Superintendent Sarah Jackson said: “It’s been an incredibly busy month on the Isle of Wight with events including Cowes Week bringing many visitors across the Solent during the summer holidays. You may have seen reports in the press around the pressure on resources on the Island and the impact on officers. I am incredibly proud of the work of my officers and staff do and they have continually shown a selfless commitment to providing the best policing service we can. Our unprecedented demand has stretched our service, but our priority will always be to deal with emergencies and the most serious of crimes.

“In light of this I wanted to take this opportunity to update you on some of the recent issues that have attracted interest from the public.

“Some people expressed concern after seeing the National Police Air Service helicopter and officers on the ground carrying out enquiries a number of times in the Lake area in the last month. This related to an outstanding suspect we wanted to speak to. A 30 year-old man has subsequently been arrested and charged with offences including criminal damage and dangerous driving and has since appeared in court.

“Elsewhere the Neighbourhood Policing Team in Newport has been continuing to undertake some excellent work as part of Operation Varney, our response to anti-social behaviour around the bus station and Church Litten. PC Ben Sharland also highlighted some of the issues the team is tackling and the ongoing partnership work that’s taking place with a series of videos on the Hampshire Constabulary Facebook page and the @IOWightPolice Twitter account. The six videos have been viewed more than 1,700 times on Twitter and 19,000 times on Facebook, which demonstrates the interest the public have in the work we’re doing to address things like anti-social behaviour.

“I know there was a recent article about the high value bikes thefts on the Isle of Wight so I would also just like to remind you about the crime prevention advice we’ve issued to residents and visitors. We have received more than twenty reports since May. You can find our tips for securing your bike here: https://www.hampshire.police.uk/cp/crime-prevention/theft-of-a-bicycle/how-safe-is-your-bike/”

“If you have any concerns relating to any crimes in your area please contact us via 101 or by contacting your local Neighbourhood Policing Team who can provide a wide range of advice, information, and support. Always dial 999 in an emergency”.