Statement from the PCC on the arrival of the Bibby Stockholm Asylum Barge

I have made no secret of my frustration and disappointment at this initiative being brought to Dorset and I still have reservations and concerns, however, since the announcement that the asylum barge would be moored at Portland Port I have worked with the Chief Constable to identify the expected likely costs that might fall to Dorset Police – this would not only encompass the additional local policing requirement, but also the planning and partnership engagement processes needed to facilitate the success of this initiative, and the intelligence, community cohesion, reassurance, and wider communication needs. The Chief and I then submitted these indicative costs to the Home Office for their consideration.

Over the past couple of months, the community have rightly been clamouring for information on this initiative, as have many of the stakeholder partners who were, without prior knowledge or consultation, placed at the centre of accommodating this enterprise. From the moment I learned that the Home Office planned to put the barge in Portland, I have been pushing the Home Secretary, Policing Minister, Immigration Minister, and various HO officials for more detail, and more information on how exactly this initiative would work. My team and I also have also had several meetings with HO officials, and I have had the opportunity to lobby Ministers directly through my usual engagement with them.

I can confirm that the current position is that the Home Office has finally agreed to provide an initial level of funding that matches our original ask, agreed to fund the costs of any requests for mutual aid that Dorset Police initiates in support of policing the accommodation vessel, and agreed to consider requests for further funding should the vessel stay for longer than the year for which the initial funding has been provided.

Therefore at present, the Home Office has agreed to increase its initial funding offer to support the community policing of the accommodation vessel from £375k to £520k, which is in line with my minimum request and they have also agreed to reimburse Dorset Police for any mutual aid costs, that it is liable for, in support of the policing of the accommodation vessel. Both of these are limited to an initial period of 12 months, although the Home Office has stated that should funding be required beyond this period, for example should the vessel stay longer, this would be discussed and considered.

In addition to this, the Home Office has recognised that there may be new demands on police capability and capacity deriving from accommodation vessel, and that funding may be required to cover this additionality. The option therefore remains open that the Chief Constable and I will issue a further bid to the Home Office, should further costs be identified.

This is an incredibly complex challenging issue, and my team and I continue to work closely with colleagues in policing, local authorities, and health, to ensure that both the totality of the funding allocation to Dorset, and the individual funding allocations to each agency, are appropriate.

For the moment though, in relation to the funding for policing, I am content that my initial concerns have been addressed, but I expect that a further bid will be required in due course.

Work continues with the Home Office and the Port through a Multi-Agency Forum, preparing for the barge and the asylum seekers and we will all continue to work in the best interests of both residents and asylum seekers to ensure that arrangements operate smoothly, with minimal impact on local services and communities.

 

David Sidwick

Police and Crime Commissioner

 

For further information, please look at the Home Office online factsheet: 

Factsheet: Asylum accommodation on a vessel in Portland Port - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

 

The information in this document is public and has been provided by members of the Multi Agency Forum Communications Subgroup which includes representation from the Home Office, Portland Port, Dorset Council, Dorset Police and NHS Dorset. 

All information correct as of 18/07/2023