PCC statement following recent media coverage about Bournemouth
This summer dedicated Dorset Police officers, staff and volunteers have been working tirelessly to keep residents and visitors safe in our county. This exceptionally busy period is a particularly challenging time for Dorset Police, balancing the vast influx of day visitors and holidaymakers alongside daily policing demands. Our Force gets no extra funding for policing hundreds of thousands of extra people each year, there are no ‘spare’ police officers and staff to bring out for the summer season; it falls to under pressure officers, staff and volunteers to stretch themselves even further to cover this significant demand. I have said it countless times and I will keep saying that it remains a travesty that Dorset is the second lowest funded Force in the country, dealing with this level of seasonality, and my lobbying and campaigning will not stop until Dorset Police are given more resources to support our hardworking officers, staff and volunteers, and alleviate the pressure, especially during these peak times.
Despite the ongoing challenging funding situation, Dorset Police have ensured extra police patrols in our busiest areas, bolstering visibility in hotspots and increasing their engagement with the public. Targeted patrols in these crime hotspot areas, including in Bournemouth, have seen some terrific results, significantly reducing ASB and violent crime. As well as policing high-profile protests over the past few weeks, Dorset Police have worked relentlessly to ensure those living and visiting the area could go about their days safely, enjoying the glorious weather and attractions the area has to offer. A number of operations including Beach Beat, Op Track which focuses on anti-social behaviour and violent crime hotspots, Op Fireglow which focuses on youth hotspots including the Central and Lower Gardens, Op Nightjar, which supports the night-time economy, keeping people calm and safe after dark and Op Vigilant which sees covert officers patrolling and flagging suspicious behaviour of potential predators to uniform police are all taking place to keep people safe. All these police operations and more, come under the banner of wanting everyone to enjoy a ‘Good Safe Summer’, with plenty of articles and social media posts detailing this work here (Dorset Police) and on Dorset Police’s (Facebook).
This work, which is being delivered under increasingly challenging circumstances, is why I feel the need to speak out about some of the grossly inaccurate and fearmongering headlines from the national media over the past few weeks. Let me be clear; I am under no illusion that Bournemouth, like many other towns across the country - seaside towns in particular - has seen significant changes over the years, increasing demand on policing and our partners. I know and recognise the concerns from residents and businesses about these ongoing issues and I want people to know that a huge amount of work has taken place to tackle these problems and will continue to be a top priority.
This work is yielding positive results. Compared to 2021, violent crime, sexual assaults, knife crime and anti-social behaviour are down in Bournemouth town centre. That is a fact. It may not fit the current narrative which describes these offences as ‘soaring’, it may not feel like it when you’re scrolling comments and posts on social media, but it is. Irresponsible and inaccurate headlines which scream the town centre has become ‘overrun by feral yobs, sex predators and murders’ are wrong, and they only want one thing – your clicks. These headlines and articles describing Bournemouth as ‘the Wild West’, are falsehoods, echoed and perpetuated by social media users trying to build a platform for their own means. Our town is not ‘plagued by a spate of murders, stabbings and sexual assaults’; this is a wilful misrepresentation to create harm and fear. I should also state that Dorset Police have been rated as ‘good’ by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services for recording crime, meaning our data is reliable. Wherever possible, we have pushed back at factual inaccuracies in the media but quite frankly, I fear the damage has been done.
The issues in Bournemouth reflect issues seen in towns across the country – they are no different, except what happens in this town has been thrown under an intensely negative media spotlight. I fully accept there is still work to do to turn this around – and change people’s perceptions – and that will need further investment and resources, which I will continue to fight for. However, it is a fact that Bournemouth continues to be a busy tourist town, and each year, the swell of visitors from spring to autumn brings extra demand - as you would expect. It is also a fact that Dorset Police do not have unlimited resources – with savings still needing to be made should no further funding be forthcoming. However, dedicated Dorset Police teams have worked relentlessly over the past few months to ensure they are visible, engaged and ready to act where needed, demonstrating robust, effective and visible policing in the face of exceptional demand. From using their unique powers to disperse people on the beach and at key locations preventing potential incidents and disorder, confiscating alcohol and drugs including Nitrous Oxide and cannabis, and patrolling in hotspot areas to reassure the public at all times of day and night, the Force has worked closely with our partners to ensure the majority of the public can enjoy a ‘Good Safe Summer’.
This hard work and these results don’t drive people to news websites like inflammatory and sensationalist ‘Wild West’ headlines for example though. And while we can’t change how the media report, what I hope to do here is ask the public to remember that these articles aren’t reflective of the whole picture; they’re designed to exploit fear, create anger, peddle perception as fact, and distort the truth. Bournemouth is a safe place, and I am clear that our work, alongside that of our partners continues. We’re not naïve to what still must be done, and no-one is turning a blind eye; rather, as ever, Dorset Police officers, staff and volunteers are doing more and more with less to ensure you, the public stay safe. They are the men and women running towards danger, and they are the people ensuring justice is served for as many people as possible when the worst does happen. Bournemouth remains a safe place and Dorset continues to be one of the safest places in the country. If only that made a good headline…
Migrant hotels
When it comes to the hotels being used by the Government to house asylum seekers, hotels have been used in this town since 2014, this is nothing new. Implications that this has only just happened or happened in the past couple of years are wrong.
Caution should be exercised in the Courts data published in the national media, as ever, context and background to this data is vital. Court data, as used here, shows a defendant’s address as where they currently live, not where an offence has necessarily taken place. So, although people who live at a particular address may have been charged with an offence, that does not necessarily mean these offences have taken place at this address or even locally, only that the defendant now lives at this address.
‘Bournemouth has become overrun by feral yobs, sex predators and murders’
No, in Bournemouth town centre incidents of anti-social behaviour, sexual assaults, knife crime and violent crime have reduced since 2021. There is still work to do, but I am committed to supporting Dorset Police however I can and ensure this robust and proactive work with partners continues, making Bournemouth even safer for all who live, work and visit.
"…there has been a rise in crime since 2023, which just happens to coincide with when the arrivals and the HMOs and the hotels opened up in town.”
Crime has fallen in Bournemouth town centre since 2023. I accept and understand how the use of hotels for asylum seekers causes concern for people and Dorset Police will continue to act robustly and effectively to keep our community safe, but this statement is incorrect. Hotels to house asylum seekers have also been in use in Bournemouth since 2014.