Police and Neighbourhood Watch

Police

The Preston Candover beat is some 50 square miles and is 1/5th of the Rural Division of the Basingstoke Basic Command Unit.  Local residents are encouraged to contact PC Reid at the beat house for all non-emergencies or enquiries, obviously all emergency calls should be via the 999 system. 

Policing in the area has been traced back to 1855 when the village first had a resident Policeman, the Police Beat House in Stenbury Drive was built in 1954 and until 2005 housed both the officer and his family and an office from which he worked.

PC Reid comes from a rural background with his father having been a Game Keeper for almost 30 years. His policing experience has been far and wide with service in Central and outer London, along with two CountyConstabularies. Prior to becoming a regular officer, PC Reid was an active member of the Wiltshire Special Constabulary. He is keen to provide a professional and traditional standard of policing to all members of his rural communities and is genuinely interested within the rural community and the challenges it faces. He has received both a commendation from his Divisional Superintendent and an awarded from the Basingstoke & Deane Borough Council for his dedicated beat work.      

PC Reid encourages all local residents to report any suspicious persons or vehicles as soon as possible, likewise in line with a Neighbourhood Watch Scheme, there is also an active Country watch Scheme allowing farms, landowners and rural businesses to be updated on rural crime within the local area, and a highly successful Keeper Watch scheme organised between the local Game Keepers and PC Reid. 

Success has been had on several occasions where Game Keepers have informed PC Reid of suspicious vehicles and illegal hare-coursing, this has resulted in several successful convictions, the last resulted in the offender receiving a heavy fine and having his private car seized.   

PC Reid  County Police Office, Alton Road, Basingstoke, RG25 2PQ
Telephone 01256 389050 or mobile number 07768 776844

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