Hampshire Constabulary now called Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary after name legally changed

It means Hampshire Constabulary will now be called Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary to reflect the Isle of Wight as a county area. The official name change was marked on Wednesday at an unveiling event at Newport Police Station, where the new logo, including with the new King’s cypher, was revealed.

Police and crime commissioner Donna Jones, who requested the change after speaking to residents on the Isle of Wight, said: ‘I’m absolutely delighted Isle of Wight residents have their county included in the name of the police force which serves them.

‘I pledged to get this done after listening to the wishes of local residents. I was honoured to have HM Lord-Lieutenant Susie Sheldon unveil the new crest today, alongside acting chief constable Ben Snuggs.

‘The Isle of Wight is England’s largest island and sits in one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. It has its own history; its own identity; it is unique. There is so much about the IoW which makes it one of a kind: its coastline; its countryside; its English villages; its communities.’

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The commissioner announced her bid to change the police force name after people on the Isle of Wight said they felt disconnected from their police force. On her first visit to the Isle of Wight after she was elected into office in June 2021, she launched a consultation to give residents the opportunity to have their say. The consultation received strong support to change the name of the force with the most popular reason being that it serves two counties and therefore both counties should be included in the name.

Reflecting on the journey, Mrs Jones said: ‘To enact this change, I worked with the home secretary and the policing minister to be the voice of those who told me the change should happen to rightly reflect the whole force area.

‘In June this year, the order was laid down in parliament gaining support from both the House of Commons and the House of Lords before a final vote.’

Addressing concerns regarding cost, the commissioner said: ‘At a time when cost of living is ever increasing, I want to reassure people that costs are being kept to a minimum, with no rebranding exercise that would take vital funds away from policing.

‘You might not see the changes in branding everywhere straight away and that’s because the branding of police uniforms, cars and buildings will be phased in over time as equipment is changed and updated. I have always been clear that money should be going on recruiting new officers and buying equipment and I have been able to achieve both with a clear financial plan.’

Acting chief constable Snuggs said: ‘Our force name change to Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary is both symbolically and practically important for our communities and for us as a force. Neighbourhood or community policing is right at the heart of our policing model and this name change serves to emphasise the role that your local force has in policing all of our communities across our force area.’