KEMPSHOTT COMMUNITY POLICING

Dear residents,

 Recent months have been luckily rather quiet within the Kempshot area which has been a welcome outcome given that your Local Beat officer PC Roberts had been seconded to the Winchester area and we were running a cover service from other beats.

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It has now been decided that PC Roberts will stay on in Winchester and to this end I would like to introduce you to his replacement who is PC 501 Richard HARRISON.

 PC HARRISON is a welcome addition to our beat team and comes to us with 25 years experience and will be with us from 18 August 2011 and you will see him out and about from this time so please feel free to speak to him when ever you see him.

As I mentioned above things have been relatively quiet on the beat for the past few months and reported crime remains very low, however a few things are happening that I would like to make you aware of;

Firstly Southern Water are currently in the process of installing water meters in the Basingstoke area, this means that there may well be cold callers at your address,  I would like to remind you that you have the power to say NO!

 All representatives from proper companies will have identification cards which should contain a photo and details of the company they work for, you are within your rights to call the company to confirm the identification but please bear in mind that it should be an official landline number and not a mobile number and if you are in doubt please say no thank you and close your door, you are not being rude as you are not the one doing the cold calling.

I would recommend that you never agree to any work or purchase on the door step and you should never allow people to enter your home if you are not happy with them and definitely do not leave them unattended especially for a cup of tea, lastly if you agree to purchase any insurance on the door step there is no cooling down period so again do not make any decision at that time unless you have carefully considered it and are happy.

 Secondly please ensure that your property is secure especially any sheds or garages, Know what is in your shed or garage and if you store items in your garage make sure you visit it regularly to ensure it is safe and record any serial numbers and descriptions especially on pedal cycles (photo’s even on a mobile are a great idea!)

 Lastly the most common method of entry at the moment is via the letter box so please ensure you lock up and remove the key to a safe place to prevent this. If you have a high valued car please ensure that you do not leave you car keys in an obvious place such as near your front door or in a coat pocket as if anyone does get in your car will be an obvious prize for the criminal.

 Once again these types of crime are rare but forewarned in forearmed so don’t have nightmares.

 If you have any concerns please feel free to contact the police on 0845 0454545 or email us via the Hampshire constabulary website.

 Kindest regards

Sgt 1895 Barry Long

Basingstoke South Safer Neighbourhoods team