THE New Forest has a new District Commander, with nearly three decades of policing experience – and a love of motorcycles.
Chief Inspector Scott Johnson has taken over at the helm of the area, replacing Chief Inspector Nick Marsden.
He joins from the Basingstoke and Deane district, where he had been district commander since May 2022.
Chief Inspector Johnson began his police career in Southampton 27 years ago, before being promoted to the rank of Sergeant in 2002, a move that saw him relocate to Basingstoke and Deane.
His experience includes roles in Local Policing, Safeguarding, Force Incident Management, and as a Tactical Firearms Commander, as well as being an experienced member of the Hostage and Crisis Negotiator Team.
In 2007, he was the Staff Officer to the then Chief Constables Paul Kernaghan and Alex Marshall.
Five years later, Scott was seconded to Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary & Fire and Rescue Services, where he worked on anti-social behaviour issues and stop-and-search inspections.
He has also led the High Harm Reduction Team, as well as operations in Portsmouth.
Other assignments include roles tackling drug-related harm and improved local partnership work to help tackle violence against women and girls within the night-time economy.
In November 2022, Scott received a certificate of recognition from the Basingstoke Cultural Diversity Consortium.
Outside of work, he likes to keep fit, is a keen car and motorbike enthusiast and is an avid traveller.
“I’m delighted to be taking over as New Forest District Commander,” he said. “While this is one of the most beautiful and picturesque parts of the county and country to work in, I also understand the unique policing challenges we face here, in a large rural area.
“Although only in my second week, I can already assure you all that my dedicated teams and officers will be continuing to work extremely hard to address and tackle the issues and crimes affecting you in your communities.
“Please continue to report any incidents to us, so we are aware of what is occurring in the areas in which you live.
“By communicating with us and telling us what is going on in your community, we can then allocate the expert and experienced resources at our disposal to effectively deal with offenders and bring them to justice, as well as help improve life for you, your family, friends and colleagues.
“My priorities for the New Forest are to continue in our efforts to tackle shoplifting and other acquisitive crime, catching those responsible and putting them before the courts.
“If you haven’t already completed a Let’s Talk survey, please take a moment to do so. Let’s Talk is our community survey initiative that aims to understand the needs of our local communities and enables you to share any concerns with our officers.
“It’s a really important tool, which is already helping us to better understand the public’s concerns, and subsequently work with partners to effectively address the issues raised.”
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