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The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary is the territorial police force responsible for policing the counties of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight in South East England.Hampshire Constabulary, 2012 Retrieved 27 April 2012 The force area includes Southampton, the largest city in South East England, and the naval city of Portsmouth. It also covers the New Forest National Park, sections of the South Downs National Park, large towns such as
Basingstoke Basingstoke ( ) is the largest town in the county of Hampshire. It is situated in south-central England and lies across a valley at the source of the River Loddon, at the far western edge of The North Downs. It is located north-east of Southa ...
, Eastleigh, Andover,
Fareham Fareham ( ) is a market town at the north-west tip of Portsmouth Harbour, between the cities of Portsmouth and Southampton in south east Hampshire, England. It gives its name to the Borough of Fareham. It was historically an important manufact ...
and Aldershot, and the historic city of
Winchester Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...
. The constabulary, as it is currently constituted, dates from 1967, but modern policing in Hampshire can be traced back to 1832. In late 2015, the force moved its strategic headquarters to Eastleigh, into a building now shared with Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service. At the same time, the force moved its Operational Headquarters to Mottisfont Court in
Winchester Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...
. The Support & Training Headquarters and control room are located in Netley, near Southampton, in buildings of the former Netley Hospital.


History

The first fully constituted police force formed in Hampshire was the Winchester City Police, founded in 1832. The Hampshire County Constabulary was established seven years later in December 1839 as a result of the passing of the County Police Act that year. Initially the force had a chief constable and two superintendents: one was based in Winchester, and the second based on the Isle of Wight (then part of Hampshire).Weeke History Retrieved 27 April 2012 The first separate police force on the island was formed in 1837 when the Newport Borough Police was established. A separate Isle of Wight Constabulary was not formed until 1890 when the island was the granted administrative county status. During the 19th century, Hampshire County Constabulary absorbed various borough forces including Basingstoke Borough Police (1836–1889),
Romsey Borough Police Romsey ( ) is a historic market town in the county of Hampshire, England. Romsey was home to the 17th-century philosopher and economist William Petty and the 19th-century British prime minister, Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, Lord ...
(1836–1865), Lymington Borough Police (1836–1852) and
Andover Borough Police Andover may refer to: Places Australia *Andover, Tasmania Canada * Andover Parish, New Brunswick * Perth-Andover, New Brunswick United Kingdom * Andover, Hampshire, England ** RAF Andover, a former Royal Air Force station United States * An ...
(1836–1846). The Isle of Wight Constabulary likewise absorbed the borough forces of Newport and Ryde. Winchester, Southampton and Portsmouth continued to have independent police forces. In 1914 the Special Constabulary started to perform regular duties 'for the continuous preservation of order during the war'. Prior to this Special Constables were only called up to assist at major events and riots. In 1943, as part of the Defence (Amalgamation of Police Forces) Regulations 1942, Hampshire County Constabulary was amalgamated with the Isle of Wight and Winchester City Police forces to form the Hampshire Joint Police Force. The two city forces,
Southampton City Police Southampton city police were a police force that operated between 7 March 1836 and 1967 when they were merged into Hampshire Constabulary. History Predecessors Prior to the formation of the police force the then town of Southampton had a town w ...
and
Portsmouth City Police Portsmouth City Police was the city force for Portsmouth, Hampshire from 1836 to 1967. Antecedents The history of crime prevention in Portsmouth dates back to the 13th Century. Parish constables are again recorded in 1435, 1531 and 1621. By the ...
, remained independent. Although this arrangement was originally intended only as a wartime measure, it continued after hostilities ended. In 1948, the merger was made permanent, with Hampshire Joint Police Force being renamed Hampshire Constabulary. The name was changed once again in 1957, to Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary.Hampshire Constabulary General Orders no 26 1957 available in Hampshire Record office. The Police Act 1964 led to the amalgamation of the city forces (Southampton and Portsmouth) into the Hampshire force. This created the present-day Hampshire Constabulary. The last major changes to the police area were in 1974, when the Local Government Act changed a number of local government areas, and the responsibility for policing Christchurch was transferred to Dorset Police. In November 2022, the force was renamed Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary by Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones. The names of forces that have policed the counties of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight since the nineteenth century are illustrated below:
ImageSize = width:800 height:400 PlotArea = left:200 right:20 bottom:45 top:10 #Legend = columns:3 left:10 top:20 columnwidth:200 AlignBars = late TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy DateFormat = yyyy Period = from:1830 till:2010 ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:10 start:1830 Colors = id:main value:blue legend:Hampshire id:portsmouth value:powderblue legend:Portsmouth id:southampton value:red legend:Southampton id:winchester value:coral legend:Winchester id:borough value:lightorange legend:Boroughs id:wight value:green legend:IsleOfWight BarData = bar: PBP text: "Portsmouth Borough Police" bar: PCBP text: "Portsmouth County Borough Police" bar: PCP text: "Portsmouth City Police" bar: SBP text: "Southampton Borough Police" bar: SCBP text: "Southampton County Borough Police" bar: SCP text: "Southampton City Police" bar: WCP text: "Winchester City Police" bar: HCC text: "Hampshire County Constabulary" bar: HJPF text: "Hampshire Joint Police Force" bar: HIWC text: "Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary" bar: HC text: "Hampshire Constabulary" bar: BBP text: "Basingstoke Borough Police" bar: RBP text: "Romsey Borough Police" bar: LBP text: "Lymington Borough Police" bar: ABP text: "Andover Borough Police" bar: IWCC text: "Isle of Wight Constabulary" bar: NBP text: "Newport Borough Police" bar: RYBP text: "Ryde Borough Police" PlotData = align:center textcolor:black fontsize:S width:10 bar: PBP from:1836 till:1892 color:portsmouth bar: PCBP from:1892 till:1926 color:portsmouth bar: PCP from:1926 till:1967 color:portsmouth bar: SBP from:1836 till:1892 color:southampton bar: SCBP from:1892 till:1966 color:southampton bar: SCP from:1966 till:1967 color:southampton bar: WCP from:1832 till:1943 color:winchester bar: HCC from: 1839 till:1943 color:main bar: HJPF from:1943 till:1948 color:main bar: HIWC from:1952 till:1967 color:main bar: HC from:1948 till:1952 color:main bar: HC from:1967 till:2007 color:main bar: BBP from:1836 till:1889 color:borough bar: RBP from:1836 till:1865 color:borough bar: LBP from:1836 till:1852 color:borough bar: ABP from:1836 till:1846 color:borough bar: IWCC from:1889 till:1943 color:wight bar: NBP from:1837 till:1889 color:wight bar: RYBP from:1869 till:1922 color:wight In 1965, the force had an establishment of 1,346 and an actual strength of 1,137. The headquarters moved to their current locations in Eastleigh (Strategic HQ) and Winchester (Operational HQ) in 2015. The previous facility in Winchester, close to
Winchester Prison HM Prison Winchester is a Category B men's prison, located in Winchester, Hampshire, England. The prison is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service. History There has probably been a prison in Winchester, mainly known as Winchester gaol, sinc ...
sat on the site of the first county headquarters, built in 1847. Between 2013 and 2017, a number of police stations were closed and sold, while others had their public facilities closed. The need to reduce costs also led to the formation of a Joint Operations Unit with Thames Valley Police which, during the course of 2012, saw the amalgamation of Roads Policing Units, Training, Firearms and Dog Units of the two forces. The IT departments of the forces merged in early 2011. In April 2015, Hampshire Constabulary announced a "new-look policing model", beginning a major reorganisation.


Significant events

*1893 Chief Constable Peregrine Fellowes, a former Assistant Adjutant General of Australia, who had been in office for less than two years, is fatally injured in Romsey Road, Winchester outside police headquarters when, together with other officers, he attempts to stop a runaway horse and trap. Crushed against a wall he dies several days later from his injuries and is later buried in the Fellowes family plot at Westhill Cemetery, Winchester. *1914 In Andover, the imprisonment of a mother and daughter sparks rioting involving crowds of up to two thousand people. Local officers seek the assistance of the fire brigade who are pelted with stones and retreat to their station. The arrival of mounted officers from Basingstoke fails to quell the disturbances and only after three days do extra officers drafted in from other stations bring the disorder to an end. *1915 Southampton Police appoint two women police- they were not attested but served in uniform. Miss Annette Tate was one of them *1929 Hampshire Constabulary acquires its first motorised patrol vehicle a BSA motorcycle combination. *1943 Winchester City Police and Isle of Wight Constabulary forced to amalgamate with Hampshire as a war time measure. The amalgamation became permanent in 1947. *1944 Women Inspector appointed: Miss P Yates. *1957 On 1 April, the name of the force changed from Hampshire Constabulary to Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary *1970 The Isle of Wight Festival takes place at Afton Down attracting huge crowds, estimates varying from five to six hundred thousand, who witness what would be the last UK performance by
Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...
he is to die less than three weeks later. Despite the great numbers of people the atmosphere is relaxed and with only 500 officers to police the event the Chief Constable, Sir Douglas Osmond, dons casual clothes and sits with the crowds. He reports to the subsequent public enquiry that the press seem unhappy that it had been so peaceful. *1972 A car bomb, containing approximately 130 kg of explosive, detonates outside the officer's mess at the 16th Parachute Brigade Headquarters in Aldershot. Seven civilians die and nineteen others are seriously injured. The Official Irish Republican Army claim responsibility for the blast the following day. A major criminal enquiry, led personally by Det. Ch. Supt. Cyril Holdaway, then head of the force's CID, succeeds in identifying the bombers and the three are sentenced at Winchester Crown Court later the same year. *1982 Havant Policing Scheme, pioneered by then Chief Constable John Duke, emphasizes the need for linking communication technology with beat officers. *1985 The force aircraft, an Optica, crashes on the outskirts of Ringwood killing the crew PC Gerry Spencer (pilot) and DC Malcolm Wiltshire (observer). *1987 Introduction of tape recording of interviews with suspects to replace hand written interview notes. One of the first forces in the country to introduce tape recorded interviews. Rolled out across Hampshire over a year. *1988 Introduction of new hand held PFX radio system with four control centres. Hampshire became the first force to leave the Home Office radio communications scheme. *2006 On 15 May, Hampshire Constabulary launches the new single, non-emergency telephone number (SNEN), 101, as an alternative to 999. It is intended for reporting less serious or anti-social offences. *2011 On 22 May, the force seeks assistance from Marwell Wildlife Park, near Winchester when it receives reports of the sighting of what is believed to be a white tiger seen in undergrowth in the Hedge End area of Southampton. The tiger turns out to be a life-size cuddly toy. *2014 Hampshire Constabulary in international news after obtaining a European arrest warrant leading to the arrest in Spain of the parents of Ashya King (who had removed their seriously ill son from a Southampton hospital in order to get treatment abroad). *2017 In September, the constabulary sent officers to the British Virgin Islands to help maintain law and order and assist with relief efforts following the devastation caused by Hurricane Irma. *2021 In January, the Constabulary dismissed five officers after secret recordings were made of racism and sexism in a Crime Unit at
Basingstoke Basingstoke ( ) is the largest town in the county of Hampshire. It is situated in south-central England and lies across a valley at the source of the River Loddon, at the far western edge of The North Downs. It is located north-east of Southa ...
. *2021 In February, the Constabulary dismissed Chief Specials Officer Tom Haye for Gross Misconduct after he had used the term pikey in a private message to a 'friend'.


Chief Constables

*18391842 - Captain George Robbins *18421856 - Captain William C. Harris *18561891 - Captain John Henry Forrest *18911893 - Captain Peregrine Henry Thomas Fellowes (killed on duty) *18941928 - Major St Andrew Bruce Warde *19281942 - Major Ernest Radcliffe Cockburn *19421962 - Sir Richard Dawnay Lemon *19621977 - Sir Douglas Osmond *19771988 - Sir John Duke *19881999 - Sir John Hoddinott *19992008 - Paul Kernaghan *20082013 - Alex Marshall *20132016 -
Andy Marsh Andrew David Marsh, is a senior British police officer. He has been chief executive officer of the College of Policing since September 2021. From February 2016 to July 2021, he was chief constable of Avon and Somerset Police Avon and Som ...
*20162023 - Olivia Pinkney


Structure


Chief officers

As of January 2022, the force has the following chief officers: * Chief constable: N/A (looking for new candidate) * Deputy chief constable: Ben Snuggs * Assistant chief constable (local policing and public protection): Paul Bartolomeo emporary* Assistant chief constable (operations): Tim Metcalfe emporary* Assistant chief constable (crime, criminal justice and intelligence): Craig Dibdin * Assistant chief constable (corporate services): Lucy Hutson


Police and crime commissioner

The force is overseen by an elected police and crime commissioner (PCC) on non-operational matters (i.e. budget and priorities). The current Hampshire and Isle of Wight PCC is Donna Jones, of the Conservative Party, who was elected in May 2021.


Operational Commands (strands)

In 2016, Hampshire Constabulary announced a "new-look policing model" which organised its resources into four functional command sections (known internally as strands), each commanded by a chief superintendent. It also merged the six local policing divisions known as Operational Command Units (OCUs) into three Policing divisions known as the Northern, Eastern and Western areas. This reorganisation fundamentally changed how the force operated at all levels which lead to it introducing a "borderless" model for response teams, rather than it being operationally confined to smaller districts as it was in the days of Operational Command Units (OCUs). The aim is to make sure that the nearest police unit is always sent to an incident. The core policing activities are organised into four Operational Command sections: Intelligence, Tasking and Development, Prevention and Neighbourhoods, Response and Patrol and Investigations. There is also another section of specialised officers called the Joint Operations Unit, which is a joint unit with Thames Valley Police.


Intelligence, Tasking and Development

This strand has units for handling intelligence, forecasting demand and monitoring police performance.


Prevention and Neighbourhoods

This strand focuses on preventative and community policing. It is organised based on local government, with each local authority area having a "local commander", sometimes shared. These are superintendents for the three unitary authorities ( Southampton, Portsmouth and Isle of Wight) and chief inspectors for the non-metropolitan districts of Hampshire. The Neighbourhood policing teams (NPTs) are aligned with council wards. It also includes safeguarding units, partnership units and police initiatives such as Hampshire Horsewatch and Countrywatch. *Hampshire Horsewatch ::In an effort to maintain equine-oriented crime at low levels, the force supports a Horsewatch programme (started 1992) to raise awareness of crime, including the theft of animals, equipment and vehicles. The force's Equine Liaison Officers who liaise with the equine community perform their duties voluntarily. *Countrywatch ::CountryWatch is continuing programme of policing operations with the objective of tackling crime in the rural communitiese such as theft, poaching,
fly-tipping Illegal dumping, also called fly dumping or fly tipping ( UK), is the dumping of waste illegally instead of using an authorized method such as curbside collection or using an authorized rubbish dump. It is the illegal deposit of any waste on ...
and the use of nuisance vehicles. The programme promotes reassurance and communication, particularly between rural and neighbourhood officers. ACC Laura Nicholson is the national ACPO-lead, for CountryWatch.


Response and Patrol (R&P)

This strand makes up the majority of police officers on duty at any given time. Their primary roles are to respond to the incoming emergency calls and to proactively patrol to prevent and detect crime. Student officers who have successfully completed their training at the Support & Training Headquarters are stationed at one of the patrol hubs initially before undertaking further training with other commands. This strand is the main user of the centralised, borderless model. Officers start and end their shifts at a patrol hub but are not officially confined to any subdivision of Hampshire while at work. The strand also includes call handlers and control room staff who work very closely with the police officers on the ground. This section is filled mostly with skilled and experienced police officers who become highly trained police vehicle response drivers (as not all police officers are trained or allowed to drive with lights and sirens activated). They also make up the largest number of Taser carriers in the force who often deal more serious incidents usually involving weapons that are not firearms or an unacceptable level of risk that requires a justifiable use of force.


Investigations

This strand consists of the criminal investigation department and custody staff. The investigation strand is more centralised than before the reorganisation; with its detectives, other officers and police staff investigators (PSIs) being based at the four police stations with regularly-used
custody suite {{Unreferenced, date=June 2011 A custody suite is an area within a police station in the United Kingdom designed and adapted to process and detain those who have been arrested, or who are there for purposes such as answering bail. Historically, all ...
s: :*Northern Police Investigation Centre in Basingstoke :*Southampton Central Police Station :*Eastern Police Investigation Centre in Portsmouth :*Newport Police Station on the Isle of Wight. Within each PIC you will find specialist departments. These include rape investigation teams, child abuse units and major crime teams alongside the Investigation department (formerly CID). This strand also contains special units that are set up to combat particular crime areas such as cyber crime or drug related violence (Operation Fortress).


Joint Operations Unit (JOU)

This section consists of the units that are shared with Thames Valley Police. These include the road policing units, training sections, firearms units and dog units of the two forces. The Joint Operations Unit is overseen by an assistant chief constable, who is a joint employee of both forces.


Roads Policing Unit (RPU)

The Roads Policing Unit patrol motorways and trunk roads across the two forces' areas. In Hampshire this is made up of large sections of the M3, all of the M27, the
M271 M271 may refer to: *M271 motorway, a short motorway in Hampshire, England *Mercedes-Benz M271 engine The Mercedes-Benz M271 engine is a straight-4 automobile piston engine family used in the 2000s (decade). All M271 engines are built in Untertür ...
and the M275 together with parts of the A3, A27, A31, A34 and A303. In addition to providing an emergency response to incidents on the road its work is directed towards reducing casualties and offending and in particular at disrupting the activities of travelling criminals. The unit operates from three bases in Hampshire: Havant (near the M27 and M275), Totton (near the M271 and M27) and Whitchurch (near the M3 & A34). As part of the programme of sharing resources (and thereby reducing costs) agreed between the two forces in late 2010, Hampshire's Roads Policing Unit commenced joint operations with Thames Valley Police's RPU in January 2012. The combined unit is overseen by the Joint Operations Unit.


Dog Support Unit (DSU)

Hampshire Constabulary acquired its first two dogs in 1959. The force now has a variety of dogs in use across the two counties, working 24-hours a day. The unit, based at the support headquarters at Netley, near Southampton. Dogs are trained in a variety of skills including passive drug searching, searches for firearms, explosives, ammunition, and currency. The dogs are also trained to locate people in a variety of situations. For example, they are able to find people who are trapped in collapsed buildings.


Armed response vehicles and Tactical Firearms Support Units

Hampshire's firearms units provides suitably trained and equipped officers to respond to incidents involving the criminal use of firearms through its armed response vehicles (ARV) and tactical teams. The force has many ARVs (With both Police liveried and unmarked variants - a marked ARV is distinguishable from other police vehicles as it has big and bright coloured asterisk stickers that are displayed on all four corners of the vehicle) and they usually contain two or three police officers that are specially trained authorised firearms officers (AFO). Many tactical options are available to the ARVs as they contain (either upon the AFOs or inside the ARV itself) shields, advanced lifesaving equipment and their firearms which include
pistol A pistol is a handgun, more specifically one with the chamber integral to its gun barrel, though in common usage the two terms are often used interchangeably. The English word was introduced in , when early handguns were produced in Europe, an ...
s, carbines
incendiary device Incendiary weapons, incendiary devices, incendiary munitions, or incendiary bombs are weapons designed to start fires or destroy sensitive equipment using fire (and sometimes used as anti-personnel weaponry), that use materials such as napalm, th ...
s and less than lethal options such as Tasers, baton and
baton gun In current usage, a riot gun or less-lethal launcher is a type of firearm used to fire "non-lethal" or "less-lethal" ammunition for the purpose of suppressing riots or apprehending suspects with minimal harm or risk. Less-lethal launchers may ...
. The units have a permanent staff of instructors, administrators and the Force Armourer, who is responsible for the safe storage, maintenance and record keeping for each of the force's firearms.


Marine Unit

The Marine Unit provides a specialist resource to the force and a policing presence along the of navigable coastline of the two counties. In addition, the unit is responsible for the investigation of marine incidents and supporting the work of the UK Border Agency, HM Coastguard and the harbour authorities. The unit comprises a sergeant and six constables and has two tactical rigid inflatables, one semi-displacement patrol launch and various land-based patrol vehicles. The ribs and launches are: :*Police Launch ''Commander'', a catamaran :*Police RIB ''Protector'', a tactical RIB :*Police RIB ''Pursuer'', a , tactical RIB.


Mutual Aid Support Team

The Mutual Aid Support Team (MAST), consists of police officers that have taken on further training to deal with less routine incidents such as large scale or more violent public disorder or policing events where it is likely to occur. In other forces MAST is sometimes known as the Territorial Support Group or L2.


Other support units

There are many units that support the above Operational units, which include: the Planning and Policy Unit, The Critical Incident Cadre (which is designed to provide tactical support in the event of any major incident within the force area), the Scientific Services unit (which consists of the Crime Scene Investigators), Special Branch and both the Serious Organised Crime and Major Crime units.


Uniform, equipment and vehicles


Headgear

Male constables and sergeants of Hampshire Constabulary wear the traditional comb-style custodian helmet when on foot patrol. However, Hampshire is one of only three other UK forces that does not use the common Brunswick star style force badge, favouring instead a large metal plate that mirrors the county crest, depicting a laurel wreath enclosing a crowned rose above a banner that reads 'Hampshire'. The helmets worn by constables have larger helmet plates of uncoloured white metal whilst those worn by sergeants have slightly smaller helmet plates that includes blue and red enamelled detail on the crown, rose and county title. The helmet plate worn by constables is the largest of all those worn by forces in England and Wales and ensures that they stand out in the company of officers from other areas. Officers wear a peaked cap with black and white chequered hat band when on mobile patrol in vehicles whilst
Roads Policing Unit A roads policing unit (RPU), or a similarly named unit in some forces, is the specialist road traffic police unit of a British police force. Responsibilities RPUs work with the National Police Chiefs' Council roads policing strategy, ''Policing ...
(RPU) officers wear a similar cap with a white top. Female officers wear a bowler hat (with black and white chequered hat band), or a similar bowler hat for female RPU officers but with a white top. PCSO's wear peaked caps with a blue hat band. Each of these caps have smaller versions of the helmet plate. Officers holding the rank of Police Inspector or above wear peaked caps.


Uniform

When on duty, Frontline Police Officers wear a black, wicking T-shirt with the word 'Police' on the sleeves, and black uniform trousers. Hampshire officers no longer use the traditional police jumper, having favoured a black fleece with 'Police' written on the chest and back. Hampshire officers do not have Brunswick stars on their epaulettes, just the rank insignia if a Police Inspector or above, rank insignia and collar number for a Police Sergeant and just a collar number for a Police Constable. The Special Constabulary adopt the same standards as their regular counterparts, and in 2019 changed their rank insignia to match their regular counterparts. PCS