POLICE in the Meon Valley want residents to get more involved with how their area is policed.

Inspector James Pegler is based at Meon Valley Police Station, in Bishop's Waltham, and is in charge of the Winchester East sector, which covers Bishop's Waltham, Swanmore, Wickham and the Meon Valley area.

He is keen for people living in the Meon Valley to get involved in Hampshire Constabulary's Your Community, Your Voice initiative.

Suggestion boxes with forms next to them have been dotted around the district and Insp Pegler is urging people to fill the forms with problems or subjects that need to be addressed.

They are confidential, but people can put their email address on the form should they wish to be kept up to date with the progress the police are making.

Insp Pegler said: "I feel that the rural communities have had a withdrawal of police officers. We used to have beat houses in each village and we used to have a beat bobby. We don't have that any more, we are not in a position to staff to that high level, but we do have the Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs). We have got eight PCSOs (in the Winchester East sector) and that gives us the resources to communicate with the communities we police."

PCSOs are trained by Hampshire Constabulary but do not have the full powers of a constable, however, they can issue fixed penalty notices for various offences.

The main role of the PCSOs is to patrol the streets and make links with the community and report back any problems or issues that need to be addressed.

Insp Pegler added: "That is only a small part of what we are doing. The aim of that communication is to find out what communities' concerns are so we can identify problems and also to tell people what we are doing about those concerns and what we are doing regarding policing the area, which is usually a lot more than the community perceives.

"It is about re-starting the conversation with the community. This is an on-going process."

Suggestion boxes will be moved around the district so as many people can have their say as possible.

There are boxes currently situated in; Bishop's Waltham: doctors surgery, in Lower Lane, Post Office, in the High Street, Ridgemede School, in Oak Road; Curdridge: Primary School, in Chruch Lane; Droxford: doctors surgery, in The Park, Post Office, in High Street; Durley: Primary School, in Durley Brook Road; Knowle: Village Store; Meonstoke: Meonstoke stores; Shedfield: parish council office, in Upper Church Road; Swanmore: Post Office, in New Road; Upham Primary School, in Upham Street, village hall, in Mortimers Lane; Waltham Chase: village store, in Winchester Road, West Meon: West Meon Stores; Whiteley: Meadowside Leisure Centre, Tesco; Wickham: Community Centre, in Mill Lane.