Increase the size of the Safe Schools and Community Team

The Safe Schools & Communities Team (SSCT) is a well-established partnership between Dorset Police and the Dorset Combined Youth Offending Service, with a remit to prevent and reduce anti-social behaviour, crime and wrong-doing among children and young people, and help keep them safe in a digital world.

There are three main strands to the work of the SSCT, which can be summarised as follows:

Community safety education – in areas including online safety, drugs and alcohol, anti-social behaviour, child sexual exploitation, preventing gang culture, preventing violent extremism, domestic abuse and weapons.

Intervention service – working with schools to effectively manage and respond to school incidents and online safety incidents, including bullying and low-level assaults, personal safety, anti-social behaviour, low-level school thefts and criminal damage, behavioural issues and inappropriate use of language.

Youth Out of Court Disposals – the SSCT lead on the management of youth restorative disposals, youth cautions and youth conditional cautions. Officers also lead on Restorative Justice conferences dealing with bullying, shoplifting, possession of drugs and retail and drugs workshops.

The PCC committed to increase the strength of the SSCT by one post, with the focus being on working with schools and youth organisations to better inform our next generation of the dangers of sexting, online bullying and online abuse.

This commitment was one of eight which were realised within the first 100 days of the Commissioner’s term of office.