A draft amendment to The Police Act 1996 has been lodged for the Hampshire police area to, in the future, be referred to as Hampshire and Isle of Wight.
This looks to be the first stage in the process for changing the name of Hampshire Constabulary to Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary.
Discussions began with first PCC
The first Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for the area, Simon Hayes, started discussions with the Home Office in 2013 to have the name of the police area changed to include the Island. At the time he told News OnTheWight,
“Rather than specifically creating legislation for the Isle of Wight, the Home Office opened the door for the name change by creating the mechanism for all PCCs to change the name of their Constabulary.
“All that was needed for the change was for Policing Minster to be ‘re-assured’ that it was wanted by the community.”
Plans dropped then picked up again
However, the plans were dropped by his Conservative successor, Michael Lane. Something the current PCC, Donna Jones, felt differently about.
Commissioner Jones announced in January that she had received Government support for the name change.
The formal draft document showing name change for the area can be found on the Government Website.
Jones: I made a pledge to the people of the Isle of Wight
Police and Crime Commissioner, Donna Jones said,
“When I was elected last year, I made a pledge to the people of the Isle of Wight that, as your Police and Crime Commissioner, I would do everything I could to effect the legal change required to reflect the Isle of Wight as a county area in the name of the police force.
“I carried out a formal consultation which highlighted strong support for the name change. I have worked with the Home Secretary and the Policing Minister to ensure the support of the government.
“The new name will truly reflect the whole force area and will help Island residents feel a closer connection to their police force.”
Malthouse: We intend that they will come into force in the Autumn
In a letter to Isle of Wight Conservative MP, Bob Seely, the Minister of State for Crime and Policing, Kit Malthouse, wrote,
“These regulations will be laid in Parliament on Thursday 9th June 2022, and with parliamentary consent, we intend that they will come into force in the Autumn, at which point the police area’s name will change to Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary.”
Seely: Very pleased to see this proposed name change now coming before Parliament
Reacting to the news, Mr Seely said,
“I am very pleased to see this proposed name change now coming before Parliament for formal agreement, and I would like to thank the Minister for bringing it forward.
“It is important to Islanders that we get this recognition and that our voices are heard. I thank Donna for listening to all those who called for this change and for driving this forward.”
Article edit
8.20am 10th Jun 2022 – Comments from DJ and BS added
