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Good afternoon,

I am writing this to particularly address residents of Helios Park in relation to recent incidents within the estate.

The local team here at Yateley Police Station are aware of a report of an incident on Sunday 2nd March relating to an address on Yeoman’s Lane. We understand the concerns of the residents of Helios Park around this and have been visiting the area in order to patrol, identify any suspicious persons and deal with them as appropriate. Patrols will continue into the weekend in order to safeguard the community, as well as prevent and detect any offences.

Residents are reminded that it is imperative that incidents are reported as they happen. We understand the importance of social media in current times however we cannot respond and deal with incidents without an accurate and up to date picture of crime and antisocial behaviour across our district.

We also appreciate the need to inform neighbours of potential concerns using social media, however please be aware that the first port of call should always be the Police. Posting on local community social media, whilst I’m sure is done with the best of intentions, can sometimes portray that of heightened criminal activity despite limited incidents taking place. 

To paint a picture, in the previous 90 days there have been four reported crimes within Helios Park and nine other incidents – the vast majority not recorded on Yeoman’s Lane. Compared to the rest of Hart and Rushmoor this is a very low level of crimes and incidents and not one that stands out on my daily scanning that would suggest that is a concern of increased crime in the estate. Believe me, I see every report that takes place in our area, and compare this across the beat to see where we need to concentrate our efforts. You’ll see via Hampshire Alert and our Hart North Police Facebook page that I’m regularly in places that need our help – and that includes Helios Park.

I have had a meeting this afternoon with Hart Community Safety and Sovereign Homes in order to gather further information and get the ball rolling with how we can make the estate safer, and build your confidence in us. You’ll soon hear from our partners about how they can help, as they intend to visit and hear from you about your concerns on the estate.

I do not wish to discourage residents of Helios Park to report crime – in fact quite the opposite. A colleague once said to me “the squeakiest wheel gets the most oil” and this is very much the case in modern day Policing. If regular incidents are taking place on Helios Park, we need to hear from you about it. The more reporting that takes place, the more I can direct our resources in that direction instead of visiting other areas in Hart with a higher proportion of crime rates. If you see a suspicious incident, or a crime in action, report it to the Police. You can do so via 101, 999 in an emergency, or via our website here.

If you have information that would assist us in making the estate safer, you can also do so via our website or if you prefer to remain anonymous you can pass us information using the Crimestoppers website.

If you have any concerns, questions or queries, you can either reply to this message on Hampshire Alert, or email me at ben.blundell@hampshire.police.uk.

Stay safe,

PC 27999 Ben Blundell,

Designated Neighbourhood Officer for Yateley, Blackwater and Hawley.