Efforts by Dorset Police to improve links between the police and the community have been recognised recently with a ‘Good’ rating.
The plans that were set out last year were put in place help improve services and interactions with other communities. These plans have been broken down into 10 minimum standards which includes objectives like “face to face engagements with members of the community”.
Success is measured by the number of engagement events held, the number of people who attended and engaged with public feedback to force/ The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC). Now, a panel from the OPCC has declared that these minimum requirements have all been received and their progress has been deemed “good”.
Each Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT) has published their own ‘contract’ with their community on the Dorset Police website, so members of the public can see what their neighbourhood officers are planning on doing to connect with them. Each plan will be reviewed and updated annually by their respective team and then assessed and rated by a panel of community leaders.
Dorset Police & Crime Commissioner Martyn Underhill said: “Policing has changed massively over the last few years but one thing that will never change is that the police need to have close links with the people they serve. It’s brilliant news both for local communities and the Force itself that each of these neighbourhood contracts has been given a ‘good’ rating, as improving these connections is a piece of work that’s far too important to be left to chance.”
This contract was part of the Police and Crime Plan, a four year strategy for all activity carried out by the Dorset Police and the OCPP. For more information on the plan itself please visit here.