Hampshire Police: Policing the New Forest -Partnership Update January 2021
Foreword from New Milton and Lymington Sergeant,
Sgt Kat Smith
Welcome to the January edition of the Policing New Forest partnership newsletter – and a belated Happy New Year to you all!
You have now heard from our District Commander, Chief Inspector Helen Andrews and Inspector Mike Minnock in recent months.
I now wanted to introduce myself to those local partners I have not yet met or worked with across the district.
I am Sgt Kat Smith and I am responsible for managing an area which comprises both New Milton and Lymington. In total our team consists of eight police officers and seven PCSOs.
I have been in post as the sergeant for around 8 months, having been previously promoted in May last year. Yet I have been within the policing world for a lot longer – 18 years – but have worked in other areas across Hampshire, with the majority of my time over in Eastleigh.
As such, I have a vast amount of experience have undertaken a variety of roles including Response and Patrol, as well as being a part of Neighbourhood Policing Teams.
I have always sought to build and maintain an excellent working relationship with community figureheads and partner agencies. I joined the police to make a difference to the community and I take pride in supporting victims of crime or those that need our help.
On taking over the team it was clear from the outset that they shared my values and we have been able to work together to achieve some positive outcomes for the community.
Since being here the team have conducted a number of warrants and there is no doubt in my mind that these have disrupted those who supply illegal substances in the area. Although there is still more work to do and we need our local communities to help – if residents have concerns about drug-related activity in the community – then we want to know.
In the simplest terms, the warrants that we have executed in New Milton and Lymington would not have been possible if we had not received information from the community – so thank you!
2020 was a challenging year for us all – there is no doubt about that.
I can honestly say in 18 years I have never seen anything quite like the pandemic or an incident that has impacted police so greatly. My team are doing their best, and will continue to do so, to respond to blatant COVID breaches and are working with New Forest District Council to support their COVID marshals.
We must all do our best to help the NHS and do our bit to prevent the spread of the virus.
Sadly, even during a pandemic, crime still takes place. We are still supporting victims and bringing offenders to justice.
Looking ahead to the near future, I am seeking to tackle high-level crime and offending – in particular drug-related harm and the associated crimes linked to drug misuse.
In addition I also want to protect the most vulnerable in our community, and this means making the elderly aware of scams and cold callers.
While another area that I am really passionate about is building positive relationship with our young members of the community and deterring them from crime. This can be achieved by diversionary routes, which go hand in hand with working in partnership with youth offending groups and our other existing community partnerships.
Social media, and specifically our Facebook page, is a great way to follow the team and the work that we’re doing on the frontline to combat crime and keep our communities safe.
I am sure many of you have seen my updates about some good news stories, and although this is a great way to contact hundreds of you in the community in a short period of time, I know that this does not replace face to face contact. The team are working hard to find locations for beat surgeries, and ways in which we can conduct this in-line with current Government guidelines, and we will advertise these, so please do encourage your local residents to come along and say hello.
I look forward to working with many of you in the very near future.
Below are some of the investigations that we’d like to update you on. We would like to regularly highlight the work we have been doing to tackle issues, reduce crime, and apprehend offenders.
Investigation update
Lyndhurst man arrested on suspicion of drug offences following warrant
Officers, who were executing a warrant at a property in the New Forest have seized a quantity of drugs as a result.
Specialist officers from across the district, including members of the Eastleigh neighbourhood policing team, attended an address on Chapel Lane in Lyndhurst just after 8am on Tuesday 22 December. A quantity of drugs were seized along with other items associated with drug-related activity, as well as a number of tools.
A 25-year-old man from Lyndhurst was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply and conspiracy to commit a burglary.
Information that we received from the community is vital and informs where we put our resources and take action against any illegal activity.
If you, or anyone you know, suspects that an address in your neighbourhood is being used for drug dealing, drug-related activity or associated crime, then please called us on 101.
Man arrested following spate of burglaries across the New Forest
Officers investigating a series of burglaries across the New Forest have arrested a man in connection with the incidents.
The burglaries took place in Solent Avenue (Lymington), Malwood Road (Hythe) and Buchan Court (Dibden Purlieu) between 10 November 2020 and 13 January 2021.
A range of items had been stolen from garages and vehicles including a number of power tools, a vehicle and a laptop computer.
A 27-year-old man from Dibden Purlieu has been arrested on suspicion of two counts of theft from a motor vehicle, one count of burglary with intent to steal and one count of non-dwelling burglary with intent to steal. He has been released under investigation, pending further police enquiries.
Officers continue to investigate sexual assault incident in Blackfield
Officers are continuing to make enquiries in the local community after a sexual assault took place in the Blackfield area.
The incident took place at sometime between 11.20am and 11.50am on Saturday 2 Januay in the woodland off of Row Down, between Roughdown Lane and Kings Copse Road.
A woman was approached by a man and subsequently attacked.
Police enquiries are still ongoing at this stage, and reassurance patrols being conducted by uniformed officers in the local area. Previously, a 30-year-old man had been arrested on suspicion of attempted rape, but after an investigation, he was released and no further action taken against him.
Community cohesion
Covid-19 guidance update
The rules to prevent the spread of Coronavirus are there to protect us all. It is vital that everyone takes personal responsibility by staying home unless they have a valid reason not to be there. We understand that this is not an easy request to be making but everyone must play their part in protecting the NHS and saving lives. Please, stay at home.
Thank you to everyone who has been following the rules, as so many of you have and continue to do so. Those who blatantly ignore the regulations should expect to receive a fixed penalty notice and we’ll target our resources towards those who commit the most serious breaches and put others at risk through their behaviour.
You must not leave, or be outside of your home except where necessary. You may leave the home to:
- shop for basic necessities, for you or a vulnerable person
- go to work, or provide voluntary or charitable services, if you cannot reasonably do so from home
- exercise with your household (or support bubble) or one other person, this should be limited to once per day, and you should not travel outside your local area.
- meet your support bubble or childcare bubble where necessary, but only if you are legally permitted to form one
- seek medical assistance or avoid injury, illness or risk of harm (including domestic abuse)
- attend education or childcare – for those eligible
If you do leave home for a permitted reason, you should always stay local – unless it is necessary to go further, for example to go to work. Stay local means stay in the village, town, or part of the city where you live.
For more info, visit: National lockdown: Stay at Home – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Our district priorities
- COVID-19 – continued engagement with public
- New Forest – increase in non-dwelling burglaries across the district
- Totton – drug related activities and anti–social behaviour
Please feel free to contact your local inspector with any query you may have, or go direct to Chief Inspector Helen Andrews via helen.andrews@hampshire.pnn.police.uk
Inspector for New Forest West
Waterside
Police Sergeant Michael Scothmer-Clay
Totton and Heart
Lymington and New Milton
Police Sergeant Helen Mitchley
Ringwood and Fordingbridge
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/ @RingwoodPolice / @FordingbridgeCops / @TottonPolice / @WatersideCops