BURGLARIES, biking on the Hogmoor Inclosure, cyber crime and fly-tipping were among the concerns raised by people who attended an East Hampshire District Council Community Forum at Lindford village hall.

However, only a handful of residents attended the public meeting on October 20, titled Worried About Crime?

On the panel were new East Hampshire Chief Inspector Beth Pirie, Whitehill police Sergeant Stuart Tripp and East Hampshire District Council’s new community safety manager, Ryan Gulliver.

The meeting was chaired by Lindford district councillor Yvonne Parker Smith.

Chief Insp Piri opened by saying that crime was falling and that East Hampshire was a safe place to live.

A Whitehill resident took issue with this, complaining about recent burglaries in the Hogmoor area of Whitehill and alleged that the offender had been caught by Surrey Police not Hampshire Constabulary.

Chief Insp Pirie said local police detection rates were “actually quite good” but, like many services in the public sector, they were having to make cuts and doing their best with increa-singly dwindling resources.

Praising the resident for being a member of neighbourhood watch, the police inspector said this group was very worthwhile and perhaps one of the single most effective deterrents against crime. She urged more people to get involved and to report anything suspicious.

Lindford Stores (Spar) owner Julian Taylor Green said a minor crime issue had affected him and the police had taken six weeks to respond to it.

Sgt Tripp, part of the local policing team for Bordon, agreed it was “not acceptable” and the inspector added that police priorities had to be 999 calls, but in terms of low-level crime and anti-social behaviour residents should contact 101 to help the police build up a picture.

Whitehill (Hogmoor) district councillor Mervyn Smith said that fly-tipping at the Hogmoor Inclosure was appalling and asked what was being done about it.

Insp Pirie told him that it was difficult to catch people but the landowners should also take responsibility for their land.

Adam Carew, Whitehill Town Council leader and district councillor for Whitehill (Walldown), said the problem was that the Inclosure was owned by the Ministry of Defence’s property arm, the Defence Infrastructure Organisation, and had probably been passed onto its disposals team before being handed over as public greenspace to developer Taylor Wimpey Dorchester on October 19 .

“Whitehill Town Council has a lot of experience running greenspaces, recreation grounds, play areas and a local nature reserve (Deadwater) and will be taking on the Bordon Inclosure very shortly, and I hope we can also take on the Hogmoor inclosure,” he added.

The Bordon and Hogmoor Inclosures have been given permission to be transformed into Suitable Areas of Natural Green Space, which are required as part of the town redevelopment and enlargement.

These areas needed to be managed and looked after locally so there is accountability to residents, Mr Carew said.

Headley district councillor Anthony Williams was worried about cyber crime and identity thefts and the panel agreed it was a growing problem and difficult to tackle because viruses and cyber bullying were happening all the time.

Tony Muldoon, a Whitehill (Deadwater) town and district councillor, asked whether the police community support officers that East Hampshire District Council had paid for had been a success.

Chief Insp Piri said confirmed that they were “valued members” of her team.

The council pays for three community support officers.

Mr Carew then raised the menace of mini motorbikes, illegal scramblers and even quad bikes on the Hogmoor Inclosure.

“This was a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation and was supposed to be protected for future generations as a Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace,” he said.

“The police and Army had worked well together about 10 years ago to clamp down on this problem with great success, seizing and crushing illegal bikes, but now the Army were leaving, the bikes were having “a field day”, he said.

He reminded the meeting that, a few years ago, an illegal motorbike rider had not seen a tank coming and his sponsored motorbike had been crushed and he was lucky to escape with his life.

There had also been reports of some riding full throttle past dog walkers and schoolchildren.

Many of the offenders were not insured, did not have number plates, lic-ences or even crash helmets.

They ride on roads and pavements and then onto the Hogmoor Inclosure. Bikes are cheap to buy so even if crushed it was easy for them to buy a new one, the meeting heard.

The town council, Mr Carew, said was working with town developers in a private capacity to find a legal site for pit bikes but it was difficult because so much land in the parish was protected for wildlife and archaeology. Insurance was needed and no one wanted the noise of revving bikes near them.

Hogmoor residents had said the situation was becoming very dangerous, those at the meeting were told.

“No one would want to move to the town if the promised greenspaces were trashed by flytipping and motorbikes,” said Mr Carew.

In answer to a question from councillor Don Jerrard, from Greatham, who was unhappy that Whitehill Police Station had closed, he was told Alton Police Station was closing.

Mr Carew, with the support of the town council, said he had been the only councillor in the “whole of Hampshire” to turn up to the meeting to protest at the planned closures of Hampshire police stations, including Whitehill. He said: “Sadly, the protests had fallen on deaf ears.”

But he was pleased that the police were still in the town at the eco-station, but it was a shame there was no front desk or public interface.

The inspector hoped that some form of “public interface” would be kept in Alton.

She added that the police, like all public services, were under immense financial pressure and having to do more with less despite the fact types of crimes were becoming more complex, and the Government was piling more and more houses into the South East while the police were not getting extra resources to deal with the population growth. As a result, even Hampshire Police headquarters had already co-located into to Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service buildings in Eastleigh.

Mr Carew said the police were doing their best under difficult circumstances but he was appalled at the news of more station closures.

He asked whether the police safer neighbourhood teams would remain unaffected as this had been promised when Whitehill and Petersfield police stations were closed and that promise had been kept.

Chief Insp Pirie said they would remain unaffected but realistically this could not be promised forever given the financial situation.

It was the priority of the current commissioner (Simon Hayes), she said, but there would be police and crime commissioner elections next year so priorities could change.

Mr Carew added that on-the-spot fines were now being imposed by the district council for littering and dog fouling and that patrols would be targeting problem areas. Those flytipping or found dumping garden rubbish on the Hogmoor Inclosure, the Deadwater Valley Local Nature Reserve or local greenspaces “could be in for a nasty shock”, he said.

Community safety organiser Mr Gulliver said he would meet Mr Carew and the new owners of the Inclosure to see where the bikes and flytippers were getting in so a plan of action could be agreed.

Pinewood town and district councillor Alan Waterhouse was nominated by councillors Carew Muldoon to be the district council’s representative on Whitehill and Bordon Community Association. At the end, Ms Parker Smith thanked the police for coming and their hard work under difficult circumstances.

East Hampshire District Council’s Whitehill and Bordon Regeneration director Steve Pearce was also at the meeting.