Dorset PEEL 2017
Effectiveness
How effective is the force at keeping people safe and reducing crime?
How effective is the force at preventing crime, tackling anti-social behaviour and keeping people safe?
This question was not inspected in 2017. The grade and findings from last year’s inspection still stand.
How effective is the force at investigating crime and reducing re-offending?
This question was not inspected in 2017. The grade and findings from last year’s inspection still stand.
How effective is the force at protecting those who are vulnerable from harm, and supporting victims?
Dorset Police is good at keeping vulnerable people safe and protecting them from harm. The force has a good understanding of vulnerability within its county boundaries, and officers and staff are good at identifying vulnerability and assessing risk.
The force works well with partner organisations to:
- plan and implement joint working practices to support people with mental health problems;
- manage safeguarding risks to domestic abuse victims; and
- reduce the risk that sex offenders pose to the public.
Dorset Police investigates crimes involving vulnerable people well and provides victims with a good service. The force monitors its performance and uses feedback from vulnerable victims of crime to improve future services. It is introducing a new operating model to improve its capacity and services.
However, the force needs to:
- avoid delays in responding to non-emergency calls that may involve vulnerable victims; and
- ensure body-worn video cameras are provided to all operational officers as soon as possible.
Areas for improvement
- The force should improve the response to non-emergency incidents particularly where vulnerable victims are involved to ensure they are kept safe.
- The force should improve its initial investigation of cases involving vulnerable victims by providing responding officers with access to photographic and/or video-recording equipment to show evidence of injuries and crime scenes.
How effective is the force at tackling serious and organised crime?
This question was not inspected in 2017. The grade and findings from last year’s inspection still stand.
How effective are the force’s specialist capabilities?
National threats often require forces to work together, across force boundaries. These threats include terrorism, large-scale disorder and civil emergencies. We examined the capabilities in place to respond to these threats, in particular a firearms attack.
Most positively, the force:
- works constructively with Devon and Cornwall Police to respond to national threats;
- tests its skills in training exercises;
- has developed an adequate understanding of the threat to the public from an armed attack; and
- has increased the availability of armed response vehicles in Dorset.
However, the force should:
- make better use of analysis the time taken for armed officers to attend incidents; and
- consider potential locations that are attractive targets for terrorists in planning how it deploys armed officers.