Multi-agency partners are working together to keep
people safe while they are out in Bridport, Dorchester and
Sherborne, during the evenings this summer.
Inspector Les Fry of Dorset Police said: “We are committed to
ensuring people of west Dorset are safe and feel safe.
“Under the banner of Operation Protect, we are joining forces
with health, fire, local councils and the voluntary sector to
tackle violent crime in all forms through increased enforcement and
prevention activity in the towns.”
Dorset Police is providing an enhanced
level of policing throughout July, August and September 2010 –
when, historically, levels of alcohol-related violence are known to
increase – with additional officers on patrol focusing on the
towns’ centres on Friday and Saturday nights.
On occasions, officers will be joined by
Dorset Primary Care Trust staff, on-hand to provide visitors to the
towns with generic health and sexual health advice.
West Dorset District Council’s Community
Safety Officer and Environmental Health Team will also be joining
officers on patrol in the towns in a bid to keep people safe.
Police officers, alongside West Dorset
District Council Licensing Officers and Dorset Fire and Rescue
Service staff, are also visiting the towns’ licensed premises,
taking action against anyone found flouting licensing laws.
Prior to these visits, police officers have
liaised with licensees, belonging to the towns’ respective pubwatch
schemes, advising them on how to facilitate a safe and enjoyable
atmosphere for patrons.
Patrolling police officers will be carrying
pubwatch radios which allow licensees to contact an officer
directly if needed.
Meanwhile, Dorset County Council’s Trading
Standards officers are visiting off-licenses in the towns to ensure
alcohol is not being sold to anyone under the age of 18.
Shire Alcohol and Drug Outreach Service
(ShADOWS) workers will also take to the towns’ streets to offer
young people advice and guidance on alcohol and drug use.