Similar to ‘Top Trump’ cards, Hampshire police Safer Neighbourhood officers are handing out Cop Swap Cards. Colour-coded for each of the 16 neighbourhoods participating in the scheme, Hedge End’s are orange.

The cards are designed to improve community engagement and to help make police officers seem more approachable especially to children. On each card there’s a photo of the police officer, and information including the police officer’s top tip, favourite role and skills ratings on ‘pedal power’, ‘problem solving’ and ‘agility’, plus contact details.

With a total of 143 cards to collect to complete the full set, children – and/or their parents – are being encouraged to stop a Safer Neighbourhoods officer and ask for a card. The police officers also carry three ‘bonus’ cards representing the Force Marine, Air and Dog support units but these are handed out discretionarily, when deemed to have been earned.

The scheme is operational in western Hampshire and all Safer Neighbourhood officers in the local authority areas of Eastleigh, Test Valley Borough Council and the New Forest District Council, carry the cards.

Western Operational Command Unit Commander, Chief Superintendent Richard Rowland said, ‘We launched these cards a couple of years ago in Portsmouth and found that they were an effective means of engagement with young people and helped increase awareness of and raise the profile of our SNT officers within their respective neighbourhoods. The cards also help us to fulfil many of the obligations we aim to deliver as part of the Policing Pledge.’

In the New Forest, PCSO Lisa Quinn, who patrols Lyndhurst and Ashurst plus neighbouring villages said, ‘I have been quite surprised at how popular the cards have been. After handing out a few while on a school visit, I was amazed to find that other children were actually coming up to me and asking for my card. I have even had mothers and their children waving at me and shouting out my name as they drive past. I think the cards are great and a good way for us to engage with all members of our communities and not just children.’

So keep an eye out for the Cop Swap cards – there are 23 orange Hedge End area cards in the set to collect!