District and the Eastleigh and Test Valley Borough local authority boundaries. It is the biggest OCU in the force It covers an area of more than 600 square miles, much of which is rural. with a population of more than 440,000 living in almost 165,000 households. Western OCU has 515 police officers and 191 police staff serving the communiy from 12 operational police stations.
In support of the Annual Policing Plan of Hampshire Constabulary over the next year we will continue to focus on providing an excellence service. Key priority areas will be advanced, overseen by our ‘service delivery board’, these areas include:
· Ensuring that the new scheduled appointments scheme for calls, that are not high graded emergencies, continues to meet the requirements of our communities
· Ensuring that we are keep both callers and the wider public informed of what we are doing and how we are performing.
· Ensuring that our system of utilising dedicated staff to take initial complaints is functioning to its maximum potential
Over the next year we will continue the drive to make the best use of our resources and to equip our teams to deliver.
Key areas include
· A drive to grow both the Special Constabulary and Volunteers locally
· A push on areas for collaboration between neighbouring force areas and with other public bodies
· A review of processes and an increasing our internal communications, to ensure we are operating as a highly effective team in every area.
A key document which helps direct our operational work is a ‘Control Strategy’ which is drawn up in consultation with key strategic partners. The OCU Control Strategy for 2009/2010 focuses on five key priorities:
1. Increasing confidence and satisfaction through engagement, communication, quality of service and delivering the Policing Pledge
2. Providing an active presence in every neighbourhood
3. Protecting vulnerable people
4. Protecting our communities from terrorism and domestic extremism
5. Catching criminals and managing offenders
As part of this strategy we will:
· Continue to reduce neighbourhood nuisance and criminal damage
· Focus on offenders who cause greatest harm to our communities
· Reduce alcohol and drug fuelled crime
· Reduce violent crime and tackle its causes
· Tackle burglary and other crimes involving theft, particularly where it is causing disproportionate harm to our communities
Key Partnerships and Collaborations
At a more local level we continue to work with the Crime and Disorder Partnerships of:
Eastleigh Borough Council www.eastleigh.gov.uk ,
Test Valley Borough Council www.testvalley.gov.uk and
New Forest District Council www.nfdc.gov.uk .
Western OCU records low levels of crime and high public satisfaction levels. Contrary to the perception of many of our residents, it is one of the safest places to live, work and visit. Residents within the OCU area can be assured that our constant aim is to deliver an excellent service of the highest standards to every member of our communities at all times.
The OCU headquarters is based at:
Lyndhurst Police Station,
Pikes Hill,
Lyndhurst,
Hampshire,
SO43 7NR
Enquiry office open:
Monday to Thursday - 9am - 4.30pm
Friday - 9am to 4pm
Along with Chief Superintendent Rowland, the Senior Management Team (SMT) consists of:
- Superintendent Rob Dexter- OCU Deputy Commander
- Chief Inspector Gary Cooper- New Forest District
- Chief Inspector Diana Boyles - Eastleigh District
- Chief Inspector Gavin McMillan - Test Valley District
- Chief Inspector Kory Thorne- Operations
- Detective Chief Inspector Nigel LeCointe- CID
- Becky Neville (temporary) - Personnel Manager
- Alan Smith - Corporate Communications Manager
- Denise Messenger (temporary) - Business & Finance Manager
For minutes of the SMT meetings see the Western OCU Minutes page.
Local Performance Information
You can also view details of how we are performing against certain key criteria in your local area. Click here to see the details for the Western OCU.
Page last updated on March 10
