An administrative county was a first-level administrative division in England and Wales from 1888 to 1974, and in Ireland from 1899 until 1973 in Northern Ireland , 2002 in the Republic of Ireland . They are now abolished, although most Northern Ireland lieutenancy areas and Republic of Ireland counties have the same boundaries as former administrative countries.
47-617: Southampton city police were a police force that operated between 7 March 1836 and 1967 when they were merged into Hampshire Constabulary . Prior to the formation of the police force the then town of Southampton had a town watch consisting of 12 night watchmen and two day watchmen. It was supervised by the Commissioners for Paving, Watching and Lighting. In 1835 parliament passed the Municipal Corporation Act which along with broader reorganizations of local government required that
94-502: A HMIC report on crime recording found Hampshire Constabulary failed to record, as crime, 40% of incidents, one of the three worst force performances in the country. A subsequent inspection by HMIC in 2018, showed that the overall crime recording rate had significantly increased to 91.3% of reported crimes being recorded as such. The Professional Standards department of the force investigate the majority of complaints made against police. However, details of complaints received are notified to
141-463: 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
188-501: A retro-reflective chequered blue and white band. Since 2005, the standard yellow and blue retro-reflective battenberg markings , together with the force crest on the bonnet, on all marked, operational vehicles. Aviation support is provided by the National Police Air Service established in 2012. Hampshire Constabulary's former air support unit initially operated an Edgley Optica , G-KATY, as an observation platform in
235-547: 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. Hampshire's firearms units provides suitably trained and equipped officers to respond to incidents involving
282-531: Is Donna Jones , of the Conservative Party , who was reelected in May 2024. 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
329-519: Is also another section of specialised officers called the Joint Operations Unit, which is a joint unit with Thames Valley Police . This strand has units for handling intelligence , forecasting demand and monitoring police performance. 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
376-699: Is likely to occur. In other forces MAST is sometimes known as the Territorial Support Group or L2. 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
423-423: Is slightly above the national average of 172 (159) per 1,000 employees. In that period Hampshire were above national average for complaints concerning 'Neglect or Failure in duty' and 'Oppressive Conduct or Harassment'. Of all complaints received during the period 0% (1%) were discontinued - national average 1% - some 5% (3%) were dispensed - national average 7% - and 6% (5%) were withdrawn - national average 10%). Of
470-677: Is the territorial police force responsible for policing the counties of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight in South East England . 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 , Eastleigh , Andover , Fareham and Aldershot , and
517-459: The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) which is a non-departmental public body responsible for overseeing the system for handling complaints made against police forces throughout England and Wales. The IOPC may choose to manage or supervise investigations conducted into complaints and may conduct the investigations themselves in the most serious cases. The IOPC sets the standards of
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#1733092657295564-755: The M3 , all of the M27 , the M271 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
611-575: The ARVs as they contain (either upon the AFOs or inside the ARV itself) shields , advanced lifesaving equipment and their firearms which include pistols , carbines incendiary devices and less than lethal options such as Tasers , baton and baton gun . 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
658-703: The Constabulary were 2nd place in Top Employer category. In 2017 the Constabulary were still in the top 100 at 65th (Leicestershire was the top police employer). From 2020 the Constabulary no longer featured in the Stonewall Workplace Equality Index. The crime fiction writer Graham Hurley draws on his knowledge of Hampshire Constabulary, and in particular Portsmouth CID, for his series of police procedural novels. Set in Portsmouth and revolving around
705-733: The Isle of Wight (then part of Hampshire). 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 (1836–1865), Lymington Borough Police (1836–1852) and Andover Borough Police (1836–1846). The Isle of Wight Constabulary likewise absorbed
752-569: 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. Hampshire Constabulary acquired its first two dogs in 1959. The force now has
799-653: 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
846-550: The Serious Organised Crime and Major Crime units. Police officers wear operational and formal dress uniforms similar to other police forces in the United Kingdom. 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
893-503: The Southampton force to stopped switching constables beats every few days and instead leave them on the same beat for a matter of months. By August 1857 the police had a force of 30 constables and 7 sergeants. 21 of these constables and 5 of the sergeants covered the night shift while the remainder covered the day shift. Southampton appointed its first woman police officer in June 1915. In 1919
940-597: The areas used "for local government purposes immediately before 1 October 1973, subject to any subsequent definition of their boundaries …". In the Republic of Ireland the legislation that created them remained in force until 1 January 2002, when they were renamed as counties under the Local Government Act 2001 . The term administrative county is retained by the Placenames Database of Ireland to distinguish
987-567: 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
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#17330926572951034-455: The chest and back. Officers are required to wear a stab vest whilst on patrol. In addition, officers carry TETRA digital radios, Body Worn Video, rigid handcuffs, incapacitant spray , the ASP 21" collapsible baton , leg restraints, a resuscitation mask and a basic first aid kit. Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary uses a wide selection of vehicles for their individual capabilities and
1081-487: The criminal use of firearms through its armed response vehicles (ARV) and tactical teams. The force has 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
1128-477: The existing watch were offered positions as constables with 8 of them declining or leaving prior to the swearing in of the new force. In the first year turnover was high with 14 mean leaving the force largely due to resignations. After this first year turnover fell averaging 28% up to 1840. A series of robberies in 1851 resulted in the town requesting advice from the Metropolitan police. As a result of this advice
1175-414: The fictional Detective Inspector Joe Faraday they portray a gritty picture of the city and its crime. Administrative county The term was introduced for England and Wales by the Local Government Act 1888 , which created county councils for various areas, and called them administrative counties to distinguish them from the continuing statutory counties . In England and Wales the legislation
1222-402: The force had 3,748 police officers, 337 PCSOs and 2,424 police staff. The force has reduced its workforce by 23% since 2010, compared to the national average of 15%. This has led to some criticism from various sources around central government funding for the force. Previous results of inspections by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) are published below: In November 2014,
1269-831: The force's firearms. The Marine Unit provides a specialist resource to the force and a policing presence along the 253 miles (407 km) 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: 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
1316-696: The former Netley Hospital . 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
1363-477: The four police stations with regularly-used custody suites : Each PIC includes specialist departments such as 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). This section consists of
1410-645: The historic city of Winchester . 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 . The Support & Training Headquarters and control room are located in Netley , near Southampton , in buildings of
1457-453: 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
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1504-464: The investigation of complaints against police and also acts as the appeals body in cases where members of the public are dissatisfied with the way in which a police force has handled their complaint. In the period April 2011 to December 2011, complaints and allegations made against officers of Hampshire Constabulary had decreased from the previous year (previous years figures in brackets). Hampshire's overall complaints rate of 181 (206) per 1,000 employees
1551-463: 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. 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
1598-835: The mid-1980s. On 15 May 1985, the aircraft crashed, killing the pilot and police observer. Subsequently, Hampshire operated a fixed wing Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander from the former Royal Naval Air Station at Lee-on-the-Solent . In March 2001, the Islander was replaced by a Britten-Norman Defender 4000 . In 2010, the Air Support Unit was disbanded following a decision to establish a joint South East Air Support Unit with Sussex Police and Surrey Police operating two helicopters. As of March 2017, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary has 2,896 police officers, 364 special constables, 304 designated officers, 385 police community support officers and 1,421 police staff. By comparison, in 2010,
1645-505: The number of policewomen on the Southampton force reached six. After the war Southampton reduced the number of policewomen it employed to around two a pattern that continued until the Second World War. None of the women were formally attested . Policewomen numbers again increased with the Second World War and the first regular policewomen were attested in 1942. Hampshire Constabulary The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary
1692-410: The requirements of the roles for which they are employed. In 1965, the constabulary purchased four Volvo 121 Amazon estates. This provoked controversy from the public and the government, as until then, all forces had used domestic cars (Austin, Jaguar, MG, Rover, Wolseley). Historically, the force had used a distinctive vehicle paint scheme of retro-reflective red and white diagonal stripes above
1739-538: The same model that had been used in England and Wales. In Northern Ireland the administrative counties were replaced by a system of 26 districts on 1 October 1973. Section 131 of the Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 1972 stated that "every county and every county borough shall cease to be an administrative area for local government purposes". The areas of the former administrative counties (and county boroughs) remain in use for Lieutenancy purposes, being defined as
1786-403: 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
1833-472: 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. This strand makes up the majority of police officers on duty at any given time. Their primary roles are to respond to
1880-514: The total, 13% (11%) of complaints were found to have 'substantiated finding', 3% lower than the national average. The Stonewall Workplace Equality Index is an annual index of UK employers completed by the LGBT (Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender) rights charity Stonewall . Through their submissions to Stonewall, Hampshire Constabulary were consistently high performers on the index from 2006 to 2013, scoring no lower than 15th place overall. In 2009 and 2010
1927-418: The town set up a Watch committee which would recruit a sufficient number of fit men to police the town. The committee decided that a force of 22 constables 2 sergeants and 1 Inspector. The positions of First Sergeant and Second Sergeant were given to the previous heads of the watch while the position of Inspector was given to John Thomas Enright who had been recruited from the metropolitan police . The members of
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1974-461: 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. The chief constable is supported by a deputy chief constable and three assistant chief constables. 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
2021-416: 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. The Roads Policing Unit patrol motorways and trunk roads across the two forces' areas. In Hampshire this is made up of large sections of
2068-527: 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 and Portsmouth City Police , 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
2115-436: Was changed once again in 1957, to Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary . The Police Act 1964 led to the amalgamation of the city forces (Southampton and Portsmouth) into the Hampshire force. This created a force named 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
2162-633: Was repealed in 1974, and entities called ' metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties ' in England and 'counties' in Wales were introduced in their place. Though strictly inaccurate, these are often called 'administrative counties' to distinguish them from both the historic counties, and the ceremonial counties . For local government purposes Scottish counties were replaced in 1975 with a system of regions and island council areas . The Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 created administrative counties in Ireland on
2209-642: 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: 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 sat on
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