Continuing to Make Dorset Safer: A Message from the Police and Crime Commissioner

This week, the latest crime data figures were released for police force areas up and down the country.

In Dorset, these figures from the Office for National Statistics (July 2024 to June 2025) show that crime continues to fall, a clear indication that our efforts to make the county safer are working. Importantly, victim-based crime, which includes offences such as violence and theft, also fell. Dorset remains one of the top ten safest areas in England and Wales.

Looking more closely at the figures, we have seen:

• Violence against the person offences down by 2.7%
• Sexual offences down by 1.2%, with rape down by 1.1%
• Stalking and harassment offences down by 3.6%
• Robbery down by 1.8%
• Vehicle offences down by 10.5%
• Theft offences down by 3.4% 

I am particularly pleased to see a reduction in burglary, both residential and business-related. I know this is one of the crimes which causes the most concern for residents, and these results — alongside recent successful prosecutions — send a strong message that those who choose to commit such offences will be brought to justice. Dorset Police set up a new Neighbourhood Crime Team this year, made up of a team of detectives and investigative police staff who focus solely on targeting prolific offenders and bringing them to justice. This involves relentlessly pursuing those individuals responsible for the highest number of offences and working across multiple departments and partner agencies to prevent reoffending and reduce burglaries from happening in the first place. It’s great that this work is already seeing positive results.

Many of these results outperform the national average, demonstrating criminality will not be tolerated in our communities. One area I know the Force continue to pursue robustly is shoplifting, and while there has been a rise in these offences, I remain absolutely committed to working closely with local businesses and partners to tackle these harmful crimes through the Dorset Safer Business Partnership. I know the Force, through Op Shopkeeper, an initiative dedicated to tackling prolific shoplifting offenders, are focused on bringing down the number of offences committed. Much work has gone into building confidence and encouraging reporting, and I hope that this will yield more positive results, ensuring more offenders are held accountable for their damaging actions. 

I know that data only tells some of the story though, and I want to be very clear that we know these results do not lead to everyone feeling safe. There is still more work to do in this area and I, along with Dorset Police, are committed to ensuring everyone is and feels safe where they live and work. I also want to use this as an opportunity to urge people to report incidents to Dorset Police. To tackle the issues which matter to you, the Force needs to know about it, and needs information and intelligence through proper channels, not just on social media. Help them to make a difference in your area and tell them what’s concerning you so they can allocate the resources necessary to tackle it.

Policing is a difficult and often thankless job, so I also want to recognise the work of all the Dorset Police officers, staff, and volunteers who have worked tirelessly, particularly during the relentless and challenging summer period to deliver results that make a real difference to our communities. Your commitment and professionalism are deeply appreciated by so many.

I will continue striving to ensure Dorset remains one of the safest counties in the country, working closely and supporting the Force to ensure our residents are protected from those who seek to do harm.

 

David Sidwick

Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner