Dorset Police
Bringing our Values to Life
Police and Crime Commissioner’s Foreword
Whether you are a police volunteer, a member of police staff or a police officer, there is no doubt policing Dorset is a rollercoaster, both of emotions and of events. Every working day is different. But one thing that remains constant is the commitment and empathy of the organisation. I am constantly humbled by something a member of this organisation does. Whether it is for a victim, a member of the public, a partner organisation, or a colleague, I am regularly reminded that people chose to join Dorset Police for the right reasons – to help people. This booklet encapsulates that ethos.
Thank you for what you do.
Police and Crime Commissioner for Dorset
MSc PGCE
Chief Constable’s Foreword
“Dorset Police is a story of success, innovation, change and one of always putting our communities first.”
This is a collection of stories, from our public and our staff, and they continue to be written every day. These stories paint a picture of both individual and collective acts of compassion, pride, determination and kindness – doing the right thing, when no one is looking. Taken in isolation some may feel they are not earth shattering but in reality they highlight a state of mind unique to the police service, and in particular the Dorset Police way.
At a time when the police service has faced criticism on many fronts, this booklet offers a selection of stories you and our public have provided, which illustrate how our values are brought to life and personify the quote “There is one way to avoid criticism: do nothing, say nothing and be nothing”.
My thanks go to all who have contributed to and produced this booklet, and to everyone across the Force – officers, staff and volunteers alike – for your selfless dedication and through your actions, enabling our Values to live.
Chief Constable
Text that continues throughout the pages
Integrity - we are honest, trustworthy and genuinely accountable
Professionalism - we are committed to excellence and delivering the highest quality of service
Fairness - we act impartially, treating all according to their needs
Respect - we treat all with dignity and value difference
Our Values apply to all our dealings with individuals, communities and each other
These are the standards for which we strive and by which we wish to be judged
The writer stated: “I would very much like to commend the constable and indeed the entire team. In his dealings with me and the third party, he was both professional and courteous but, at the same time, sympathetic and approachable and eased us through what was a traumatic moment for all of us.”
They are a credit to your Force and everything I would like to expect from Dorset Police.
They were always very professional and knowledgeable in their dealings with us but it was
their human touch that made all the difference and gave us confidence to carry on.
Even though the weather was dreadful, they all stayed until we had all finished the work required and we all left together.
He was a star and a credit to the team.
He should be commended for his professionalism whilst off duty – following the female knowing she had a large knife and giving concise commentary to the control room until local units arrived and detained her.
The unwavering commitment, dedication and attention to detail by the teamwas absolutely critical to the success of this case.
It involved an exceptional level of determination to bring all offenders to justice.
The victim’s family were extremely grateful for the compassion shown by thewhole team and both prosecution and defence counsel were very complimentary.
He consistently demonstrated outstanding leadership skills and his enthusiasm inspiredcolleagues and partner agencies alike. His attention to detail across the work requiredexceptional levels of personal resilience and sustained commitment throughout prolongedperiods and considerable sacrifice to his personal and family life.
I want to applaud theservice that during a busy and difficult time they went above and beyond that which would have been expected.
I wish also to bring to your attention the superb manner with which all your officers and police staff dealt with me, polite courteous, professional and, most of all for a man in my situation, compassionate.
My wife and I are extremely impressed by the progress that has been made with this case. This is above and beyond what we would have expected. Thank you for all you have done.
Whilst this professional work was humbling to be part of, I was most impressed with how the team naturally pulled together to support each other both through formal debrief and in less formal discussion. I found the positive attitude and team spirit a particular source of pride and was reminded of how well officers deal with difficult and demanding circumstances as individuals and as a team.
After seeing the elderly driver struggling at the side of the road the two camera operators pulled over and changed his tyre for him – the gentleman was overcome withgratitude and stated: “not many people would have bothered”. His opinion of the people workingon safety cameras had changed forever nowknowing how caring they were.
Enthusiastic praise of the exceptional support. This hand of friendship and professional support is something which we both wished to bring to your attention because it has considerably improved our quality of life.
She is a very hard-working, dedicated and conscientious member of the team with anexceptional ‘can do’ attitude– nothing is too much troubleand she can be completelyrelied upon to deliver consistently high quality work. She is held in thehighest regard by all of hercolleagues and is an absolute asset to the department andDorset Police.
Just to say a big thanks to your team for their assistance a couple of weeks ago. Without their prompt action I would have either been unable to attend or may have been
late for a regional meeting that I was due to chair. Their assistance
and efficiency was much appreciated, please feel free to
pass this on to them.
I spoke to her and she stated that she would go to Verwood Police station and log on to establish what had occurred. This response was far more than I expected. It is a perfect example of her commitment to her role and that of Dorset Police. She quickly established the problem and rectified it and enabled my colleague to fulfil their vital role. I wish to thank her for her diligence to the role.
He should be commended for his professionalismwhilst off duty – followingthe female knowing she had alarge knife and giving concisecommentary to the control roomuntil local units arrived anddetained her.
He was calmness personified sortingeverything outwith humour and a really helpfulattitude despite the stifling heat!
I then went up to the member of police staff to be greeted with what in my mind is absolutelyfantastic and positive: “my supervisor is going into the station from her home on her rest day and she will do it there for you”. I was flabbergasted and asked if she was sure; she reassured me that it was no problem. I have never been soimpressed with the attitude ofpeople in this organisation but my word it makes me feel good again.
I posted them to his home address rather than use the internal mail. The officer reallyappreciated the fact that I checked his duty sheet and went above and beyond to help him. I wish to raise how thiswas another exampleof good qualityservice receivedfrom your department.It was personal, timely,accurate and with goodfollow up.
His can do attitude should serve as anexample to colleaguesthroughout DorsetPolice.
. It can be very disruptivehaving to change offices at the best of times but I would like to thank the staff who assisted us in our recent move. They remained committedand cheerful at alltimes and certainly helped us all pull together in getting the job done.
I found her to be extremely helpful and efficient, she provided me with an excellent service which enabled me to deal with my task quickly and continue my patrol. She is a credit to the department and should be commended!
Not only did she maintain a high level of performance throughout her career, but she did so despite enduring several bouts of serious illness. On each occasion she returned to work with a positive attitude, insisting on resuming normal working quickly and with the minimum of fuss.
This officer demonstrated utmost professionalism, above andbeyond, by aiming to ensure thatthere was no detrimental impactto the training. He arranged toensure that his operation did notclash with fulfilling the delivery ofthe course and the commencementof the next course.
What was amazing was all your commitment to the operation, and this definitely contributed to the excellent results. There are not many operations, involving so few staff, no surveillance resources, one day’s planning, and no overtime costs to the force, which result in such impressive results.
He is highly regarded as a first class officer, ensuring all things are done to an exacting standard and many of our more frequent guests also hold him in high esteem for this. He is alsoknown for his altruistic nature, highlighted when a colleague wanted to take a well needed family holiday due to serious family illness. Without any fuss or complaint, he worked alone for several weeks to ensure his colleague could enjoy a break.
This response brought to a conclusion the uncertainty and tension that the person was experiencing. Applying fairness, respect and professionalismto this issue resulted in an expression of gratitude not only from the person directly involved but also from local line management.
They have always taken responsibility of investigations and are committed to seeing things through with thehighest levels of professionalism, integrityand leadership qualities that have held them in good stead as both a uniform officer and in CID.
Since starting at Dorset Police, everyone has gone out of their way to help me, from showing me around the building to teaching me how to do my role or people just smiling and saying hello in the corridor. My colleagues and managementare always willing to assist and answer any queries that I may have – I have been made to feel extremely welcome and part of the team.
On Valentine’s Day they cancelled personal events and volunteered to provide the necessary support that evening and for long hours throughout the weekend, dealing with the aftermath of the storm. Such dedication andprofessionalism is highly commendable and, thankfully, not uncommon across the force.
He noted their approach was highlyprofessional, showing an excellent blend oftechnical knowledge, communication skills and patience when dealing with members of the public. “I drove away with a verypositive impression of Dorset Police.”
I wanted to write and thank you for the leading role that you and Dorset Police have played in the success of this year’s Bournemouth Air Festival. This is due in no small part to your enthusiasm,energy and determination to findconstant improvements in an already excellent working partnership between the emergency services. Nothingwas too much trouble and their professional guidance and advice was always immediately available to the event team. The speed of response was commendable.
I wanted to thank the officers for their help and compassion throughout the incident and their care and attention to the welfare of my parents. They are both a credit to the policeservice and should be recognised as such.
All of the officers involved in this incident are commended for their calm, professionaland courageous actions in dealing with a highly charged and traumatic situation; actions which without doubt saved the women from serious life threatening injuries.
I am sending you a quick email to compliment your two instructors. I went to the course full of preconceptions and, having heard tales, I was not really expecting great things from the course. I was totally wrong and am very happy to admit it. I would like to say that the style of guidance and education was, to me, beneficial – thank you for anexcellent course and two top educators.
He is committed and a highly regarded officer – whose pride in appearance,punctuality and willingness to go the extra mile is clear to all who work with him.He is also a very compassionate officer – at one of the fatal accidents he calmly and professionally helped a man whose wife was dying beside him. His drive andenthusiasm is infectious, and he works tirelessly for his team and for the community.
I believe that the approach that this Sergeant showed was one that inspires confidence from his peers andsubordinates. a great trait in an individual that allows him to get the best out of a colleague. By supporting me, he enabled me to actually come into work on the Friday when at times I was so low that I felt unable to. His manner and style enables, in my view, officers to remain happy and supported at work.
The next day CID sent an email to the Safer Neighbourhood Officer for the area concerned. In this email they asked the officer to pass on congratulationsto all officers involved in completing the hand on pack, stating that it was the one of the best hand on packs they had received in 2013.
She also goes ‘above and beyond’ her role to ensure volunteers at the local community office have the tools to do their job effectively and her support has, without doubt, contributed to the office experiencing a doubling of customer numbers each year. She has a ‘can do’ approach to everything in which she becomes involved. Her dedication and commitment to partnership working is outstanding; she is a real ‘unsung hero’.
Thanks to the flexibilityand personal responsibility
from members of the team,including adjusting a numberof periods of leave and personal commitments to attend a number of subsequent commitments outside of office hours. This certainly enabled the Force to achieve the PCC’s mandate.
The unwavering commitment, dedication and attention to detail by the team was absolutely critical to thesuccess of this case. It involved an exceptional level ofdetermination to bring all offenders to justice. The victim’sfamily were extremely grateful for the compassion shown by thewhole team and both prosecution and defence counsel were verycomplimentary.
There was a member of staff that was on long term sickness absence who needed help each month with some finance claim forms. I contacted her each
month to remind her about the forms and she thanked me for remembering her and that she was unwell.
He leads his team from the front with his enthusiastic, proactive and crimefocused style; an approach that has made a significant impact on targeting local criminals. What shines throughas one of his most enduring strengths is his continued energy andenthusiasm for the fundamentalsof policing and his determinationto catch criminals.
His actions were not only heroic, but expected from an experienced Officer rather than that of a Special Constable who had only been working with us for a handful of weeks. I believe he should be commended, as his quick thinking actions helped detain a violent and Elusive young man.
I was greatly impressed by their courtesy, alertness and responsiveness.
I was very impressed in the way in which she made every effort to support and to go that extra mile to protect both the victim and offender.
When I asked a member of the department for the fifth time to adjust their report to meet the
changing requirements for the project, they made all of the changes required by the following day despite other pressing priorities. I wasinstantly reminded why Dorset Policeperforms so well. It has great peopleat the heart of it.
When speaking with an elderly customer on the phone recently, she found it difficult to navigate the Dorset Police website. She wanted to work through it on her own computer so I patiently went through each individual stage. She thanked me several times and said I had really helped her and that she was so grateful for my patience.
It was apparent to me that she was extremely anxious about the uncertainty of her situation. I looked up the member of staff, saw she was logged on and invited her to meet with me late that afternoon to go through the issues, rather than her have to wait for her appointment. She was very gratefulthat I could clarify her situation. Her supervisor alsothanked me and said she felt a great deal better.
He is conscientious, innovative, hard-working, and willing to drive forward improvement and change.
I found it extremelyuseful, and reallyappreciated you both giving up your time to further enhance my understanding of the procedures.