THE rejection of an idea by villagers to pay for their own beat officer has to be right.

As we report on page five of today’s paper, Simon Hayes, police and crime commissioner for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, has effectively declined an offer by villagers to pay £60,000 a year to retain PC Andy Reid.

The officer had been patrolling the Upton Grey and the Candovers area for some 10 years, but will relocate as part of Hampshire Constabulary’s plans to meet £80million worth of imposed central Government cuts.

PC Reid, and another officer, will now cover the villages as part of a much wider area.

No doubt, the villagers will be disappointed that their plan to keep their beloved bobby has been rejected.

But as Mr Hayes said, policing across the county “needs to be equitable”.

One area of the county cannot get more police cover than others just because its residents are willing, and able, to stump up a significant amount of money.

THIS edition is my last as News Editor of the Basingstoke Gazette.

It has been an honour to have held the position for the last six months, having joined the newspaper as a trainee some eight years ago.

Indeed, I feel very lucky to have worked on a newspaper I read regularly as a teenager.

My thanks go to the thousands of people who buy the newspaper week after week, and the growing number who now visit our website.

Above all, I would like to thank my colleagues here for their invaluable hard work and support.