Hampshire crime commissioner says safety must come first in response to M3 incident

Two weeks ago officers from Hampshire police closed a section of the M3 after a hazardous substance was dropped on the carriageway.

Thousands of motorists were left stranded for hours and the police have been criticised for their handling of the situation.

But Michael Lane, police and crime commissioner in Hampshire, said keeping people safe was paramount.

‘My promise to work to keep us safer includes enabling our constabulary to pursue those whose behaviours put that safety at risk,’ he said.

‘I know that many people had a “nightmare” journey on the M3 recently. This particular incident had high risk factors and involved a major incident response. And at the top of the priorities was keeping people safe.

‘I commend those who made the scene safe, collected evidence, continued the investigation after the road was eventually reopened and have been able to identify the suspect and today bring him to court.’

Mr Lane added: ‘I would like to thank the public for their patience, which will have been sorely tested on this occasion.

‘As always when reviewing all incidents I will be supporting partners in learning lessons from this.

‘But I hope people will share my determination that safety must always come first.’