A message from David Sidwick, Police & Crime Commissioner for Dorset

 

You may already be aware that my office is currently undertaking a public consultation on the policing precept in Dorset.

You can find the survey at the link below;

Dorset Policing Precept 2023-24

We are asking Dorset residents if they would be willing to pay an extra £15 a year, £1.25 a month (Band D council tax rate), to fund policing in Dorset.  

The increase should allow Dorset Police to over-recruit by an additional 15 police officers and will mostly ensure that all the good work that has already been happening can be maintained.  

Over the last year, policing in Dorset has gone from strength to strength – Dorset is now the sixth safest county in England and Wales (up from 10th), dwelling burglary has gone down by 17%, non-dwelling burglary by 22%, ASB incidents have gone down by 10%, rural crime has reduced by 43% and rural engagement has increased by 33%.

In 2022, investment went into strengthening neighbourhood policing and Dorset Police initiated new ground-breaking policing operations such as Op Viper and Op Scorpion to tackle county lines and drug crime; invested in tackling ASB through Op Relentless and the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Op Relentless Community Fund; and put vital resources into tackling rural crime.

Investment was made in several key areas of technology including new mobile technology, mobile fingerprint scanners and robotic process automation – all dedicated to putting officers out in the community instead of behind a desk.

Inflation is currently just under 11% and therefore a £15 precept rise equates to approximately half of the rate of that inflation. The increase should also allow Dorset Police to overrecruit by an additional 15 police officers.

Thank you for your time in completing the survey.