Police authority praises officers

Chairwoman of Hampshire Police Authority praises officers working in riot areas

THE chairwoman of Hampshire Police Authority has praised officers from Hampshire Constabulary who have been working in areas affected by last week's riots.

Jacqui Rayment said in what had proved a “challenging week” for British policing, a number of officers from Hampshire and the Isle of Wight had stepped up to the challenge to protect the public.

“Officers and colleagues locally have worked long hours and have given up their rest days to ensure our streets are safe,” said Ms Rayment.

“While we may not have seen the mayhem here, officers have been out in large numbers doing what they do best, catching criminals and protecting our streets.”

The police authority, she added, was proud of everyone, no matter what role they played as not many would want to do the same job.

“Our thanks go to each and every one of you at a time when policing is facing a huge number of challenges. We should also not forget colleagues from other emergency services who have also gone the extra mile and, of course, families who have had their time disrupted and had to accommodate changes at short notice.”