A newly established High Harm Team is to focus on targeting perpetrators who cause the most harm to communities here on the Isle of Wight.
Made up of an inspector, a sergeant, a handful of PCs and a PCSO, the new team will work with repeat domestic abuse perpetrators to reduce their offending, identify and disrupt Class A drugs networks and dealers involved in serious violence. They will also work hard to reduce knife crime and target habitual knife carriers on the Island.
An initial priority will be to tackle serious sexual offences and violent crimes.
Inspector Attwood, who recently started in her new role here on the Island, has said:
“This type of offending has always been a policing priority of course, but our team will be focused on really driving this work forward. In addition to the above, we’ll also be supporting children who are at risk of criminal and sexual exploitation.
“Much of what we do will be intelligence-led, so a real plea from me is to keep reporting incidents into us. Depending on what’s reported, you may not see an immediate police response, but we will be working behind the scenes to put the bigger picture together before taking action.
“I’m really looking forward to getting to know the Island and sharing more of the team’s work with you as things progress, so stay tuned!”
So what has been going on for all the past years. Has the police force suddenly realised there is serious crime on the Isle of Wight.
Quite a broad remit to cover domestic abuse, drug dealing, and violent crime.
Hope they find some time to tackle drugs, which is number one community problem.
Throughout 2020 and 2021 we repeatedly reported drug dealers going round on motorbikes in West Wight, they do it openly even brazenly, yet these reports were continually ignored. The perpetrators were never stopped and checked, even once – so my neighbours and myself gradually gave up hope, as the Police clearly were not interested.
It is clearly policy to ‘turn a blind eye to drug supply’, so now the situation has become so bad that the whole village stinks of weed at various times, for it’s very pungent. Some of us have turned to challenging the youths doing this, but they are violent and get their mates involved.
We’ve lost hope.
Drama queen springs to mind
Bang on,West Wight is the forgotten zone, there is a thriving drug problem in Freshwater, we feel that we have been pushed to one side so the resources can be used elsewhere, but are they really, i’m not so sure !
How can these youths running drugs on their little put put bikes be ignored. Drugs are drugs. Hopefully now you can dial 101and report this illegal activity and this new High Harm Team will investigate the problem and arrest the little scrotes and get the problem stopped.
Good luck!
GO to East Cowes please.
what’s wrong with East Cowes?
Excuse me for being stupid, but isn’t this what the “normal” police should be doing anyway. Oh no hang on, they just sit in the office and tell you to fill out an online form. This is just flannel to make it look like your precept is well spent, wake up people.
So basically the police have had their heads in the sand for years, finally they’ve realised there’s an issue. Lol
I’ve handed them information with evidence on a plate?! Yet nothing happened. Why we pay our council tax is beyond me.
Trouble is after they do their job, The people arrested go to court and some Judge gives them a fine or tells them they are very naughty.
The Courts need to back up the actions of the police with harder prison time.
Until the courts can sufficiently support the police with some sort of deterrent it’s a waste of resources.
use the drugs dogs at the ferries as they use to stop drugs getting to the island
So don’t they grow any here?
Dig a big hole and Chuck all the low life scum bags that commit serious crime on the island in it.
Seriously, at last a dedicated team. I think you will be kept very busy. Good luck.
she asks us to report incidents but apparently hasn’t told their call centre as all you get is total disinterest and told to fill in an online form, which they then ignore.
Your lucky if you get through with them going on – “it’s quicker you do on line”,do they think when reporting crime we have time to do this, no wonder people don’t bother. Not so long back you could phone Newport or Shanklin and response time was faster than you can even get through 101 now. Improved service – NOT
This is all papering over the cracks/kicking it into the long grass because no matter what (little) enforcement there is at street level the courts merely hand out suspended sentences. Zero deterrent. WAKE UP judiciary, otherwise waste of time.
So they are establishing a ‘High Harm Team’. So, the Police, just like the IoW have found other novel ways to spend the Taxpayers hard earned cash.
How about, as has been said, the Police get off their lazy backsides, have a visible physical appearance on the streets, and FO the job they are supposed to. We pay enough in ‘precept’ for an appalling level of response- unless of course it is sexually ‘phobic’ or nasty words being said to some Snowflake!
When are they going to target the shonky car dealers, eaterys and that delapidated establishment in Ashy who launder money made from drugs on The, Island? Police know who they are but seem unable or unwilling to do anything…..
How about being grateful that we have a dedicated team to deal with the issues????
Then our officer’s can deal with the rest of the island problems …
Horse’s for courses as they say.
Absolutely! Do all the people that are bitchin and moaning on this site, do you all vote when it comes to local Council elections and the General Election?
The reason I’m asking, the Conservative Government axed 20,000 Police Officers when Theresa May was Prime Minister.
Who do you all vote for? Do you even bother to vote?
You might want to start and think very carefully who you vote for.