POLICE chiefs in Dorset have urged the government to consider the added strain on their resources that the UK tourism industry creates.

Dorset is a favourite destination for UK holiday makers and this year even more tourists are expected to take part in a 'staycation' as a result of the Brexit vote.

While many areas of Dorset rely heavily on the economic benefits of tourism, this will most likely add a further strain on the county's policing network in what is already a busy time for them.

In an effort to draw Ministers' attention to this potential obstacle, Dorset's police chiefs have issued a joint statement in which they call on the government to factor in the added pressure than tourism can inflict on the police when contemplating how these forces should be funded.

In a joint statement, Martyn Underhill, Police and Crime Commissioner for Dorset, and James Vaughan, Chief Constable of Dorset Police, said: “Although it remains one of the safest counties in the country, Dorset is already the second lowest funded force in England and Wales. The county has seen a rise in crime levels in recent years, in line with the overall national increase.

“Some of this stems from increasing demand generated by visitors to the county, not only in the summer months but, increasingly, all year round. This additional demand is not recognised in the current grant formula and therefore puts Dorset at even more at a disadvantage in terms of funding.

"We believe that this is an unfair position and are writing to the Home Office to urge Ministers to recognise this in future.”

As reported in the Daily Echo in March, Dorset Police saw a 'record-breaking' spike in demand last summer.

Speaking at the time, Mr Vaughan said: "Part of the reason for the rise locally was that we had fantastic weather last year – what we saw as the sun came out in May, demand suddenly went up, and by the time we're into June, almost every day saw a record-breaking level of demand on police.

"Historically the busiest day of the year is New Year's Eve or bank holidays – but what we found last year as we went into summer was that every day was breaking previous records and that's happening all over the country."