Building strong relationships to keep people safe
Today, I want to shine a light on a team whose work is often unseen but plays a crucial role in keeping us safe - Dorset Police's licensing team.
Their work is especially relevant and is timely given the recent Operation Scorpion 15 which focused on the night-time economy and tackling drug-related offending.
While enforcement is an important part of Op Scorpion, prevention is just as vital. By working closely with pubs, bars, clubs and other licensed venues across Dorset, the licensing team helps identify risks early, share intelligence and prevent crime and disorder before it happens. I'm pleased to highlight the team's important work and the difference they make to communities across Dorset every day.
Our role within the Dorset Police Licensing Team is largely preventative. We work closely with licensed venues across the county to help minimise crime, disorder and risks within the night-time economy before problems occur.
The most important part of our job is building strong relationships with operators. We don't see licensing as simply telling businesses what they can and can't do. Instead, we work in partnership with venues, supporting them to identify issues, share information and find solutions.
We also work closely with venues to tackle issues such as drugs and anti-social behaviour. When operators proactively seize drugs or identify suspicious activity, we see that as a positive sign that effective measures are in place. The intelligence they provide helps us build a clearer picture of emerging trends and help us to target resources where they are needed most.
Strong relationships are key to this and because we work hard to build trust, venues are more willing to share information. That intelligence not only supports policing activity but is often shared with partner agencies to help tackle wider community issues. As part of our engagement, we regularly engage with operators through schemes such as Pubwatch, which provide valuable opportunities to share information, discuss emerging risks and promote best practice. These forums allow us to work collectively with businesses that want to make a positive difference and keep their customers safe.
When problems are identified, our approach is proportionate. We work with venues first, offering advice and support to help them improve. Most operators respond positively and make the necessary changes. However, where issues persist and businesses fail to engage, we can escalate matters through warning letters, licence reviews and, in the most serious cases, applications to revoke licences.
Across Dorset there are more than 4,000 licensed premises, and the vast majority are well run. Our role is to support those responsible operators while ensuring that the small number of venues that repeatedly cause problems are held to account.
Much of what we do is difficult to measure because successful prevention often means incidents never happen in the first place. However, by working proactively with venues, local authorities and partner agencies, we help prevent crime and disorder, improve public safety, reduce nuisance and protect vulnerable people. Ultimately, our aim is to make Dorset's towns and night-time economy safer places for everyone.
Thank you to the licensing team for all that you do. This work is vital, and I’m really pleased I can shine a spotlight on it, as an important part of the prevention work that I know the public want to know more about. I would like to send a very simple message on the team’s behalf – if you see something concerning at a licensed venue, tell the police. Unless it is reported, they can’t act. Your report could be the final piece of the puzzle needed to take action.
Dorset Police, along with my Office and our partners, work relentlessly to ensure people are safe, criminality is tackled robustly and perpetrators brought to justice. Together we can all play our part in ensuring Dorset stays a safe place to live, work and visit, now and in the future.
David Sidwick
Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner