Hampshire and Isle of Wight’s first ‘home grown’ chief constable took up his position on Thursday with a commitment to provide exceptional local policing.

Scott Chilton, 49, returns to the force where he began his policing career as an 18-year-old and served nearly all of his career.

With 31 years of experience, he worked his way through uniform policing and spent 16 years as a detective.

He has undertaken a range of strategic roles leading policing commands, most recently as chief constable in Dorset and as the national lead for investigations.

CC Chilton said: “Having strong relationships with our local communities is the bedrock of policing. We know that people want to feel connected with their local teams and to feel safe. I share that view.

“This means relentlessly pursuing those who commit crime and bring harm and misery to communities, providing first class investigations to ensure those responsible face the consequences of their actions, with kindness and compassion being at the heart of our response to victims.

“As well as being your Chief Constable, I am also a resident of Hampshire, with many of my family and friends living here too. So both personally and professionally, I have the same expectations as you and I am committed to making sure that Hampshire and the Isle of Wight is safe for everyone.”

During the Police and Crime Panel meeting that led to confirmation of Chief Constable Chilton’s appointment, he outlined his passion for local policing and officer visibility, ensuring that neighbourhood teams are connected with their communities and targeting community crimes.

He also outlined his commitment in delivering the Police and Crime Commissioner’s ‘More Police, Safer Streets’ Police and Crime Plan, welcoming her recent announcement to bring in even more police officers as part of the recent budget approval, which will help improve visibility within local communities.

Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones said: “I am delighted to welcome Scott Chilton as the new chief constable of Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary. Scott has extensive experience as a senior police officer, having already been a chief in Dorset, and I am really pleased to be welcoming him back to his home force to lead the constabulary into a new era.

“Scott and I have a shared vision for policing and it starts with strengthening and developing neighbourhood policing. As Commissioner and with Scott’s support, I have already committed to reintroducing named local bobbies for every community by April 2024. Together we want to make Hampshire and the Isle of Wight the safest places to live, work and visit, supported by strong, traditional local policing teams which connect and support communities to reduce crime.

“As Commissioner, I know that driving down the crimes that matter the most to the public, increasing police visibility in neighbourhoods, and creating a force that is tough on crime to bring offenders to justice is what the public rightly expect, and I am confident Scott will lead the constabulary with these ambitions at the very core of his leadership.”