CONCERNS over a lack of policing in Island villages and towns have been addressed by Hampshire Constabulary.

Town and parish councils on the Island have said policing levels were not good enough.

At meetings of Northwood Parish and Cowes Town councils earlier this month, questions over the Island's policing system and responsiveness were raised.

Councillors wondered whether officers were 'overburdened with red tape and under-resourced'.

Speaking at the Cowes meeting, Isle of Wight Cllr John Nicholson said residents were giving up reporting issues, especially online, because of a lack of response.

He said he was not in any way criticising the police, as they work very hard and are very put upon, but as taxpayers, with a rising police precept, it was not good enough.

Cllr Nicholson said filling out the online form to report incidents had taken him 30 minutes and had he not been doing it on behalf of the community, he would have given up.

Member of Cowes Town Council and Isle of Wight Council leader, Cllr Lora Peacey-Wilcox, said the concern would be if no one reported the incidents then the Island would be considered a safe place and resources would go elsewhere.

She acknowledged it was frustrating but urged Islanders to persevere with 101 and the online form.

Speaking at the meeting, a police community support officer said it was frustrating for officers as well but they were told 101 was better now.

Responding to comments, a Hampshire Constabulary spokesperson said its officers were dedicated to making the Isle of Wight a safe place to live and work.

Officers, they said, worked hard to provide the best possible service to victims and witnesses and to prevent and detect crime.

They do, however, need people to report information, even if it is not an emergency, as it provides a better picture of what is happening on the Island so it could allocate resources accordingly.

Online reports were assessed soon after they were received and the average time processing the enquiries varied, depending on the level of priority, time of day and demand.

If they were urgent, however, they were actioned immediately.

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