At a full meeting of the New Forest District Council this week, the campaigning Councillor ripped into the Conservative administration, pointing out that police numbers in the north west of the Forest had actually reduced, leading to widespread concern about problems with anti social behaviour.

The Conservative portfolio holder for crime and disorder had earlier sought to reassure Councillor Hale that Fordingbridge had a low crime rate and that the Fordingbridge community beat officer who had recently been assigned to light office duties would be back to the Fordingbridge beat as soon as practically possible.

Councillor Hale, voiced the concerns of local people who were worried about incidents of vandalism and intimidation in the town centre. He mocked the latest "Hug a Hoodie" comments of Tory Leader, David Cameron, portraying his attempts at changing the attitude of the Conservative party towards young offenders from "Flog them" to "Snog them". This caused much mirth, even amongst Tory Councillors.

Speaking after the meeting, Councillor Hale said "I'm still worried about the situation in my home town. Fortunately, the Tory portfolio holder has now agreed to meet me and learn about the problems in Fordingbridge at first hand. Good community policing is not just about dealing with crime. It involves making communities more secure and anti -social behaviour remains a significant threat to this goal".