Dorset Police news site

Dorset Police has reaffirmed its continued commitment to tackling violence against women and girls and fully supports national recommendations for a whole-system partnership approach to reduce offending.

In a national policing statement, published on Tuesday 23 July 2024 by the College of Policing and National Police Chiefs’ Council, it was revealed that over one million violence against women and girls (VAWG)-related crimes were recorded nationally during 2022/23, accounting for 20 per cent of all police recorded crime.

Police leaders are calling for a whole-system approach that brings together criminal justice partners, government bodies and industry, in a new partnership that seeks to reduce the scale and impact of VAWG.

While reports of rape, serious sexual offences and stalking and harassment offences have decreased in Dorset over the last year, the Force recognises there is still work to do and remains committed to relentlessly pursuing offenders and ensuring victims are supported and safeguarded. 

Key successes in the county include:

• Roll-out of specialist training to detectives to investigate adult sexual offences.
• Increased the number of Sexual Offence Liaison Officers (SOLOs) who are trained to interview adult victims of sexual offences and improve our contact with victims.
• Worked closely with our Wessex CPS colleagues as part of our tri-force approach to respond to the findings of the national End-to-End Rape Review.
• The Force is part of Op Soteria, which aims to improve the response of the police service to victims of rape and sexual offences and their experience of the criminal justice process. This has resulted in a greater number of cases going to court and better support for victims.
• Our local policing teams are also actively working with partners on a range of initiatives to ensure the safety of women and girls in Dorset, including SafeSpace, a hub in Weymouth for anyone out at night that may feel vulnerable, and Op Vigilant to identify potential perpetrators.
• Streamlining how we share data, information and intelligence with partner agencies via the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub to improve criminal justice outcomes and help protect women and girls from harm.
• The Force joining partner agencies to sign up to the Unity Promise women’s safety charter, which was launched in March and consists of seven commitments. It will support businesses with training on how to improve safety for women and girls.

Additionally, over the summer a wide range of initiatives and operations are underway to keep communities safe including:

• Hi-visibility patrols through Bournemouth Gardens and the town centre to focus on early intervention to prevent ASB, VAWG offences and exploitation, as well as targeting high crime hotspot areas.
• Clear Hold Build to focus on organised criminals targeting the area and vulnerable members of our community.
• The #100DaysOfSummer initiative will see additional high visibility patrols around town centre.
• Ongoing licensing checks to ensure venues are keeping customers safe.
• The Pineapple Project in the Weymouth area, which aims to safeguard young women when they are outside of their family homes and in the community. It uses the principles of community guardianship to give young women a safe haven when things don’t go to plan, perhaps by stepping into a local shop where they can charge their phone or put some distance between them and the person who is bothering them.

Assistant Chief Constable Mark Callaghan, of Dorset Police, said: “Across Dorset we have made a commitment to protecting women and girls and it is clear from the work we are already undertaking that the answer to tackling this national issue is by all agencies working together in a whole system approach.

“Areas such as domestic abuse, stalking, harassment, child abuse and exploitation, rape and sexual offending are key priorities for the Force and we are determined to do all we can to protect and achieve justice for those affected.

“I would like to reassure our communities that we already work alongside our partners, both statutory and non-statutory, as well as with our communities to achieve our ambition. This approach includes coming together on community safety partnerships, a multi-agency safeguarding hub, and both adult and child safeguarding boards.

“We fully acknowledge that a large number of offences committed against women and girls go unreported. I would strongly encourage anyone who has been the victim of an offence to come forward and speak to us so we can investigate it and offer support.”

You can make a report in a variety of ways: online at www.dorset.police.uk, by calling 101 or dialling 999 if a crime is in progress. Alternatively, independent charity Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously online at Crimestoppers-uk.org or by calling Freephone 0800 555 111.