Dorset will tackle knife crime its own way

Dorset is likely to continue to use its own tactics to tackle knife crime in the county – although it has failed to win national funding for the work.

The county’s police and crime panel heard that shock tactics used in a national campaign were felt inappropriate for the local area.

Dorset has, instead, developed its own video, information and guidance for general public use.

Police and crime commissioner Martyn Underhill says the national campaign focuses on the effects of knife crime, used shocking images and is aimed at city areas, messages which he said had no resonance among Dorset audiences.

He says the problem in Dorset is much less severe with knives extremely unlikely to be used and, in most cases, carried by people under the age of 24, who wrongly feel they need some form of protection.

He told the county’s police and crime panel that he and his staff had worked hard on winning funding for the local campaign and was ‘devestated’ when they failed to do so.

He said the perception in Government was that places like Dorset did not have a knife crime problem and preferred to fund larger area.

'Knife crime figures for Dorset'

Mr Underhill said that although the county’s figures were low it needed it to stay that way and winning hearts and minds was part of the solution.

Knife crime in Dorset stands at 35 per 100,000 population, compared to the South West figure of 42 and 84 across England.

Most of the Dorset cases tend to be for possession of a knife.

Part of the ongoing campaign for the year ahead will be to create a violence reduction unit for Dorset although the panel heard that that also might not be possible because of a lack of funding.