The Police and Crime Commissioner, Donna Jones, says she’s delighted to have announced a number of successful funding applications that will target rural crime across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
Funding totalling nearly £84K is being awarded to ten applications who applied in the first round of the Commissioner’s Emerging Needs Fund.
Successful applications include re-deployable Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras to target rural crime hotspots, thermal imaging equipment for Police Dog Units, security camera equipment for Northwood Parish Council here on the Isle of Wight.
PCC Donna Jones said:
“I’m really pleased to be supporting a range of services that will help make rural communities safer and complement the existing initiatives and providers who are already tirelessly working to combat crime in the large rural areas that we have here in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
“Efficient policing and crime detection present their own challenges as 85% of the two counties is rural, countryside communities are more frequently becoming victims of serious and organised crime, and rural crime can often go unreported.
“Tackling rural crime will always be a key priority for me as your Police Commissioner, and these successful funding projects will add to the fight to counteract against these countryside criminals who are intent on destroying livelihoods.”
Inspector Cath MacDonald, leads the HIOWC Country Watch team:
“We’re really pleased that this funding bolsters our capabilities so we can continue to deliver on our commitments to rural communities.
“The ANPR cameras will be deployed to hotspot areas identified by intelligence analysis and local officer knowledge, and as the intelligence picture changes we can re-deploy the cameras to new hotspot areas quickly and efficiently.
“Deployment of these cameras is a clear priority for people, as this was something highlighted by our communities as a necessity in our recent Rural Crime Survey.”
Rural crime is under the spotlight nationally as new figures released just at the end of last month reveal that organised crime gangs are costing farmers £50M a year.
NFU Mutual also states that quad bike and ATV thefts, as well as livestock theft, are soaring as offenders use drones or social media to their advantage.
The Police and Crime Commissioner has also approved the funding of a number of projects that will tackle crime in rural communities - including The Reanella Trust which supports young people on the Island. It's been awarded more than £4,000.
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