Named Local Bobbies Scheme To Be Launched On Isle Of Wight By Police And Crime Commissioner
The Police and Crime Commissioner, Donna Jones, is launching a Named Local Bobby scheme next week. The scheme means communities in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight will have a named police officer they can contact directly via phone and email. Their name, number and email will be available via an easy to navigate website linked to the force's main page.
The site allows members of the public to contact their local police officer by simply clicking on their neighbourhood or entering a postcode. This is the first scheme of its kind in the Hampshire and Isle of Wight region. The Commissioner's vision is for the public to have access to named neighbourhood police officers to strengthen community-police relations, something which has been lost in recent years.
This aligns with the Chief Constable's priority to deliver exceptional local policing, and reflects the force's transformation into a geographical service to connect the public to their police force once more. A total of 99 Local Bobbies have been assigned to 95 neighbourhoods. PCC Donna Jones told Isle of Wight Radio:
"The main duty for me is to ensure there is an effective police service and to appoint a Chief Constable to run the police force on a daily basis. "We have a brilliant Chief Constable in Scott Chilton and he has set about making changes to our local police force by bringing the police much closer to the local community and recruiting a number of new officers as well. "Today, as part of the new budget, we are unveiling 99 new dedicated ring-fenced officers to see the return of the 'Local Bobby'.
"Every community on the Isle of Wight will have a named local police officer, the public will be able to go onto the Constabulary website[1], put in their postcode and it will tell them the name, phone number and email address of their Local Bobby
"These people will be walking the streets, attending schools and getting to know their local community."
References
- ^ Constabulary website (www.hampshire.police.uk)