Police on the beat in Weymouth and Bournemouth as part of Operational Relentless

Dorset Police is carrying out proactive patrols across the county as part of Operation Relentless – the force’s commitment to drive down anti-social behaviour.

Dorset Police are set to patrol Bournemouth as part of Operation Relentless. Picture: Dorset Police

Officers are continuing to target anti-social behaviour (ASB) across the county and patrols are taking place today in Weymouth and Bournemouth.

Operation Relentless aims to remind residents and visitors that Dorset Police takes a tough approach to ASB and send a very clear message to those involved that it simply will not be tolerated in the county.

Chief Inspector Adrian Thompson, the Force’s ASB lead, said: “ASB is a very visible form of disruption and is closely linked to how safe people feel. When it is persistent it can have a significant impact on people’s lives.

“Operation Relentless has been introduced to show that the Force takes this issue seriously. These patrols will not only show our communities that we are committed to this, but we hope that it will act as a deterrent to those who may act in a way that is unacceptable.

“We want to empower our communities to help us fight this issue and take the anti away from anti-social by reporting incidents, including loud, abusive, rowdy or intimidating behaviour, drug misuse and intimidating gangs of people to Dorset Police.”

Dorset Police are set to patrol Weymouth as part of Operation Relentless. Picture: Dorset Police

Overall reports of ASB have fallen across the county over the last two years. However, it traditionally increases over the summer months and tackling it remains a Force priority.

Officers will be joined in Bournemouth by David Sidwick, Police and Crime Commissioner for Dorset. He said: “Tackling ASB is a major priority of mine and I wanted to join an Operation Relentless patrol to see how our officers are proactively addressing the issue.

“I’ve spoken to so many people across the county who have told me how their lives have been blighted by persistent nuisance and that is why I have made cutting crime and ASB a priority in my Police and Crime Plan and a focus for the Force.”

You can follow the outcomes of the Operation Relentless patrols via the Dorset Police Facebook page, @DorsetPolice on Twitter or @Dorset_Police on Instagram.

You can report ASB online or by calling Dorset Police on 101. As always in an emergency where life is at risk or a crime is being committed dial 999.

If we are not able to deal with your complaint directly, we will give you advice on which local agency can help and how to contact them. The police and other local agencies have a variety of different powers to tackle anti-social behaviour. As a guide, local councils have the powers to deal with:

• Abandoned vehicles.
• Graffiti and flyposting.
• Damage to public property.
• Rubbish and fly tipping.
• Noise, including loud music, noisy neighbours, parties, alarms, animals and noise from pubs and clubs.

You can find lots of advice on Dorset’s dedicated anti-social behaviour pages (www.dorset.police.uk/asb) or by visiting AskNED (www.dorset.police.uk/askned).