New Forest robbery victims urged to promptly alert Hampshire police after study finds frequent late reports

ROBBERY victims in the New Forest are often reporting the crimes too late for an effective investigation, police have warned.

Studies have found many reports have been “delayed for hours”, and officers say this has had a “detrimental impact” on investigations.

This prevents officers following solid lines of enquiry due to lack of information or description, lack of evidence or a suspect no longer being on-scene, Hampshire Constabulary has said after an analysis of crime reports on robberies across the area.

DCI Matt Gillooly said: “Robbery of any kind can be particularly harrowing for victims who are often subjected to violence, or fear of violence, as part of the ordeal they face at the hands of their attackers.

“We want to appeal to anyone who has been a victim of a robbery to report it to us directly after it has happened; this gives us the best chance to deploy local officers to the scene and begin carrying out relevant lines of enquiry as soon as possible.

“This will afford officers a greater probability of either identifying or locating a suspect in the local area and bringing them to justice in front of the courts via our investigations.”

DCI Gillooly told how there had been a trend in peer-on-peer offending between young people, but this was not reported directly at the time by the victims.

Instead, the victims’ parents had often been the ones reporting incidents – sometimes many hours or even days afterwards.

Robbery victims and witnesses are being strongly encouraged to contact officers immediately by dialling 999 if the incident is ongoing or via hampshire.police.uk

DCI Gillooly continued: “If you, or someone you know has been a victim of robbery, we would strongly encourage you to report it to us immediately without delay by calling 999 if an incident is taking place or by making a report via the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary report.

“To offer some reassurance, we are not currently seeing an increase in these types of offences in local areas – but we want residents to be aware that Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary is fully committed to relentlessly pursuing criminals who pose a threat and those who continue to cause harm in our local communities.

“Yet, to those who are committing such acts, we want to send a very clear message that we will not tolerate this behaviour in our local neighbourhoods and communities. We will take robust action to ensure that justice is served for victims.”

He added: “Finally, if you are threatened with violence – and it’s so important to remember this – don't risk your personal safety. Property can be replaced, you can't.”

More details, including crime prevention advice can be found online at tinyurl.com/3xt9v9d6