Former Kingsclere special constable hits out over lack of policing

Former special constable for Kingsclere for 27 years, Stewart Packham, told Kingsclere parish councillors and villagers at a meeting last Monday (Nov 25), he had not had a reply to a September letter to the Chief Supt of Hampshire Constabulary, northern area, Jason Hogg which was also copied in to the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Simon Hayes:
“We are getting a poor level of policing,” said Mr Packham, aged 68, a villager of 44 years, pointing out there had been no policing of the village Remembrance Sunday parade.
“We have had trouble in the churchyard and other places and this may have been prevented if we had a police presence.”
Stressing he was not anti-police, Mr Packham - who manned the front desk at Tadley Police Station for three years as a special constable - added the lack of response was: “dismissive.”
“We haven’t had policing in the village for a long time - just police passing by!” he said.
Village beat manager, Pc Brian Dixon, continued Mr Packham, was often called away to police neighbouring towns, such as Basingstoke, while at the same time inundated with paperwork.
The police office situated in Kingsclere Village Club - started and used by village policeman Pc Paul Green in the 1990’s - was currently lying mostly empty:
“It was said to be the first police office to be opened in a public building in the country,” said Mr Packham.
Parish council clerk, Sheila Thompson, said she had also contacted Mr Hayes on the issue, after also copying him in on a letter written to Mr Hogg on behalf of the parish council, but had also not received any response.
The criticism comes as PCC Mr Hayes announced the appointment of five new management jobs, at a total cost to taxpayers of £250,000.
The posts were established despite a £25m government grant reduction from April and with almost half (£40m) to be slashed from the £85m police estates budgets, with 18 police stations earmarked for closure across Hampshire.
The new posts include three departmental heads, with salaries of £50,676 each and two new assistant commissioner posts, with salaries of £20,400 and £24,888.
Defending the expenditure, PCC spokesman Alan Smith pointed out the Office of the Police Crime Commissioner (OPCC), with a total budget of £1.491m, had replaced the former Hampshire Police Authority and continued:
“This is actually less than the (budget of the) former Hampshire Police Authority, which was £1.655m in its last full year of operation and £1.523m prior to being replaced by the OPCC,” said Mr Smith.