National Week of Action to Tackle Knife Crime launched
Operation Sceptre, an initiative to tackle knife crime, starts today, Monday 14 November.  Hampshire Police alongside, the British Transport Police will take part in intensified efforts to crack down on knife-enabled crime and violence.
Throughout the week of action, we will coordinate activity looking to target the root causes of knife crime. There will be focus on the different strands of education, engagement, prevention and enforcement, all of which are important in playing our part to reduce knife crime.
Early intervention will aim to stop those intent on carrying a knife and working with retailers, youth groups, charities and other partners are a vital part of a community led policing response.
Forces will continue to work closely with young people to further understand the reasons why individuals carry knives and also to educate them around the dangers of carrying one.
Most importantly, the week will aim to highlight that there are no positives to carrying a knife.
Chief Inspector John Halfacre, the knife crime lead at Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary, said:
“‘Reducing knife crime remains a top priority for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight Constabulary as well as policing nationally. Operation Sceptre is a nationally coordinated week of action and an opportunity to highlight some of the activity that takes place across the force area week-in-week-out to tackle serious violence related to knife crime.
“We will employ tactics that are both enforcement and prevention based and include stop and search, weapon sweeps, intelligence led action against habitual knife carriers, test purchase operations, raising awareness of knife retailers, educational input and community engagement events.
“For the November week of action we are again working with Border Force to increase the intelligence shared with forces about those who are importing knives into England and Wales from overseas. In addition, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight Constabulary already work very closely with the Violence Reduction Unit of the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner to ensure a fully joined up approach to violence reduction.
“There can be few things in policing more important than reducing the terrible harm and impact caused by the criminal use of knives and blades, and as the tactical lead for knife crime I am dedicated to do all I can to help reduce knife crime and the impact it has on communities.”
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Police and Crime Commissioner, Donna Jones, said:
“The impact of knife crime on individuals, families and communities is truly devastating and long lasting, that’s why tackling knife crime is one of the top priorities in my Police and Crime Plan.
“Sadly young people are most at risk of being injured by knives with stabbings occurring every week across the two counties.
“Operation Sceptre is a focused week of action which will see the police direct additional resources to those believed to be carrying knives. However the drivers for knife crime and the solutions are complicated. More police on the streets and an increased use of stop and search is a deterrent. This is why I am recruiting 600 extra police officers here in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
“The Government have increased sentencing for those caught carrying a knife or bladed article; this was enacted as part of The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022.
“Knife crime is a societal issue.  As Police Commissioner, I am committed to tackling knife crime and to reduce the harm. I’m doing this through funding early intervention and prevention projects, specifically focused on the work carried out by the Violence Reduction Unit. The focus is on stopping young people from committing crimes particularly those that result in serious violence & injury. Schools, parents and guardians of young people have a responsibility to spot the signs and take action to prevent young people from carrying knives.”
If you are aware of anyone who carries a knife or have concerns that someone you know may carry a knife, please report it to police or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

Nominations for the Hound Medal are now open and you can find all of the information and how to nominate a person(s) here. 

Welcome to the CSW monthly update. Please see the attached for the background, explanatory information. 

Our recruitment posters are still down off the noticeboards as we are currently fully staffed with volunteers. I will be advising the parish councils as and when we will need to recruit again and the posters will then be back up. 

The representation of volunteers from the parishes break down as – 
Hedge End – 7, West End – 2, Botley – 3, Netley – 0, Bursledon – 0, Hamble – 2 and Out of area – 1, Total = 15.

The number of locations currently assessed are –
Hedge End – 7, West End – 1, Botley – 1 Netley – 5, Bursledon – 2, Hamble – 2.

If you want to suggest new locations – please bear in mind the limitations I have described in the attached information, but feel free to reply to me via Hampshire Alert with the ‘what 3 words’ location of the perceived speeding and I will add this to my list to check. Any suggested locations without a ‘what 3 words’ location will not be looked at. Anyone can access the ‘what 3 words’ website in order to pinpoint a location. www.what3words.com 

The following are the results from the OCTOBER road side sessions - 

We have 13 sessions scheduled for Novemeber.

If you have any questions that relate to CSW in general, please email the central team on speedwatch@hampshire.police.uk

If you have any questions that relate to our specific CSW – please reply to me through Hampshire Alert – however please do bear in mind that I am sending this update to over 3000 residents, so I may not be able to reply to everyone – but I will try. Or what I may do, is include some of the answers to questions in the next update.

Please do recommend that your neighbours, friends and family sign up to Hampshire Alert – so they hear direct from the local NPT. www.hampshirealert.co.uk 

Many thanks to the CSW Team for your continued hard work and dedication to reducing speed in the community.

PCSO 18358 Charlie Woodford.
​Hedge End Neighbourhood Policing Team.

Southampton City Council’s latest Southampton City Vision Local Plan consultation has now launched, and you are invited to give us your views on the ‘Draft Plan with Options’ and other supporting documents. The consultation will be open from Monday 31 October to Friday 23 December 2022. 
 
The last formal consultation was held in 2020 when over 3000 responses were received. These views, together with a wide range of technical evidence, have shaped the draft plan and the key options being presented now.  
 
The plan is divided into eight key themes: 
1.      Strategic Approach 
2.      Homes 
3.      Economy 
4.      Environment 
5.      Infrastructure 
6.      Transport and Movement 
7.      Development Principles 
8.      Sites 
 
In each section there are a number of policies, some with key options to consider. You can respond to as many or a few of the themes and policies as you wish as our new consultation platform enables you to navigate easily to your areas of interest and leave your comments. In addition, you can leave general comments on the plan or any of the supporting documents by going to the ‘comments’ section. A link to the document library is on this page for ease of navigation to all full version documents. 
 
If you don’t want to get into the detail there is the option to complete our quick survey, where you can give us your views on the key aims of the plan and let us know which you feel are most important. 
 
Taking part is incredibly important as it is an opportunity to directly influence the standards against which future development will be assessed, from affordable homes to the waterfront. Have your say online at:
City Vision | Your City Your Say Southampton
 
We want to ensure that communities, organisations and businesses are aware of this opportunity to have their say but know that many do not see Council communications. Please forward this to your networks, we have also attached social media assets for you to share(see below). 
 
If you would like to speak to a member of the team, please get in touch and we can make arrangements. 
 
We look forward to hearing from you,
Strategic Planning Team.
#YourVisionForSouthampton
LinkedIn: #Planning, #Southampton, #Development, #Sustainability, #Investment

I’ve launched a survey to gather your views on whether I should increase the level of council tax which you pay in support of policing, to ensure continued investment in Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary.

I know this is a very difficult time financially for the country, and potentially for you as an individual, and I am conscious that any rise in your council tax to support policing will come at the same time as other costs are also increasing.

However, it is also a difficult time for funding your police force; police are not immune to the cost of living crisis and therefore the 2023/24 budget is being set against the backdrop of a challenging economic environment with general inflation, pay costs, utilities and fuel costs all rising.

For example, the cost increase for police officer pay is over 5%, and general inflation is running at 10%; our forecast increase in government grant is only 1.1%, so this creates a funding shortfall for next year.

One option available to me to reduce the funding shortfall is to increase the police council tax.

The maximum I am allowed to increase the council tax by on a Band D property for 2023/24 is £10 per annum (a 4.2% increase, significantly below inflation), which is an increase of 83p per month. If I increase by the maximum, for residents in property Bands A-C the increase would equate to less than 83p a month, and for properties in Bands E-H it would be more than 83p per month.
The survey proposes a range of options up to the £10 maximum per year which is 83p per month.

If you are not sure which council tax band your property is in, you can check at www.gov.uk/council-tax-bands
If I don’t increase the council tax for 2023/24, I will need to work with the Constabulary to implement savings, with an inevitable impact on the overall service level which can be provided. I see first-hand day in day out the vital work which the Constabulary undertakes to keep the residents of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight safe, and I would not wish to see this compromised.

However, I know that any increase in the amount you pay must be considered carefully. I also hear very loudly that you want to see more officers in your communities. That’s why it’s so important that you complete this short survey and have your say on continued investment. 

With yours and the government’s support, I am on track to have recruited 600 more police officers in Hampshire and on the Isle of Wight by March 2023, hitting a 25% increase in police officers responding to emergencies and patrolling the beat.

Through this, I am making your police force even more local, visible and accessible. More police means more deployments, more crimes solved, and safer streets.

By completing this survey, you will really help us set the budget and the council tax precepts for policing for the next financial year. I want to hear your feedback so I can represent your views on where you want your money to go.

I have opened this survey for five weeks to hear from as many people as possible. 

The survey will close at 11.59pm on Sunday 4 December 2022.

Thank you for your ongoing support and feedback.

Click this link to take the survey. 

Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones