TRADITIONAL community police work is beating drug dealers who 'cuckoo' vulnerable residents - but criminals are continuing to find new ways to bring class As to Dorset, officers say.

Gangs from outside Dorset are still bringing drugs to the county, with smaller, rural towns often used as bases.

Once in Dorset, dealers exploit the vulnerable, sometimes taking over an addict's home and using it for criminal activity in a practice known as 'cuckooing'.

The practice has been used in Bournemouth and Poole - but also towns including Shaftesbury, Blandford, Dorchester and Weymouth.

In North Dorset, it is listed as a priority for the area's neighbourhood policing team.

Police and crime commissioner (PCC) Martyn Underhill said officers are under particular pressure at certain times of year, especially during summertime.

"The first case of cuckooing I was involved in when I became PCC happened in Shaftesbury," he said.

"The victim walked into one of my surgeries."

Mr Underhill has previously met with victims of the practice to learn about the impact it can have. He urged all residents to stay vigilant and report suspicious activity to police.

Superintendent Jared Parkin, who has responsibility for policing across Poole, Purbeck and Bournemouth, said the proximity of Dorset to London makes it attractive for out-of-town dealers.

He also highlighted the importance of community-led intelligence.

"Officers are out there knocking on doors," he said.

"[One tactic is] creating a password that can be used in a sentence to mean, 'People are behind this door but I can't say. You need to come in'."

Despite the success of the county's neighbourhood policing teams, Chief Inspector Bryan Duffy warned dealers can change their modus operandi as police begin making arrests.

"Drug-dealing is a business, and those responsible can quickly adapt it," he said.

"For example, dealers might move into hotel rooms."

In one case, it is reported, a member of staff cleaning a Dorset hotel room was unable to flush a toilet.

As a result, it was discovered the toilet was packed with drugs.

Officers are also continuing to disrupt 'county lines' - a system organised by organised gangs as part of a bid to extend drug dealing into new locations outside of metropolitan areas.