New fugitive team targets 'most wanted' criminals

A new specialist team will track down the most wanted criminals across two counties.

Hampshire police's new fugitive team will target high-risk, high-harm offenders, including wanted suspects and prolific criminals.

Insp Tim Williams, who leads the team, said he wanted Hampshire and the Isle of Wight to be a "hostile environment for those who cause us most harm".

"My message to these criminals is clear: there is no hiding place. It's game over. We're coming for you," he said.

The unit, funded by Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones, will be based in Fareham and work seven days a week alongside local policing teams and the violent crime taskforce.

The team is made up of 15 officers and three analysts, and will cost about £1.16m a year until 2030, according to the commissioner's budget report.

Jones said the team would use specialist analytics, intelligence and data to "relentlessly pursue" offenders.

"This will help safeguard victims, reduce risk, and offer reassurance to those living in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight that we're getting these criminals off our streets," she said.

Williams said the team's "intricate, time-consuming work" would free up frontline officers to focus on other issues in their communities.

He said some high-risk or high-harm people lived in or travelled through the two counties, while others had committed crimes there and then left.

Funding for the team was part of the commissioner's 2026-27 budget, which included a £15-a-year rise in the policing part of council tax for Band D homes, backed by the Police and Crime Panel in February.