Patrol officers in Weymouth have spent hundreds of hours on the beat to improve community safety.
Our patrol officer Sam carried out more than 140 hours of foot patrols last month. Three new officers are currently being recruited to join him.
Sam issued 15 verbal warnings, two Community Protection Notices, one Community Protection Warning and undertook the removal of seven lots of abandoned property.
140 hours of foot patrols
Patrol officers are specially trained and employed by Dorset Council, who worked with Dorset Police, the Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner, British Transport Police, Dorset County Council and Weymouth BID to set-up the patrols under the Community Safety Accreditation Scheme.
Sam said: “My role is to deter anti-social behaviour and reassure people that action will be taken. I am here to show that anti-social behaviour will not be tolerated.
“I have been very busy trying to cover all the areas in my patch, sometimes my time is taken up dealing with incidents and meeting other agencies, but I’m out on the beat as much as possible.
“I want people to know they can come and talk to me, especially if anything has made them feel unsafe. People can either speak to me or email me.”
Cllr Graham Carr-Jones, Dorset Council Portfolio Holder for Community Safety and Housing, said: “Having a visible presence in certain areas is important and so I am pleased that we are recruiting more patrol officers. We have listened to people’s concerns when deciding which areas to focus on. Weymouth is a wonderful town. We are working hard to improve community safety.”
“Having a visible presence is important”
Sam has been focusing his patrols on the town centre, the Esplanade, the train station and Lodmoor. He has dealt with a range of practical incidents recently including dealing with someone who was heavily intoxicated in the town centre, dealing with a case of indecent exposure and also dealing with a gang who arrived in town and began aggressively begging. They left after being issued with verbal warnings and have not returned.
Now the weather is warmer Sam has also been out on his bike, which allows him to cover even more ground. Anyone can email Sam, his address is: patrol@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk
Sam carries out certain police and council enforcement powers, such as issuing fixed penalty notices, and enforcing the Public Space Protection Order. This order gives officers certain powers such as being able to require people to surrender alcohol in certain circumstances in designated areas. Patrol officers also gather evidence and are involved in the enforcement of Community Protection Notices, which place restrictions on individuals that persistently act in an anti-social manner.
