Winchester police chief hails success of crackdown on crime

It has been so successful that many offenders have turned their attentions elsewhere.

"Southampton is not happy because a lot of our people have gone to Southampton, but it means that they are not in Winchester," said Chief Inspector Korine Bishop.

Ten criminal Behaviour Orders (CBO) have been imposed since the autumn, banning offenders from the city centre, she told city councillors.

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Additional patrolling, working with other agencies such as the city council and Trinity, and the use of criminal behaviour orders against repeat offenders has helped the streets more crime-free.

A report to the scrutiny committee said crime rates in 2023 had dropped by 16.1 per cent against the previous year and charges and summons were up by 11.4 per cent.

Ch Insp Bishop said reports of shoplifting had increased, whether because of the cost of living crisis or because shops felt more confident in reporting was unclear.

Although shoplifting is one of the highest crime types with 2,312 reported in 2023, police had a positive outcome rate of 42.8 per cent. This is a 239 per cent increase from the previous year.

On anti-social behaviour, incidents have fallen from 946 in 2022 to 727 in 2023. In the same period 754 domestic abuse offences were recorded compared to 971 in the previous period, showing a reduction of 22.35 per cent (217 offences).

Chief Inspector Korine Bishop (Image: Hampshire Constabulary)

Work had been done to tackle youth-related nuisance/ASB/crime at Chesil Street Multi-Storey car park, River Park Leisure Centre, and the former Winchester City Council Depot at Bar End.

The report said work continued throughout 2023 with internal and external partners providing support, intervention, and diversion to those identified; to include the issue of Acceptable Behaviour Contracts for some young people. 

Policing in the Meon Valley is to be beefed up with a 24/7 response team, ten additional officers, to be based in Bishop's Waltham, said Ch Insp Bishop.

But Cllr Caroline Horrill, leader of the Conservative group on the council, said many people in her ward of Wonston and Micheldever were disappointed in local policing.

"The reputation of 101 is not good. People feel completely abandoned because the police do not follow up on reports and they feel neglected. They don't report because because they don't feel anything happens."

She cited one particular problem in her ward but did not identify it in the meeting.

Ch Insp Bishop said there had been a lot of new staff on the 101 serve based in Netley. But now call handlers are also based in Winchester and Southampton.

She said: "We need people to report crime. If they have had a bad experience or they fell there is no need to report it so they don't do anything. We need reports because that gives us a pattern of behaviour and where we need to put resources."