Dorset Police want more money to deal with summer influx

Thousands of people head to Dorset's beaches in the summer

More cash is needed to police events in the busy summer calendar when tourists flock to the region, Dorset's police and crime commissioner said.

David Sidwick said the county gets "not a bean" extra to cope with the influx of visitors each year and the policing challenges they bring with them.

The commissioner wants the Home Office to consider the rurality of Dorset when applying its funding formula.

It said the force would receive an extra £6.7m in the next financial year.

"There's a lot of difference when you have to drive 20 miles to get to a call, compared to two miles in a city," Mr Sidwick told a police and crime panel, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

He told councillors the funding formula had long been skewed in favour of metropolitan areas and took little account of the large geographical areas of many rural forces, including Dorset.

A major police and emergency services operation took place in 2020 after swimmers were injured "tombstoning"

Mr Sidwick said that while Dorset officers were often called upon to help with large national events, such as the Queen's funeral, the idea of mutual support seemed not to work in the opposite direction.

But the commissioner said he had been told a consultation would be held about the funding formula next year and he was confident of a better settlement for Dorset in the coming financial year.

The subject of summer policing was described as "a toxic issue" for Dorset Police by councillor Andrew Kerby.

He said it was almost impossible to engage with visitors before they arrived to tell them how they were expected to behave once on holiday in the county.

In a statement the Home Office said: "Our police make sacrifices every day to protect the British people, and we are steadfast in our admiration for our hardworking, brave and dedicated officers.

"Dorset Police will receive up to £165.8 million in 2023-24, a boost of up to £6.7 million on last year, and as of this September, the force is well on the way to meeting its recruitment target of uplift officers, having recruited 113 additional officers in the last three years."