Weymouth anti-social behaviour operation a success, say police
100 Days of Summer featured visible uniformed patrols over summer
An operation to tackle anti-social behaviour and criminal activity in Weymouth saw another summer of low levels of incidents, according to Dorset Police.
The 100 Days of Summer featured police officers and PCSOs working with members of Dorset Council’s Community Safety Accreditation Scheme and other partners to provide 100 days of highly visible uniformed foot patrol during the summer months.
As well as reducing the number of anti-social incidents, police say there was a marked decrease in shoplifting and incidents of violence against a person.
During 100 Days of Summer, officers sought to increase their visibility and connectivity with businesses in the town centre and along the seafront. At the end of summer, over 100 businesses were surveyed about topics such as anti-social behaviour and police presence in the area.
In total, 77% of those surveyed reported that they felt there had been a reduction of anti-social behaviour over the summer and 52% felt there was a definite or gradual improvement around anti-social behaviour in the town centre.
Weymouth and Portland Neighbourhood Inspector Sam Goom said:
“Weymouth is a great place to live, visit or work. We are committed to ensuring it stays that way. This year’s 100 Days of Summer has had a really good impact on the town, making it feel and look safer for everyone who lives in or visits Weymouth.
"By working with our partners we have maximised the impact of the initiative. My team have worked incredibly hard this summer tackling ASB and related crime – I am pleased with what they have achieved for our community.”
“The results from our survey with businesses show that patrols, increased visibility and partnership working have had a positive impact on retail crime too, and this is something that we will be continuing to work on throughout the year.”
Dawn Rondeau-Irvine, Chief Operations Officer for We Are Weymouth BID, said:
“The 100 days of summer initiative was a great multi-agency approach to crime during the town's busiest season. The partnership working and communication was so successful that in Weymouth we are all continuing to meet and work together in this manner, improving the safety of the town for locals and visitors.
“It was great to see so many known shoplifters apprehended as well as antisocial behaviour driven out of the town something we believe made Weymouth an even better place to be this summer. Our Rangers will continue to work on intelligence with police and partners, something we believe is crucial for the betterment of the town.”