Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary

History

Significant events

• 1893 Chief Constable Peregrine Fellowes, a former Assistant Adjutant General of Australia, who had been in office for less than two years, is fatally injured in Romsey Road, Winchester outside police headquarters when, together with other officers, he attempts to stop a runaway horse and trap. Crushed against a wall he dies several days later from his injuries and is later buried in the Fellowes family plot at Westhill Cemetery, Winchester.
• 1914 In Andover, the imprisonment of a mother and daughter sparks rioting involving crowds of up to two thousand people. Local officers seek the assistance of the fire brigade who are pelted with stones and retreat to their station. The arrival of mounted officers from Basingstoke fails to quell the disturbances and only after three days do extra officers drafted in from other stations bring the disorder to an end.
• 1915 Southampton Police appoint two women police- they were not attested but served in uniform. Miss Annette Tate was one of them.
• 1929 Hampshire Constabulary acquires its first motorised patrol vehicle a BSA motorcycle combination.
• 1943 Winchester City Police and Isle of Wight Constabulary forced to amalgamate with Hampshire as a war time measure. The amalgamation became permanent in 1947.
• 1944 Women Inspector appointed: Miss P Yates.
• 1957 On 1 April, the name of the force changed from Hampshire Constabulary to Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary.
• 1970 The Isle of Wight Festival takes place at Afton Down attracting huge crowds, estimates varying from five to six hundred thousand, who witness what would be the last UK performance by Jimi Hendrix he is to die less than three weeks later. Despite the great numbers of people the atmosphere is relaxed and with only 500 officers to police the event the Chief Constable, Sir Douglas Osmond, dons casual clothes and sits with the crowds. He reports to the subsequent public enquiry that the press seem unhappy that it had been so peaceful.
• 1972 A car bomb, containing approximately 130 kg of explosive, detonates outside the officer's mess at the 16th Parachute Brigade Headquarters in Aldershot. Seven civilians die and nineteen others are seriously injured. The Official Irish Republican Army claim responsibility for the blast the following day. A major criminal enquiry, led personally by Detective Chief Superintendent Cyril Holdaway, then head of the force's CID, succeeds in identifying the bombers and the three are sentenced at Winchester Crown Court later the same year.
• 1982 Havant Policing Scheme, pioneered by then Chief Constable John Duke, emphasises the need for linking communication technology with beat officers.
• 1985 The force aircraft, an Optica, crashes on the outskirts of Ringwood killing the crew PC Gerry Spencer and DC Malcolm Wiltshire.
• 1987 Introduction of tape recording of interviews with suspects to replace hand written interview notes. One of the first forces in the country to introduce tape recorded interviews. Rolled out across Hampshire over a year.
• 1988 Introduction of new hand held PFX radio system with four control centres. Hampshire became the first force to leave the Home Office radio communications scheme.
• 2006 On 15 May, Hampshire Constabulary launches the new single, non-emergency telephone number, 101, as an alternative to 999. It is intended for reporting less serious or anti-social offences.
• 2011 On 22 May, the force seeks assistance from Marwell Wildlife Park, near Winchester when it receives reports of the sighting of what is believed to be a white tiger seen in undergrowth in the Hedge End area of Southampton. The tiger turns out to be a life-size cuddly toy.
• 2014 Hampshire Constabulary in international news after obtaining a European arrest warrant leading to the arrest in Spain of the parents of Ashya King.
• 2017 In September, the constabulary sent officers to the British Virgin Islands to help maintain law and order and assist with relief efforts following the devastation caused by Hurricane Irma.
• 2021 In January, the constabulary dismissed five officers after secret recordings were made of racism and sexism in a crime unit at Basingstoke.
• 2021 In February, the constabulary dismissed Chief Specials Officer Tom Haye for gross misconduct after he had used the term "pikey" in a private message to a 'friend'.
• 2025 Chief Constable Scott Chilton retires with immediate effect, having been served notice he was under investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct into alleged gross misconduct. The investigation is into past relationships that Chilton had - one alleged to be with a junior officer and another said to have happened after he became Chief Constable in 2023.