Island Life Magazine Ltd August/September 2007 | Page 86

life EQUESTRIAN Country Watch PCSO Sophie Iles Many people who live in rural communities feel vulnerable and isolated and if they report an incident there is apathy in the service they receive. Country Watch offers farmers, game keepers and landowners support and contact. Sophie Iles is a Police Community Support officer based at Yarmouth. She arrived on the island 10 years ago and has lived on a smallholding with sheep, pigs and horses for that time. Due to this background she volunteered to take on the role of Country Watch Officer. In addition to this, Sophie does have a beat which she patrols covering Rookley, Arreton, Chillerton, Shorwell and Merstone area. Country Watch brings together farm watch, horse watch and rural neighbourhood watch aiming to improve the contact with Hampshire Constabulary. Sophie hopes to reassure the rural community that we understand their struggles and will take all their concerns seriously. If a problem is identified, she will have support of the safer neighbourhoods team and response team in resolving them. The members have also been given several points of contact, so if something is or has happened on their land, they are able to 86 advise the police at the earliest opportunity. Over the last four months Sophie has been visiting farms in the West Wight, filling out a short membership form and marking out the land boundaries on a map. She aims to cover as many as possible over the next three months so look out for her! Every year horses and equine equipment are stolen from Hampshire. Not only is this property expensive, the sentimental value cannot be quantified. Specialist thieves target stables and other rural premises where they know security might not be as tight and where it is less likely someone will be around. We are lucky on the island that the stretch of water has a noticeable effect on our crime figures. However, it is always a good idea to follow crime preventative measures. The key to preventing the theft is to make things as difficult as possible for thieves. Freeze marking is essential, as it is a highly visible Island Life - www.islandlife.tv