A FORMER Liphook parish councillor says the lack of police in the village is giving drug dealers free rein to go about their business.

The view of Dawn Hoskins comes as concerns grow that organised drug dealers and users are becoming more blatant about their habits.

Radford Bridge, behind the Millennium Centre, Sainsbury’s car park, and the Canadian Memorial Bridge are among venues suspected of being used for dealing, or drug taking.

Dawn said: "It is definitely going on, but as there are no police and it’s not safe for ordinary people to get involved, there isn’t a solution.

"We are paying more in council tax to Hampshire Police and Crime Commissioner this year, and it would be a crime if that isn’t spent on providing more police.

"The only way things will improve is if more officers regularly patrol the village, and at the moment that’s unlikely."

The nearest police presence to Liphook is either at Havant (23 miles and about 40 minutes away) or Alton (25 minutes and almost 12 miles away).

And, as across Hampshire, Liphook residents have had problems contacting police on the 101 line.

A Hampshire Police spokesman said: "We always prioritise 999 calls over the non-emergency 101 number.

"When there are significant 999 calls, we dedicate more of our call handlers to them, and this reduces our capacity to answer non-emergency calls.

"Our peak times for 101 calls are from 8am to 10am and 4pm to 8pm.

"If there is a delay getting through, we are asking callers not to try the 999 emergency number, but to call 101 again later."

The spokesman said non-emergencies can be reported online via the website www.hampshire.police.uk