“We’ve Got Our EyesOn You”: AI App Launched to Tackle Rural Crime Across Hampshire and Isle of Wight
Organised crime gangs targeting the countryside in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight have been issued a stark warning: “We’ve got our EyesOn you.”
The message came from Donna Jones as she unveiled EyesOn, a pioneering new AI-supported app designed specifically to combat rural crime — the first application of its kind in the UK.
The app, funded by the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), will provide rural communities with a faster and easier way to report incidents, share intelligence and securely connect with local policing teams. It includes AI-driven analytics to identify patterns and trends, police-compliant reporting formats, and integration with What3words to enable precise rural mapping without relying solely on postcodes.
EyesOn will be rolled out across the two counties following a short trial with the Rural Crime Task Force and up to 1,000 users of the existing Hampshire Rural Crime Partnership web platform. The app will be free for approved users and is expected to be fully operational this Spring.
“A Game Changer”
Rural crime remains a key priority for Donna Jones, who described the app as transformative for countryside policing.
She said:
“EyesOn is a revolutionary new app which will be a game changer in the fight against rural crime for our countryside communities and local police.
“Across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, our beautiful countryside is all too often blighted by the damage caused by criminal activity. Organised gangs target these areas and businesses, and it is threatening to put many rural sites out of business.
“I am delighted to be supporting and funding the EyesOn project, so that our rural communities can access it for free and share news, risks and concerns as well as images and CCTV footage of offences being committed and the damage left behind.
“We have already seen great success with our retail-focussed app, UKPAC. Thanks to that initiative we are now one of the top police forces in the country for dealing with shoplifting offences. I look forward to seeing EyesOn have a similar impact on tackling rural crimes.
“My message to the criminal gangs moving across our wonderful two counties is that we’ve got our EyesOn you, and we are coming after you.”
The retail-focused app referenced by the PCC was developed by UK Partners Against Crime (UKPAC), which also developed EyesOn. Since its launch last June, the retail platform has directly led to 107 shoplifters being charged across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight and helped secure more than 55 years of custodial sentences.
Strengthening Rural Policing
Inspector Cath MacDonald, head of the Rural Crime Task Force at Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary, said officers were excited about the difference the new tool could make.
She said:
“We are excited about this app and the positive difference it will make to further strengthening policing in rural areas.
“EyesOn gives police and the community a much more user-friendly interface, making it quicker and easier to report crimes and incidents, and then to get that information to the right local policing team.
“The app’s analytics will help us to identify problems, trends and how best to target a police response, adding to the impact our Rural Crime Task Force are already having across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
“We want to be in the right areas at the right times to target rural criminality, and this app will be another important tool helping us to do that.”
Assistant Chief Constable Tara McGovern joined the PCC and UKPAC Chairman Gareth Lewis at the launch event, held at Sparsholt College near Winchester.
Welcome From Rural Community Leaders
Lucy Charman, National Rural Crime Lead for the Country Land and Business Association (CLA), said the introduction of a purpose-built platform for countryside businesses was long overdue.
She said:
“Previous methods of reporting rural crimes have been, at times, somewhat cumbersome. The introduction of something tailored to the needs of rural businesses and landowners, which makes reporting incidents easier and helps to forge closer links with police, is always going to be welcome.
“Our message to rural communities, is that reporting incidents is essential.”
Gareth Lewis, Chairman of UKPAC, described the initiative as a national first.
He said:
“The launch of EyesOn in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight is a UK first and has been made possible thanks to the support, input and guidance from PCC Donna Jones and Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary.
“Developed in support of the National Rural Crime Strategy, this app will make our rural communities safer, bring together people living and working in our countryside areas, leaving them better connected and better supported.”
Police are reminding residents that the app is designed to enhance communication for non-emergency matters. Crimes in progress or emergencies should still be reported by calling 999.
The launch formed part of a wider Rural Crime Event, where officers met with farmers, landowners, rural businesses, wildlife organisations and local authorities to discuss concerns and ways to strengthen countryside safety.
