New Forest crime watch launched (From Bournemouth Echo)

New Forest crime watch launched

7:30am Saturday 27th March 2010 in

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THIEVES, flytippers and poachers had better stay well away from the New Forest this summer as a new scheme to stamp out criminal behaviour begins.

The Forest Watch scheme was launched yesterday with a seminar at the Lyndhurst Park Hotel, at which issues affecting various forest communities and organisations were given a through airing.

Forest Watch will be headed by Sgt Louise Hubble, who will be stationed at the National Park Authority headquarters at South Efford House two days a week.

As well as police and the NPA, the project will rely on the expertise of the Environment Agency, Forestry Comm-ission, Natural England, Hampshire Fire & Rescue Service, National Farmers’ Union and New Forest District Council.

At the moment the team says it is too early to outline specific schemes or ways problems will be policed.

But NPA interim chief executive Barrie Foley said issues coming out of the seminar included the problems of flytipping and littering.

“There are other priorities that we are going to discuss that we can add to that but what was definite is there is a need for Forest Watch.

“What we have here is a number of stakeholders that have got a lot of expertise and who can gather a lot of information.”

Sgt Hubble said other issues highlighted were thefts of farm machinery, diesel fuel and scrap metal, arson, and wildlife crime such as poaching, the persecution of birds of prey and habitat destruction.

“By the end of April we will have the four prority areas identified.

“Each priority area will have a plan owner and we will be able to give a bit more detail around activities,” she said.