A NEW District Commander for policing in Basingstoke and Deane has been appointed. 

Hampshire Constabulary has welcomed Chief Inspector Scott Johnson to the position, whose priorities are to tackle serious youth violence and the drug-related harm that is linked to it. 

Ch Insp Johnson stepped into the world of policing 25 years ago, beginning his career in Southampton in 1997.

He was promoted to the rank of Sergeant in 2002, a move that saw him relocate to Basingstoke and Deane to work in the district.

Ch Insp Johnson has a broad range of operational experience thanks to roles in local policing, safeguarding, force incident management and during his time as a Tactical Firearms Commander.

READ MORE: UK Drivers warned they face fines for commonly used 'friendly warning'

In 2007, he was the Staff Officer to the then Chief Constables Paul Kernaghan and Alex Marshall.

In 2012, Ch Insp Johnson was seconded to Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services, where he worked on anti-social behaviour issues and stop and search inspections.

Before becoming the new District Commander for Basingstoke and Deane, Ch Insp Johnson's most recent post was leading the High Harm Team and operations in Portsmouth.

He tackled drug-related harm and improved local partnership work to help tackle violence against women and girls within the night time economy.

In addition to his core role, Ch Insp Johnson is an experienced member of the Hostage and Crisis Negotiator Team, and co-chairs the force LGBT+ staff network.

Outside of work, Ch Insp Johnson likes to keep fit, is a keen car and motorbike enthusiast and is an avid traveller.

SEE ALSO: Ten missing people in Hampshire who still haven't been found

He said: “I’m delighted to return to Basingstoke as District Commander having worked here in a number of roles in the past 20 years and previously lived near Whitchurch for 10 years, so I feel very much at home in the town.

“Since starting my new role, we have dealt with a number of serious incidents in the district.

“I have been tremendously impressed by the dedication and hard work of colleagues and partners in responding to these incidents and bringing suspects before the courts.

“I have a terrific team in Basingstoke who work incredibly hard to keep people safe and tackle issues that matter to our communities.

“My priorities for the town are to continue our partnership work to tackle serious youth violence and the drug-related harm that is linked to it.

“We will maintain our focus on domestic abuse; supporting victims and working with other agencies to change the behaviour of perpetrators.

“I also want to work closely with other teams in our rural communities to tackle often under-reported rural crimes.”