Statement from the PCC on the Annual Survey
Over the Summer, I joined members of my office who were out and about talking to you about how safe you feel in Dorset and my thanks go to all the people who not only took the time to stop and talk with us, but to those who also took the time to complete my annual survey on the subject.
As your elected representative, this survey continues to be a vital way for me to gain a deeper understanding of the thoughts and opinions you all have about policing and it is really important to gather those views, because ultimately, they help shape the future of the service.
With that in mind, I would like to share with you an overview of the results.
I note that once again ASB is a top concern for you all, with residential burglary and drug crime making up your top three concerns.
To give some reassurance, Dorset Police continue to implement Operation Relentless to tackle ASB, with hot spot patrols continuing and increasing across the county and I am pleased to be able to report that incidents of ASB have reduced by 13 per cent compared to 21/22.
In the most recent report from the Office of National Statistics, it was confirmed that there has been a 14 per cent drop in the number of residential burglaries in Dorset. Earlier in the year, Dorset Police made a commitment to uphold their 100% attendance rate to domestic burglaries, as they supported the national commitment to visit all victims of home burglary and I vow to ensure that approach continues.
When it comes to tackling drug crime, more and more action is being taken, indeed we have just concluded the sixth phase of Operation Scorpion and across the county in a week of intensive policing, there have been 26 drug-related arrests, over £93,000 worth of illegal drugs seized and the profits and paraphernalia of drug dealing, including cash and weapons have been taken off our streets.
The above few lines only give a snapshot of the work that is happening to address your concerns, but your concerns, the policing issues that worry you, that you want dealt with are the reasons I do this job and I hope you can see we, my office, Dorset Police and all our partners are pulling together, are working on your priorities and ultimately getting the results you want.
To find out more about the work we are doing, please head on over to the newsletter section of the website.
David Sidwick
Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner