The below message is from the Police:

Sometimes we hear – Why do I bother!

As some residents believe that it’s just not worth reporting, as they mistakenly believe we sometimes do nothing with the information. I’d like to reassure everyone that reporting to police is very important and although we may not be able to attend straight away, or indeed at all, the information is used and valuable to many different departments within the police.

We know calling can be a challenge sometimes and we are working on that. You can of course report online at –
hampshire.police.uk/ro/report/

When you call 101 or 999, you will be put through to trained staff, whose job it is to record the details of the incident. The call is assessed by the staff and decisions will be made if deployment is necessary based on the information you give. Please tell the call taker exactly what you are seeing and hearing. It is vital to be clear about your concerns. The call taker will ask a number of questions as they are trying to find out the urgency and risks posed and if there are any lines of enquiry we can follow up on, such as witnesses, CCTV and forensics.

If the incident is not urgent, there may still be a need for other enquiries, or follow up work and so other departments, including the Neighbourhood Policing Teams, would then be tasked to do these enquiries in line with their current workload and shift pattern. There are many other departments that review, assess and work with the reports that come in too.
 
As with all agencies, we need to prioritise our resources. A sporadic report, not requiring any follow up, will be filed – but having the report logged is still valuable. NPT regularly read the reports for each area, so we are aware of what has occurred and can plan our duty and patrols. The number and frequency of reports is vital information for us to plan and prioritise. Especially when it comes to extra resourcing and involvement from other agencies – it is CRITICAL that we can evidence there actually is a problem affecting multiple residents – without the reports, we cannot do that.

How to Report –
PLEASE DO NOT REPORT INCIDENTS BY POSTING ON FACEBOOK OR TWITTER, emailing officers direct, or replying to a Hampshire Alert. Email, Facebook, Twitter and Hampshire Alerts are not monitored 24/7, officers work shift patterns and could be committed with an incident, on rest days, annual leave, or off sick and your message would not be seen by anyone else.

We do need you to report incidents, but it needs to be done in the right way. None of these types of media can record the report into our records system or deploy police officers – that is the role of the call takers and the control room.

PCSO Mica.
Message Sent By
Mica Woodcock (Police, PCSO, Eastleigh District)

Hampshire Trading Standards would like to remind residents to be vigilant about telephone calls, and to highlight a recent fraud attempt. 
A resident received a cold call from a person purporting to be an Area Manager from their bank.  The caller went on to say there was a problem with the resident’s debit card, and that he needed to arrange collection of the card and give them a replacement one.
A male attended the address, said he was a courier and had been sent by the Area Manager.  He asked for the card and the PIN. 
Thankfully neither were handed over, and the matter was reported to the Police.
Protect yourself:

• Remember, a genuine bank will NEVER contact you out of the blue to ask for your card, full PIN or password.
• Don't assume a phone call is authentic just because the caller knows your basic details, such as name and address.
• Don’t use a telephone number given by the caller to make checks, it could be part of the fraud.  Phone numbers and email addresses can be spoofed, so always contact the company directly via a known email or phone number (such as the one on the back of your bank card). 
• I some cases, fraudsters keep the line open by not hanging up.  Make sure your line is clear by calling a person whose voice you know first.
• Don’t be tricked into giving a fraudster access to your personal or financial details.
• Never automatically click on a link in a text or email from a person, bank or organisation you don’t know.

If you have been a victim of fraud or cyber crime and have lost money, contact your bank immediately and report the matter to the police via Action Fraud report it to us online or by calling 0300 123 2040.
To inform Trading Standards about suspected scams, contact our partners at the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline 03454 04 05 06.

​With 20,000 new officers being recruited across the country in the next three years, this is the biggest investment into policing in a generation. The opportunity for us is huge. 
 
As the first part of a wave of new recruitment, Hampshire Constabulary is looking for people who want to be detectives and part of a professional and dedicated team carrying out a wide variety of crime investigations, including serious and complex cases, cyber-crime and other investigations at a level deemed appropriate.
 
Recruitment will extend to uniformed police officers by the end of 2019.
 
If you know of anyone who may be interested in joining us, please do share this alert with them.
 
For more information on how to apply please click here.
 
The following is an open letter from Chief Constable Olivia Pinkney to the future police officers of Hampshire:
 
Millions of people are hooked on crime dramas. Will good triumph over evil?
Can the detectives figure out who did it? How will they get the evidence they
need? And, as a viewer, can you figure it all out first?
 
Of course it is not really like that. We deal with real life. We help those who
have no one else to turn to. When the most horrific things happen, it is the
officers and staff of Hampshire Constabulary who make a difference for the
families and friends of those victims. Delivering justice and protecting people
is what we are here to do.
 
Crime is changing. Criminals are more digitally savvy and often operate
out of the public eye. To keep ahead we have built an award winning cyber
team, and we are investing in the health and wellbeing of our people in a way
that sets us apart from other police forces. But we need to do more, and we
need extra officers and staff. That is where you come in.
 
Maybe you are a brilliant problem solver, someone who is motivated
by being part of a team, or just want to build a successful career?
You might have language or digital skills that could make the difference in
an investigation, or maybe you just want to do a job that offers variety and
opportunity. It doesn’t matter if you have never considered policing before.
Diversity is something we welcome and want to increase.
 
The realities of policing are not easy. We face tough challenges, but it is
hugely rewarding to know that you are making a difference. I am so pleased
the opportunity to join us is there for the next generation in a way that it
hasn’t been in recent years.
 
Our first extra wave of recruitment starts now, focused on detectives.
By later in the year we will be in full swing, recruiting uniformed officers too,
so sign up now.
 
Olivia Pinkney
Chief Constable
Hampshire Constabulary
 
Message Sent By
Graeme Barbour (Police, Digital Communications Officer, Hampshire)