 More than 130 Grayshott residents received a visit from the police last Friday when their district councillor Ferris Cowper hosted a four-hour doorstep tour with the top policeman in East Hampshire.
Councillor Cowper, Leader of East Hampshire District Council, was joined by Chief Inspector Phil Kedge, in charge of policing in the district north of Butser Hill, as well as PC Kirsty Langridge and PCSO Jim Leggat.
The group spent the afternoon and evening visiting 90 households around Kingswood Firs and Mowatt Road.
There were two main reasons for the visit. Firstly, Cllr. Cowper was keen to reassure residents after a recent and unusual spate of break-ins and, secondly, C. I. Kedge was promoting his latest community policing initiative "Street Watch", already launched successfully in Four Marks.
Councillor Cowper said: "It was just fantastic. I had delivered a note to every house the day before, warning them of the visit and as a result most people were in and everyone had their questions and comments ready for the Chief Inspector."
Many residents wanted to know about their safety following the recent break-ins.
"Chief Inspector Kedge was very reassuring to everyone," explained Cllr. Cowper, "but what's more is that it was clear that everyone we visited had immense confidence in the police and was very supportive of all their efforts."
The group found that PCSO Jim Leggat had become well-known in the village and that many residents knew about the new police office in Headley Road and the arrival of PC Langridge, the new Safer Neighbourhoods Officer for Grayshott.
"It was a privilege to meet residents of such a strong and cohesive community who expressed their support for their local police teams and the work that officers do in partnership with the council and community safety team said Chief Inspector Kedge.
"I was delighted to hear that residents found their local communities to be safe and everyone had a very balanced and positive outlook with regard to local policing and the very low levels of reported crime.
"It was a very positive experience for everyone involved and I was pleased to be able to introduce PC Kirsty Langridge as the new Safer Neighbourhoods Officer for Grayshott."
Concerns raised by local residents included speeding on Crossways Road and Kingswood Firs, inconsiderate neighbours, doorstep vendors and bad parking in the village.
Cllr Cowper said: "This visit was a real win-win. Residents had the chance to meet the police in the comfort of their own home and could raise any issue they wanted.
"From the police perspective, I think it"s fair to say that C. I. Kedge and his officers learned a lot about how the community feels about its sense of safety which can"t be conveyed by statistics alone. I"m pretty sure we'll be doing this again."
Chief Inspector Kedge concluded by inviting East Hampshire residents to take part in an online question and answer session to raise any issues they may have.
"Working closely with district councillors and having personal contact with local residents is very important to me," he said.
"I am currently running an online questions and answers forum about policing issues at www.street-watch.org.uk and would welcome residents to visit the website and to contact me personally with any questions they may have."
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