Police are patrolling Kingsclere, Burghclere and East Woodhay after six rural break-ins and attempts from 22 to 24 October, one costing over £45,000.

Hampshire police are patrolling villages in the north of the borough after six burglaries and attempted thefts were reported in three days. Three were in Kingsclere, where an industrial unit was broken into and damage and theft are put at more than £45,000.

The force listed the incidents in a statement on its website. All were reported between Thursday 22 and Saturday 24 October.

What was reported

The force lists:

  • Kingsclere: an industrial unit broken into and angle grinders stolen. The force believes the damage and theft come to more than £45,000.
  • Kingsclere: outbuildings broken into and about £700 of tools stolen.
  • Kingsclere: damage caused to a gate.
  • Burghclere: a home entered and searched. Some jewellery is suspected to have been stolen.
  • East Woodhay: outbuildings broken into and a generator stolen.
  • Hurstbourne Priors: an attempt to steal a quad bike, which failed.

Kingsclere is about nine miles north-west of Basingstoke. Burghclere and East Woodhay are further west, near the Berkshire border, and Hurstbourne Priors is near Whitchurch, about 12 miles west of the town. All four are in Basingstoke and Deane.

The force has not said whether it thinks the incidents are linked, and has not reported any arrests. It says officers are “actively making enquiries into all of these incidents to identify those involved” and will patrol “these rural areas and others to deter and disrupt any further offending”.

How unusual is it?

For Kingsclere, three incidents in three days is a lot. Police.uk’s open data records 17 burglaries within a mile of the village centre in the 12 months to August 2026, the latest month published. That is fewer than one and a half a month. The same data shows six within a mile of Burghclere and ten within a mile of East Woodhay over the year.

Police.uk places each crime at a nearby map point rather than the exact address, and the October incidents will not appear in it for about two months.

Earlier this month, the force’s Rural Crime Task Force and the Basingstoke Rural Neighbourhood Policing Team issued five Community Protection Warnings after operations near Upton Grey and Bullington Cross, which it said were aimed at poaching and the targeting of wildlife.

What it means for you

If you live or keep equipment in the villages north and west of Basingstoke, the force asks you to report anything suspicious, people or vehicles:

  • call 101, or 999 if a crime is happening
  • report online at hampshire.police.uk
  • if you run a farm or rural business, the force recommends its EyesOn app, which sends alerts about police activity in your area and lets you pass information straight to officers

The force’s rural crime prevention advice covers estate security and other ways to protect property, including outbuildings and machinery.