Officers have been continuing their patrols in Buckskin and South Ham following a serious assault in that part of Basingstoke.

On Wednesday and Thursday, officers from the Northern Neighbourhood Enforcement Team, Roads Policing Unit and Armed Vehicle Response carried out patrols based on recent intelligence which had been gathered.

During a patrol on Wednesday, officers spotted a grey Peugeot car on Worting Road and believed the driver was acting suspiciously. The vehicle was stopped on Quantock Close.

A 22-year-old man from Basingstoke was arrested on suspicion of driving a motor vehicle with a proportion of a specified controlled drug above the specified limit.

He has been released under investigation while further enquiries are carried out.

Officers patrolled the area over the two-day period and spoke with a number of people from the local community to reassure them that officers are taking the recent reports extremely seriously.

It comes after a man in his 40s was assaulted near Buckskin Lane on Tuesday 30 January. He suffered serious facial and head injuries.

Officers have been carrying out a number of enquiries and a man has been charged.

Meanwhile, a Section 60 order, which gives officers additional stop and search powers, was put in place last weekend.

Officers stopped and searched 25 people in a specific area between 8pm on Friday 2 January and 8pm on Sunday 4 January.

A 16-year-old boy from Basingstoke was arrested on suspicion of possessing a knife blade in a public place after he was stopped on Wrekin Close. He was bailed with conditions until 2 May.

Two teenage boys, aged 17 and 16 from Basingstoke, were stopped and cannabis was found. 

The 17-year-old boy was given a community resolution, while the 16-year-old will attend a police station at a later date.

Chief Inspector Scott Johnson, District Commander for Basingstoke, said: “We know how worrying violence incidents like this are, and the impact that it has on the local community.

“But we want to stress that our teams are taking this incident extremely seriously and we will continue to be a visible presence in the area.

“We are determined to keep relentlessly pursuing criminals to reduce the negative impact they have on the local community, making it safe for everyone.

“We want to make it clear that serious violence will not be tolerated in Basingstoke and our dedicated teams are making it their priority to stamp it out.

“During the patrols on Wednesday and Thursday, officers spoke with residents to offer them reassurance and to help build a picture of what is happening in the area.

“I would like to thank the local community for their ongoing support in us taking this action.

“We must continue to work together to tackle serious violence in our communities. Information we receive from the community allows us take these steps and prevent further crime.”