Protecting the most vulnerable in our society

On the 30th anniversary of the International Day of Older Persons, I would like to talk a little about the elements of the Police and Crime Plan that will directly address some of the issues and concerns that our older residents and visitors may have.

There can be no doubt that it is important to reduce the effect and fear of crime that our older residents may experience and to that end, the Police and Crime Plan will address three important areas.

Cutting crime and anti-social behaviour

Cutting crime and anti-social behaviour continues to be a big issue not just for me, but for many older residents and groups across the county.

I’m very pleased to say there have been a lot of developments in this area. Firstly, the Force has launched Operation Relentless – a clear focus on tackling anti-social behaviour and making sure the public know it won’t be tolerated in the county.

I’ve also launched my own Operation Relentless Community Fund, in which members of neighbourhood groups and charities can apply for money to fund projects that will enable them to tackle anti-social behaviour and make people feel safer in their own community.

So, if you or a group that you are part of have an idea on how to improve your local area, then please make an application to the Fund.

Making policing more visible and connected

Bringing back community focused policing to the streets of Dorset and improving the connections between the police and the public is another major priority, and I’m glad to report there has been a lot of significant progress in this area as well.

Dorset Police has been able to recruit over fifty additional officers as part of the Government’s uplift programme, and I am pleased to say that the majority of those officers have already gone directly into policing your neighbourhoods.

The Neighbourhood Engagement Commitment initiative, which sets out how communities can communicate as effectively as possible with their local officers has been reviewed and I will be ensuring that the Neighbourhood Policing Teams keep their promises to provide localised services that work for our communities. 

The number of Special Constables will increase by 25%, boosting the amount of people from across our neighbourhoods who will be performing these important voluntary roles.

Preventing Fraud and Cyber-crime

The other area that I will be addressing through the Police and Crime Plan is the effect that fraud, scams and cyber-crime can have on our older communities.

I will be addressing the need for an increase in provision of prevention advice to those who are most vulnerable to fraudsters and increasing the support to help victims liaise with banks and building societies.

There is already a good source of advice and information available via the Dorset Police website and I would invite you to take a look and perhaps, if you represent community group even take advantage of the free cyber security awareness presentations made available to you by the Forces Cyber Protect Officer.

 

David Sidwick

Police and Crime Commissioner for Dorset