From today, Monday March 30, residents in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight will be offered an improved appointment service when they want to see a police officer.
The appointment system is being introduced by Hampshire Constabulary to provide an improved service to victims of crime and to make better use of available resources. Booking appointments at a time that is convenient for the victim and which allows the officer more time for investigating will ensure a better service as well as improving the opportunity to resolve crimes. It will also free up officers to attend urgent 999 calls.
The new processes are initially aimed at victims and witnesses of non-urgent incidents that do not require immediate attendance but need to be investigated.
During a six-week pilot run in Southampton and Basingstoke, more than 500 appointments were given to members of the public who had become a victim of burglary, theft, threats and assaults, or anti-social behaviour.
If the reported incident is suitable to be dealt with through a scheduled appointment, the call taker at the Force Enquiry Centre will book the appointment with a local police officer at a time convenient to the caller and, if possible, within 48 hours as stated in the recently launched national Policing Pledge.
Appointments are mainly held at police stations but officers will make home visits if it is more convenient. Although the availability of appointments may vary locally, every police station will offer day and evening appointments throughout the week and on weekends.
There will be dedicated officers attending these appointments to minimise the risk of them being called to a major incident or life threatening situation and avoid cancelling appointments.
Assistant Chief Constable John Campbell said: “We are always seeking ways to improve our service to the people we serve. While we as a force experience high levels of public satisfaction, this new approach enables us to be even more customer focused by attending the incidents that matter to our communities at a time that suits them.
“By making better use of our available resources we can get the right people to the right job at the right time. The scheduled appointments have proved to be immensely effective and popular in the pilot areas, and feedback from the public has shown that they really appreciate this flexible approach.”
