Dorset Community Safety Partnership
Introduction
The Dorset Community Safety Partnership (CSP) aims to:
- reduce crime and the fear of crime;
- address risk, threat and harm to victims and local communities; and
- facilitate the strengthening of Dorset's communities in the delivery of local initiatives
It also acts as Dorset's Local Domestic Abuse Partnership Board as required under the Domestic Abuse Act 2021.
Find out more about Dorset Community Safety Partnership.
CSPs are required to have three-year Community Safety Plans that are refreshed annually. This is the latest refresh covering 2022-23. The Plan sets out partners’ current priorities based on the most recent assessment of community safety issues.
The Community Safety Plan is complemented with annual work plans which are regularly assessed and updated to respond to changing needs and demands.
Crime in the Dorset Community Safety Partnership Area
Total crime in the Dorset Community Safety Partnership area is a lot lower than the average rate across the UK and has decreased slightly over the past four years.
Crime in Dorset follows a seasonal pattern with numbers peaking in the summer months and falling away during winter. Crime levels in Dorset vary according to location.
It would seem the first and second nation-wide COVID-19 lockdowns had a significant effect on total crime in later winter and early spring in Dorset.
Detailed information on crime levels in Dorset can be found here:
Consultation and Engagement
Partners use the findings of consultation and engagement exercises to help inform their understanding and work to tackle community safety issues.
Dorset Council undertakes a residents survey every year. Please note; The Dorset Council's Resident's Survey is weighted to represent the Dorset Demographic Profile. The survey includes questions on how safe residents feel in their local area. The latest survey was completed in the winter of 2021/22. 2,659 surveys were completed. Perceptions regarding community safety were:
- 13% felt unsafe when outside after dark in their local area. This is slightly higher than the 10% in 2020.
- 71% felt either fairly or very safe, down from 76% last year.
- 2% felt fairly or very unsafe when outside during the day in their local area. This is a slight rise from 1% in 2020.
- 91% felt either very or fairly safe, a drop of 5% since last year.
- just over 84% did not feel that crime had any or much impact on their daily lives with just over 15% believing it was either a problem or a serious problem.
- just over 81% did not feel that anti-social behaviour had any or much impact on their daily lives with just over 18% believing it was either a problem or a serious problem.
A public consultation was also undertaken with residents specifically for the CSP in early 2022. This included members of the Council's People Panel who were asked a series of questions on what they thought about crime in their local community. It is important to note that the people's panel are residents that have volunteered to give response on a range of questions relating to living in Dorset. They do not represent a random ample of the population.
100 surveys were completed in this year's survey. Panel members were asked if crime was an issue where they live. The data illustrates slightly higher concern than the previous two years with 3% of the people's panel responding that crime is a big issue in their lives.
When asked if they had been a victim of crime in the last 12 months, the results were very similar to last year which showed 92% No and 8% Yes.
The survey also asked whether the respondents had been a victim of anti-social behaviour in the past year. 18% of all respondents said that they had been a victim of anti-social behaviour. This was a fall from last year where the values were just under a quarter and is more in lone with the year before last. The respondents didn't define what they considered to be anti-social behaviour.
The National Rural Crime Survey is organised by the National Rural Crime Network which was formed in 2014 to bring greater recognition and understanding of impact and problems of crime in rural areas. The Network brings together 30 Police and Crime Commissioners from across the country along with a number of other interested bodies.
Although the National Rural Crime Survey is not specific to Dorset, it includes 654 responses from the Dorset Police Force area and aims to reflect the views of rural communities. See the 2018 National Rural Crime Survey.
The findings include:
- that the perception of policing in rural communities is poor, and much worse than in urban areas
- some of the most common concerns are not solely policing matters, like flytipping and speeding – too many partners, like local authorities, are less able to respond to the needs of rural communities
- crime is not just an inconvenience - crime, and the fear of crime, is leading to emotional strain and a loss of confidence within rural communities, particularly among young people, families and farmers
- communities believe crime in rural areas is a big problem – and is getting worse
- many crimes in rural communities go unreported – especially by business owners, because they don’t feel the offence will be taken seriously or anything will be done
- residents and businesses in rural communities believe they are being specifically targeted – and, on balance, most believe the crime is organised
- farmers and agricultural businesses are facing huge challenges – and they don’t feel there is enough being done to support them
- the financial impact of crime is substantial – for residents and, particularly, for businesses who are the lifeblood of the rural economy
- rural victims feel angry and annoyed that they are not taken seriously by those in positions of power – and the extent of crime is making communities feel vulnerable
- ultimately, rural communities are not understood and services do not match need – if nothing is done there is a risk of a wholesale loss of trust in rural policing
Findings from further consultation exercises undertaken over the course of the year will be used to inform future revisions of this plan.
Community safety priorities
Partners carry out an annual Partnership Strategic Assessment (PSA) using evidence from a variety of sources to assess crime and disorder issues in the area. The assessment is used to set and review partners’ priorities. When setting and reviewing priorities consideration is also given to the local Policing objectives in the area. Priorities are reviewed regularly.
The following priorities have been agreed by partners for 2022/23:
- domestic abuse and stalking
- sexual offences
- anti-social behaviour
- rural crime
- fraud
- violence crime
These are complimented by the following cross cutting issues:
- mental health
- substance misuse
- complex cases and multiple need
- violence against women and girls
Reducing re-offending remains a cross cutting area of work for partners. There is a separate Alcohol and Drug Strategy that covers the pan-Dorset area.
A summary of the type of activity partners will take to address priorities over the course of the year is provided below. Full details are included in partners' annual work plans.
Domestic abuse and stalking
Summary of activity:
- develop initiatives that focus on prevention, early help and education
- develop interventions for perpetrators to reduce offending and prevent risk and harm
- further develop the whole systems approach to domestic abuse to ensure services are working together effectively
- continue to develop partners’ response for high risk victims including implementing learning from the High Risk Domestic Abuse (HRDA)
- implement learning from Domestic Homicide Reviews
- respond to recommendations of the Dorset domestic abuse strategy, and associated activity
Summary of measures:
- increased prevention and support activity including for children and young people
- the number of perpetrator programmes is increased and work in this area is well coordinated
- compliance with government requirements relating to the Domestic Abuse Act 2021
Serious offences
Summary of activity:
- work with partners in the criminal justice system to take action to increase the positive outcome rate for sexual offences
- undertake awareness raising campaigns including in schools
- undertake a communications campaign to complement sexual violence awareness week
- ensure good promotion of sexual violence services so people know where to get help
Summary of measures:
- increase in the positive outcome rate for sexual offences
- awareness of sexual violence issues is increased
Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB)
Summary of activity:
- support vulnerable and repeat victims of ASB
- develop initiatives for people who don’t engage with services
- local partnership groups to develop specific actions and initiatives in response to local anti-social behaviour issues
Summary of measures:
- increased engagement in services
- reductions in ASB within specific localities
Rural crime
Summary of activity:
- reduce opportunities for Agricultural Theft to thrive
- reduce Livestock Offences including theft of and worrying/attacks
- increase awareness of Poaching and the devasting effect that this has on our Rural Communities
- work with partners to share information and bring offenders to justice for Fly-Tipping offences
- protection of our most vulnerable Farming community members
Summary of measures:
- agricultural theft reduced
- reduction in livestock offences
- reduction in fly-tipping
Fraud
Summary of activity
- support awareness raising activities to ensure people understand how to spot potential fraud
- support and promote ‘Friends Against Scams’ including dissemination of advice and information across organisations
- incorporate scams advice into Safe and Well visits by the Fire and Rescue Service
Summary of measures:
- increased awareness of fraud and scam issues especially amongst the most vulnerable victims
Violent crime
Summary of activity:
- develop our understanding of public place violence issues including working with Public Health and using intelligence from the Cardiff Model project
- respond to any requirements emerging from the government’s Serious Violence Strategy and any related legislation
- locality groups to develop specific actions and initiatives in response to local public place violence issues
Summary of measures:
- incidents of public place violence reduced within specific localities
- compliance with any statutory requirements relating to serious violence
Performance management
Partners use performance information and data coupled with an assessment of progress against their agreed actions at each meeting, to determine whether they are delivering against their priorities.
Partners intend to gather a wide range of information and data to complement Police statistics and develop a comprehensive understanding of community safety issues.
Governance
The Dorset CSP is the statutory Community Safety Partnership for the local area. It brings together senior officers and elected members from:
- Dorset Police
- Dorset Council
- Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Authority
- Probation Service (Dorset)
- Dorset Clinical Commissioning Group
Many other partners such as Public Health Dorset, the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, the Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service, the Dorset Domestic Abuse Forum and the Dorset Combined Youth Offending Service also contribute to the work of the CSP.
At a local level, there are Partnership Co-ordinating Groups (PCGs) that come together to identify solutions to local issues. The PCGs feed into the Dorset CSP.