The latest inspection by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services has cast a troubling light on police forces across the Southwest, revealing widespread failings in the fight against serious and organised crime. Among the worst performers was Dorset Police, which was found to be under-resourced, overstretched, and struggling to manage even its current caseload.
The report does not make for comfortable reading. Officers described as “overwhelmed” are handling up to 15 ongoing investigations, while two detectives were said to have been tied up on a single case for over six years. The sheer weight of unresolved files speaks volumes; this is a force on the back foot, reacting rather than proactively dismantling criminal networks.
Dorset Police was rated as “requiring improvement”, along with Wiltshire, Devon & Cornwall, and Avon & Somerset. Gloucestershire Constabulary fared even worse, labelled outright “inadequate”. While the Southwest Regional Organised Crime Unit (SWROCU) was rated as “adequate”, this masks the deeper dysfunction within the constituent forces.
Critically, the report highlighted a failure to consistently assess and understand organised crime threats across the region. In Dorset, 13 active Serious Crime Prevention Orders were in place, yet the force had neither the time nor personnel to monitor or enforce them effectively. This raises serious concerns not only about operational effectiveness but also about public safety.
The problems are systemic. Lead officers frequently lacked the training, capacity, or support to carry out their roles effectively. Investigations are hindered not by incompetence but by chronic under-resourcing, a lack of strategic oversight, and the slow pace of reform.
To their credit, Dorset Police have acknowledged the issues. Chief Constable Amanda Pearson accepted the findings and pointed to post-inspection efforts to bolster staff numbers and “professionalise training.” She rightly noted that regional units exist to combat cross-border crime, but the reality is that local forces must be equally equipped and capable to support this mission.
So where do we go from here? The public deserves better. Here’s what must happen:
- Immediate Investment in Resources and Training: Forces like Dorset cannot continue to limp along with inadequate staffing. Government funding must reflect the scale and complexity of organised crime in the region, particularly in rural and coastal areas that have become soft targets.
- Proper Oversight and Accountability: Forces must be held to account not just after the fact, but as problems develop. Transparent benchmarks and real-time assessments of threat levels must become standard, not optional.
- Enhanced Regional Coordination: While regional crime units are vital, they cannot operate in silos. Forces need shared intelligence platforms, pooled specialist teams, and synchronised strategies that make cross-border crime less viable.
- Proactive Enforcement of Crime Prevention Orders: Having orders in place is meaningless without enforcement. Every force must have a dedicated unit tasked with monitoring compliance and disrupting criminal activity at the roots.
- Public Reassurance and Engagement: The public needs to know their police are not simply firefighting but are proactively tackling crime. Community trust is eroded when serious cases drag on for years without resolution.
- Comprehensive Educational Opportunities: The public needs to know that police officers who are themselves part of the problem are being challenged and, if required, removed. It is essential to root out those sympathetic with criminality and extremist groups and individuals.
Chief Constable Pearson’s praise for her “brilliant officers” is no doubt sincere, but good intentions do not prevent crime. Only a well-funded, well-led, and well-coordinated police response can make the Southwest safe from modern criminal enterprises.
Until that happens, organised criminals will continue to exploit the cracks and the public will continue to pay the price.
