SOME of Dorset's biggest businesses will pay for police to have an electric car and office space, as well as contributing to the drone team, as part of a new partnership.

Dorset Police will team up with the Ferndown and Uddens Business Improvement District (BID) in a bid to promote safety on industrial estates.

As part of the scheme, the BID will pay for a vehicle for use by the area's neighbourhood policing team (NPT). Officers will use the car for extra high-visibility patrols.

In addition, officers with the NPT are to be given an office on the Ferndown Industrial Estate for a remote working base. Traders will also give contributions to support Dorset Police's drone team.

The new base will be used to train officers in drone technology and equipment.

Cheyne Marley, regeneration and business liaison inspector, said: “This is a unique approach, and Ferndown and Uddens BID have given us the opportunity to maximise the deployment of high visibility patrols in the area with a new vehicle and office space.

“As we expand the number of officers trained to search using innovative drone technology, it is great that the BID has also been able to support us to achieve new ways of working.

“It is hoped this approach could be mirrored in other areas of Dorset as a way of working more closely with our local businesses and providing community reassurance in the future.”

Russell Bowyer, chairman of the BID team, said: “This agreement heralds a new and closer relationship between the police and the business community.

“We hope that this relationship, together with other local initiatives, will help make our industrial estates an even safer location.”

The partnership has been supported by Dorset's police and crime commissioner Martyn Underhill.

He said: “Keeping our communities safe requires the input of a host of organisations, including local businesses.

"Not only do they provide valuable information and intelligence, they are also able to give an insight into initiatives running in the business world that could be beneficial to policing.

“I am pleased to support this partnership with the Ferndown and Uddens BID. Working closer together will enable us to identify issues and develop solutions that will have a positive impact for residents across East Dorset.”