Dorset Police has made positive
progress in tackling anti-social behaviour – according to the
latest report from Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary
(HMIC).
HMIC carried
out a review of how Dorset Police deals with anti-social behaviour
(ASB) in spring 2010 before a follow up inspection earlier this
year. The report highlights good progress in reducing
ASB, increased
public satisfaction and recognises the continued commitment of the
Force.
Assistant Chief Constable James Vaughan said:
“We continue to be committed to tackling anti-social behaviour and
the improvements identified in the HMIC report
highlight the efforts we have made over the past two years.
“As well as a core commitment to neighbourhood
policing we have implemented new procedures and processes to
improve our ability to respond and deal with ASB, and in October 2011 launched
our Victim First Programme to ensure victims receive the best
possible service.”
Dorset Police and its partners have reduced
anti-social behaviour by more than 10,000 incidents since 2009. In
the first quarter of this year incidents are down by 20 per
cent.
The HMIC report
also outlines that while good progress has been made, Dorset Police
were not always able to identify repeat and vulnerable
ASB victims. The
Force has now taken positive steps to address this with a Victim
First programme which has seen enhanced systems allowing call
handlers to immediately identify repeat victims who no longer have
to explain their case history each time they contact the Force. It
also means officers prioritise visiting and supporting victims.
The Victim First approach also sees Dorset
Police focus on tackling personally targeted anti-social behaviour.
This approach has delivered significant reductions in the number of
these types of incidents and those who repeatedly suffer.
Victims of ASB also tell us that their
levels of satisfaction in the way we deal with incidents has
increased (statistics show a seven per cent
increase).
ACC Vaughan continued: “We
accept the findings of HMIC and for
some time now a major focus of our work has been to ensure repeat
victims of anti-social behaviour receive a better level of
service.
“The reductions we have achieved in
ASB so far this
year are promising and reflect the commitment of our officers and
partners. However we will not be complacent and remain committed to
further reducing ASB and the impact it has on
victims and communities”.