In the first of a series of articles, Gazette crime reporter CHARIS MASTRIS puts the spotlight on local beat bobbies. This week, she profiles Pc Dave Woods.

THERE'S a new man in South Ham who's not easy to miss. And that's just the way he wants it.

Pc Dave Woods is the Basingstoke estate's new beat bobby - and he's going "high profile" for his first few weeks in the job.

"They haven't had a beat officer around here for a month or so, and they're used to not having anyone about, so I'm going to wear my fluorescent yellow jacket for a while," said Pc Woods.

Pc Woods is the archetypal beat bobby - rosy-cheeked, cheerful, but not about to take any nonsense. Within minutes of starting his rounds, he had residents asking him questions and hoards of children running after him shouting "'ello, 'ello, 'ello".

He's now busy patrolling the area on foot and introducing himself to the local shopkeepers, landlords and schools, although many people already recognise him because he worked the beat in South Ham for three years in the late 1990s.

Some of the other people he will be getting to know won't be as keen to meet him. In his last round as a beat bobby, Pc Woods targeted drug dealers, setting up a number of raids on houses in the area - but he doesn't yet know if it will be necessary this time.

"I have to be able to assess what the needs are now," he said. "I will not be dealing with every crime on the estate - that is for the response units to do - but I will be dealing with ongoing situations and trying to clear them up.

"The West Ham Leisure Park falls into my beat, so I will also be looking at the problems they have and their crime prevention measures, especially with the new McDonald's and KFC being built there."

Anyone who wants to speak to Pc Woods can contact him at the Basingstoke beat office on 0845 045 45 45.