Release: Police stations have once again opened their doors to the public
Dorset Police have re-opened both Blandford and Lyme Regis Police Station front-desks to be more accessible and better serve the people of Dorset.
A trial opening of front desks at both Blandford and Lyme Regis Police Stations is now underway with Blandford Station front-desk having re-opened on the 27 March this year and the front-desk at Lyme Regis on the 30 May 2023.
Blandford station, based in Salisbury Road, is open on a Wednesday and Saturday between 10am – 3:30pm, which are known to be the days of the week where the town is at its busiest and Lyme Regis Police Station, in Hill Road, will be open for two days a week on Tuesday and Thursday. This provision compliments existing opening hours in other County stations including Bridport.
Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner David Sidwick said; “I’m delighted to see local front desks opening up across the county again. It’s a priority of my Police and Crime Plan to make policing more ‘Visible and Connected’ to the people and communities it serves, and this contact option will give back to the public the opportunity to go and speak face-to-face with the police.
I have been pushing Dorset Police hard ever since I became PCC to get some front-desks open again – after all, it’s what the people of Dorset told me they wanted – local, accountable, old-fashioned policing, because there are times when speaking with someone direct, to report a crime, to share community intelligence or to get some help and advice is what’s needed.”
Superintendent Pete Browning from the Force Command Centre said, “Continuing to improve the visibility and accessibility of Dorset Police is a priority for the force.
“We appreciate that people prefer to engage with police in different ways, so it is vital that we provide different options accessible to our communities.
“Opening another police station to the public will provide the local community with another contact option, which will improve the convenience of contacting the police and strengthen the service we offer to our public.”
As well as offering more availability to attend police stations, Dorset Police is bringing local police into communities at Community Contact Points. This is a way for members of the public to meet their local officers, report crime and incidents, or discuss issues that are important to them with a police officer, face-to-face.
These Community Contact Points are drop-in events scheduled across the whole of the county. To date, Dorset Police has delivered 27 Community Contact Points across the force area, in Verwood, Ferndown, Swanage, North Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole.
The opportunity to meet local policing teams are advertised on the Dorset Police website and local social media platforms. For more information, please enter your postcode at www.dorset.police.uk to find your local neighbourhood policing team. There you will find information about the up-and-coming Community Contact Point opportunities and details of how to follow your local team on social media.
A full list of Dorset Police stations open to the public can be found on our website; www.dorset.police.uk/contact/find-a-police-station