Police recognise the hard work and dedication of emergency response officers
Dorset Police is joining police forces across the country to highlight the work of response police officers and the vital role they play in policing this week.
Response Policing Week is coordinated by the National Police Chiefs’ Council and begins today, Monday 26 June 2023. It aims to recognise and celebrate the hard work, dedication and bravery of response officers, who respond to calls from the public and confront criminals day and night.
Response officers are the people who typically attend the 360,000 calls for service in the first instance received by the Force each year. For most members of the public, response officers are what come to mind when they think of the police.
Response officers never know what situations they will face as every incident is different. They must be prepared to deal with anything from being the first at the scene of what will become a complex investigation or a life-endangering emergency, to diffusing confrontational situations or showing the utmost compassion in upsetting circumstances.
The week of activity culminates on Saturday with our latest #DorsetPoliceLIVE where members of the public will be able to see response policing in action as the Force posts real-time updates on the work of two officers in Bournemouth on its social media channels from 6pm.
The response policing role can be physically, mentally, and emotionally demanding and response officers can access a range of wellbeing initiatives specially designed for their needs.
Assistant Chief Constable Rachel Farrell, of Dorset Police said: “We shouldn’t underestimate the vital role our response officers play in assistant victims of crime during their time of need and investigating offences to ensure we’re able to bring offenders to justice.
“In 2022, Dorset Police recorded 174,500 incidents and of those, 51,850 resulted in a crime. The vast majority of these incidents and crimes will have been attended in the first instance by our dedicated response officers, with the investigation usually sat with the same officer to complete.
“Our response officers can often know very little about the situation they’re heading into and this is a role where truly no two days are the same.
“This week we’ll be highlighting some of our response officers who have been nominated for national awards for their work as well as bring you along for a response shift via our social media channels through our #DorsetPoliceLIVE initiative.
“I hope you will join me in recognising and celebrating the hard work of our response officers as part of Response Policing Week.”
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