Vehicles seized as part of operation in Bishop's Waltham

Officers from Hampshire Constabulary joined forces with other partners in carrying out vehicle stops in Bishop's Waltham.

The operation took place by the Old Station Road roundabout on Friday 12 July and its aim was to detect a range of offences, including rural burglaries and thefts.

It was led by Hampshire Constabulary’s Country Watch team and Bishops Waltham’s Neighbourhood Policing Team.

The Commercial Vehicle Unit, from the Joint Operations Unit for Hampshire and Thames Valley, also took part.

During the operation, police officers worked alongside:

• Environment Agency
• Winchester City Council
• National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service,
• HM Revenue and Customs
• Trading Standards

In total, 140 vehicles were stopped and inspected during the operation.

Officers seized four vehicles and issued fixed penalty notices for offences such as no MoT or insurance, or tyre defects.

Waste carrier licenses were also checked and vehicles were tested for red diesel. One detection of red diesel was made and enquiries will be made on a separate suspected detection.

A man received a community resolution for possession of cannabis.

PC Ian Bassett, from Hampshire Constabulary’s Country Watch team, said: “I would like to thank colleagues from other agencies for joining us for this operation.

“Vehicle stops in operations like this one play a key part in our efforts to disrupt a range of offences in rural areas, including thefts and burglaries.

“We will continue to work with other agencies to detect and disrupt those who seek to offend in our rural areas.”