Residents in Bishop’s Waltham, Hampshire, can now report crimes in person for the first time in 14 years after the local police station front counter reopened on 20 March 2026. The station on Hoe Road has been closed to the public since March 2012, which previously required locals to travel to Winchester or Eastleigh for police services. Reopening the counter provides a direct way for the community of 6,700 people to seek advice or report incidents face-to-face in the largest village in the Winchester district.
Donna Jones, the Police and Crime Commissioner, funded the new front counter and building refurbishments from her budget to increase police visibility. This station is the ninth counter she has opened since her election in 2021, following a two million pound investment planned in 2023 to increase the number of publicly accessible stations from 12 to 25 across the region.
Chief Constable Alexis Boon joined the Commissioner to mark the reopening of the Bishop’s Waltham Police Station alongside long-serving staff. They were joined by police contact enquiry officer Paul Newstead, who first joined the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary as a cadet in 1969 and is now in his 57th year of service.
The front counter will be open every week on Thursdays and Fridays from 8am to 4pm. These set hours are intended to help all residents, particularly those who may find it difficult to use online services or travel long distances, by offering a regular physical location to meet with the police.
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