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HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate
HM Inspectorate of Prisons
HM Inspectorate of Probation
Criminal Justice Joint Inspection
Promoting improvements
in policing and fire & rescue
services to make everyone safer

Dorset Police

Her Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary (HMI): Wendy Williams is HMI for Dorset.

This force is in the Wales and Western HMICFRS policing region.

Our PEEL (police effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy) assessments give you information about how your local police force has performed in several important areas.

In our latest assessment of Dorset Police, we made the following judgments:

Dorset Police is good at preventing crime and developing a positive workplace. Dorset Police is adequate at treatment of the public, protecting vulnerable people, managing offenders and making good use of resources. Dorset Police requires improvement at investigating crime and responding to the public.

Read the full report for Dorset Police

Key facts – 2019/20

Force Area

1,024 square miles

Population

0.777m people
5% local 10 yr change

Workforce

89% frontline police officers
92% national level
3.43 per 1000 population
3.69 national level
1% 10yr change in local workforce
5% 10yr national change

Victim-based crimes

0.05 per person
0.06 national level
9% Local 5 year trend
9% National 5 year trend

Cost

53p per person per day local
59p per person per day national

These are the latest key facts about Dorset Police.

About the force

Dorset Police provides policing services to the county of Dorset. The police force area covers 1,024 square miles with approximately 140 miles of coastline in the south west of England.

Although there are some areas of deprivation, Dorset is generally affluent.

Around 0.8 million people live in a predominantly rural setting. The area has a number of distinct urban areas, including the towns of Bournemouth, Poole, Weymouth and Dorchester. The resident population is increased by university students and the large numbers who visit, socialise in, or travel through the county each year.

The transport infrastructure includes air and sea ports.

What the force says

Connect with Dorset Police

Dorset Police website

Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner’s website

© HMICFRS
23 Stephenson Street
Birmingham
B2 4BH
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