VILLAGERS in Bishop's Waltham have collected more than 1,000 signatures on a petition calling for police chiefs to step up their presence and give them more protection from vandals.

The move comes after an escalation in crime.

Paul Goodhew, who lives in cobbled St Peter's Street, the scene of a number of attacks, has hit out after his car sustained £500 damage.

He said: "It's crazy. We need higher police visibility in the village. There are not enough officers to come out to incidents."

Fred Woodfine, of nearby Bank Street, added: "You can't find the police when you need them.

"It wasn't like this when I was younger - you saw them all over the place.

"My car has been vandalised, the wing mirror was smashed off. Bins are being damaged too. At the moment they're getting away with it. It's very frustrating."

Youth nuisance, vandalism and anti-social behaviour are on the increase in Bishop's Waltham.

More than £10,000 of damage was caused in a series of wrecking sprees over the Christmas and new year period.

That followed an earlier attack on the village's jubilee clock.

Police confirmed there have been more than 20 incidents of vandalism to cars and six bin fires since the start of the year.

Chief Insp Kerry Bedford of Fareham police said officers were working hard to combat crime in the village, adding: "Sometimes we can't attend every callout and we have to prioritise, but we have dedicated officers in Bishop's Waltham putting long-term measures in place to address problems.

"We're always willing to meet residents to discuss their concerns."

Closed-circuit TV cameras, hailed a deterrent when they were installed a year ago at a cost of £60,000, are still not working properly.

Police are frustrated that the cameras are producing blurred images that are not clear enough to be used as evidence in court.