Refugees fleeing Afghanistan to be resettled in Hampshire

Under plans by the Government, 20,000 Afghan refugees are due to be resettled in the UK over the next five years.

This comes after the Taliban took control of the Afghan capital, Kabul, resulting in many fleeing the country.

Now it has been confirmed that as part of the resettlement scheme, refugees will be rehomed in areas across Hampshire.

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Speaking to the Echo, Hampshire Police and Crime Commissioner, Donna Jones, said: “I think the situation in Afghanistan and the images that we’ve seen across the news in the last couple of days are absolutely heart breaking. Hampshire will be housing some of the Afghan refugee’s that will be coming here.

“I’ve already been in contact with the Chief Constable and the Head of Crime, Craig Dibdin to speak about this specifically to make sure that we are doing all the checks and balances that we need to make sure that anyone coming into Hampshire doesn’t pose any additional threat to security.

“People should be reassured that both Hampshire Police and the Home Office and the National Crime Agency are very switched in to this and will make sure people will be kept safe.”

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A spokesperson for Hampshire County Council added that the council is working closely with the Home Office and a range of key local partners to assist a number of Afghan families being resettled across the county.

“While the focus is to help re-settle families into longer term accommodation, with associated service support, the rapid escalation of events in Afghanistan has meant that interim, short term placements may also be needed. The County Council and partners have assured Government of our support with this when required.”