Anti-social behaviour incidents drop across BCP and Dorset

Data provided by Dorset Police shows the number of anti-social behaviour (ASB) occurrences in the first six months of the year rose every year from 2019 to 2021.

However, the volume of incidents in the first six months of this year are considerably lower than the previous three years.

In the BCP region, ASB incidents reported in the first six months of 2019 totalled 2,903. In 2020, this rose to 3,044 and again to 3,213 last year.

This year, meanwhile, the number stands at 2,066 – more than 1,100 less than 2021.

The year-on-year increase and subsequent drop for 2022 is the same in the wider Dorset region.

Neighbourhood policing anti-social behaviour lead Inspector Adrian Thompson, of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole police, said: “We are committed to working with our partners to tackle ASB as we recognise the impact this has on people’s lives.

Neighbourhood Inspector Adrian Thompson

“Dorset Police works closely with our partners, such as housing associations and local authorities to create a safer Dorset for everyone.

“Incidents of ASB can range from something that is a mild annoyance to something that causes real fear and insecurity. It could be a one-off event or something that happens over and over again.

“By understanding the root causes of ASB, the force can develop multi-agency action plans, including community engagement, to prevent and disrupt ASB early before it can take a grip on communities.

“This summer, Dorset Police is again using Operation Relentless to send the message that ASB will not be tolerated in the county.

“Officers will be undertaking localised operations to deal with specific issues, such as the ASB associated with drug use, retail theft, aggressive begging or locations in the force area, such as beaches as well as a focus on youth related ASB at key areas across the county.

Poole Neighbourhood Policing Team work with alongside Community Safety Accreditation Scheme officers. Picture: Poole Police

“We continue to urge members of the public to report incidents of ASB so we can take appropriate action and build an intelligence picture about areas where repeated issues are occurring.”

A more visible presence of officers has been noted by several community leaders. Canford Heath ward councillor Sean Gabriel told the Echo: “There are visibly more officers on patrol now, we’ve had two recently appointed at Canford Heath and they’re doing a great job. They and others do really engaging weekly pop-up events where people can come and meet their officers. That’s good for confidence and intelligence.

“While we get quite low-level reports of issues in our area, I would still encourage residents to keep reporting it when it does happen to keep that number low.”

Number of anti-social behaviour offences during the first six months of the year in Dorset Police area:

• 2019: 4,683
• 2020: 5,608
• 2021: 5,752
• 2022: 3,623