REDUCING anti-social behaviour and ensuring there is a more visible police presence on the streets of Basingstoke – those are two of the things that the town’s outgoing top cop is most proud of.

Jill Baldry was at the helm of Basingstoke police station for almost three years. However, following her recent promotion to superintendent, the former chief inspector has now left the town to work with Hampshire Constabulary’s Critical Incident Command Unit (CICU).

“It was a bittersweet move really,” she explained. “I have always had a passion for Basingstoke and started there as a police officer so it holds fond memories.”

Supt Baldry took over as the Basingstoke and District Commander at a time when the force was undergoing significant restructuring, and had a tough job implementing a new management set-up – working within the confines of a new budget and meeting the demands of a modern police force.

She has also been instrumental in developing and securing the introduction of neighbourhood policing teams across the district to get policing back to ground level.

The senior officer is particularly proud of the general reduction in anti-social behaviour and incidents of criminal damage in the Basingstoke area. She believes this is largely a result of the hard work of neighbourhood policing teams, which include a beat sergeant, police constables and police community support officers.

Supt Baldry, who still lives in the Basingstoke area, said she is also proud of the work she achieved with partner agencies, including Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council and Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service, which involved sharing information and working to achieve the best results for the area.

“I think that the fear of crime in Basingstoke is higher than the amount of actual crime, and neighbourhood policing is our main tool in the fight to change those perceptions,” she said.

Summing up her time as Basingstoke’s top cop, Supt Baldry said: “I loved every minute of it – the good and the bad and I will miss it dreadfully.”

Chief Inspector Cliff Williams, who was previously stationed at Hampshire Constabulary’s headquarters in Winchester, is taking over as district commander of the Basingstoke and Deane District.