Spotlight on 2025
As we head into the festive season, I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to everyone across Dorset who has worked tirelessly to keep our communities safe throughout 2025. Thanks to your dedication, Dorset is the eighth safest place in the country. This has been a year of real momentum and meaningful change, and I would like to spotlight some of the achievements and strong partnership work that have made a lasting difference.
Anti-social behaviour (ASB)
Through initiatives such as my Operation Relentless Community Fund, which has now provided more than £200,000 of funding to over 50 local projects - and the expansion of hotspot policing through Operation Track, there has been significant progress in tackling ASB. My Office was successful in securing additional funding for hotspot policing in Dorset, and in areas where Operation Track has been implemented, ASB has reduced by almost 70 per cent. Dorset Police has also recorded an 11 per cent year-on-year reduction in ASB (ONS), now at its lowest level in 16 years. In Dorset, tackling ASB needs strong partnership work, and these results demonstrate our total commitment to tackling this key Police and Crime Plan priority.
Progress on knife crime and violent crime
Knife crime offences have fallen by 13 per cent this year, placing Dorset the fourth lowest-ranking county for knife offences nationally. Knife amnesties, powerful educational work, and targeted enforcement activity have all contributed to this improvement, supported by strong partnership working with schools, Trading Standards, and community groups. One person carrying a knife is one too many and I am determined to help drive these numbers down even further to ensure the public confidence and safety.
The creation of a Violence Reduction and Prevention Team within my Office has also enabled more evidence-driven interventions and better coordination with partners to tackle the root causes of violence. I am adamant that early intervention and education are crucial if we are to tackle the root causes of violence, and I am proud of the work my Office is doing in this space.
Action against serious organised crime and drugs
Dorset continues to see positive results from intelligence-led police operations, including the repeated successes of Operation Scorpion, which this year led to the closure of multiple drug lines, dozens of arrests, and substantial seizures of drugs, weapons, vehicles, and cash. The multi-agency Combatting Drugs Partnership, which I head up, also continues to deliver a coordinated response around enforcement, prevention and treatment, including the establishment of Clarity, a lived-experience organisation supporting treatment and recovery pathways. I remain very clear that Dorset is no place for drugs and I will do all that I can to ensure communities are protected and action is taken wherever possible.
A robust response to Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG)
This year my Office continued to work closely with Dorset Police and partners to scrutinise, commission, and target enforcement to protect women and girls across Dorset. Effective police-led initiatives such as Operation Vigilant continue, while the OPCC’s VAWG Scrutiny Panel reviews how Dorset Police handles sensitive cases to ensure victims receive the highest standards of care. Services commissioned by my Office such as Victim Support Dorset, STARS, and Circles South West remain crucial partners in this work, ensuring victims are supported, and crucial education is delivered.
Tackling rural crime
Since I came to Office, the Dorset Police Rural Crime Team has grown substantially, supported by new equipment, specialist vehicles, and enhanced partnership structures such as the Dorset Partnership Against Rural Crime (DPARC), which I chair. The creation of the Country Watch Dorset website and the award-winning Rural Mounted Volunteers scheme have helped to strengthen engagement and intelligence-gathering across our rural communities as well.
The Rural Crime Team has seen some significant results in the past year including the recovery of a digger from Poland, a caravan from Germany, and a tractor from Hampshire. These achievements reflect the dedication of Dorset Police, local authorities, charities, volunteers, and countless community partners who share our commitment to creating a safer county.
What’s next?
Alongside these positive results, outcomes for burglary victims have also improved significantly in the past year, placing Dorset in the top quarter of forces nationally, while overall positive outcomes for victims of crime also risen, while total crime continues to fall.
The achievements of the past year are all the more remarkable given the continued financial pressures facing policing in Dorset. Despite relentless work and my ongoing lobbying for a long-overdue overhaul of the National Funding Formula, the Force continues to operate at a disadvantage. Dorset remains the second lowest-funded police force in England and Wales. Local taxpayers contribute 52% towards Dorset Police’s budget - far above the national average of around 35% and, in some areas, as low as 20%. This imbalance is a persistent frustration and means further efficiencies will still be required to maintain financial stability.
Against this backdrop, I urge you to take two minutes to complete my annual precept survey Dorset Policing Precept 2026/27 Survey. Your feedback is vital and could strengthen my hand in as I work to ensure Dorset’s position as one of the safest counties in the country is maintained.
My mission as Police and Crime Commissioner is unwavering: to keep Dorset safe and to ensure the public’s voice continues to shape local policing. Building and maintaining confidence between the public and policing is fundamental to that mission, and I am committed to ensuring policing in Dorset is visible, accountable, and trusted by the communities it serves. The progress outlined above is testament to the professionalism, resilience, and commitment of Dorset Police, my Office, and our many partner organisations, who continue to deliver in a challenging environment. I am deeply grateful for their service and dedication. I remain resolute in my determination to build on this momentum in 2026, to challenge inequity in police funding, and to work relentlessly to make Dorset an even safer place to live, work, and visit.
Wishing you a very happy Christmas and New Year.
David Sidwick
Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner