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Key Partnerships

Community Safety Partnerships

The two Community Safety Partnerships (CSPs) in Dorset (BCP Council and Dorset Council areas), each bring together representatives from key statutory organisations (local authorities, police, fire authority, health and probation services), alongside other key non-statutory agencies, in order to address crime and community safety issues that impact on the local communities within their geographical area.

CSPs were set up following the introduction of the Crime & Disorder Act of 1998 and have since established some very effective local mechanisms, as well as often combined resources to establish pan-Dorset initiatives that have demonstrably improved community safety.  Through the publication of a Community Safety Plan, which always closely links with the Police and Crime Plan, each CSP outlines the approach that partners will take to address community safety in their area.

By operating in partnership, the PCC works closely with CSPs in support of a number of projects and initiatives that address very important issues such as Domestic Abuse, Sexual Violence, Drug & Alcohol issues, Crime and Anti-Social Behaviour.

Other established partnerships

We are members of a number of other important established partnerships in Dorset, such as:

  • The Dorset Criminal Justice Board, which brings together leaders from key agencies such as the Police, Her Majesty’s Prison Service (HMPS), Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS), the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), Youth Offending Service (YOS), the National Probation Service (NPS), the Community Rehabilitation Company (CRC) and Health, in order to oversee delivery of the Criminal Justice System in Dorset.
  • The Partnership Board for the Dorset Combined Youth Offending Service, which is a partnership responsible for working with young people, to help prevent them committing crime or where they have already done so, to try to prevent them from re-offending. They also help young people and their families at police stations and at court and they supervise young people serving community sentences.
  • The Pan-Dorset Sexual Violence Strategy Group and the Pan-Dorset Domestic Abuse Strategy Group, dedicated to improving service delivery in these absolutely crucial themed areas of business.
  • Dorset Watch Schemes - these schemes reflect the diversity of the urban and rural make up of Dorset, and all are tailored to meet the needs and interests of particular groups within our communities (e.g Community Speed Watch, Neighbourhood Watch, Hotel Watch)

In addition, we have very strong relationships with other partnerships that come together to tackle important specific topics such as Drugs and Alcohol, Mental Health, Night Time Economy issues, Child Sexual Exploitation and Missing Children, plus partnerships aimed at more geographically focused local problems.  We help to fund and/or facilitate some of this partnership work, to better address issues that no single agency can necessarily tackle alone

Grant provision

Government funding often comes to us in the form of dedicated grants aimed at specific subjects such as Victims Services, Restorative Justice capacity building, Domestic/Sexual Violence services, etc, and when the announcement is made that such funding has been made available, there are sometimes limited timescales and strict guidelines for accessing it.  We do our best to capture such opportunities when they arise and we have been very successful to date in securing ‘extra’ funding for Dorset’s communities on a number of occasions, when other areas of the country have not necessarily been so.  By using our excellent relationship with a large number of partner agencies and contacts across Dorset, we are able to get the message out quickly and in so doing, increase the chances of capitalising on these opportunities when they arise. In addition, we have developed and run workshops to help people consider and complete appropriate funding applications, thereby increasing their chances of being successful in competing for what are always going to be limited resources.

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