No safer place to live in England - Dorset Police

CID/CJD
Hitting the Criminals Where it Hurts
The Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) is
designed to take the profit out of crime.
It provides wide-ranging powers to be able
to seize any proceeds of crime from
convicted criminals.
The main motivation for criminal activity is
profit. Criminals traffic in drugs, illegal
immigrants, prostitution and contraband
goods and are prepared to commit crimes
ranging from simple theft to murder in order
to make money.
In Dorset we have an Economic Crime Unit,
who have been working very hard over the
past few years to put measures in place to
ensure that Dorset Police maximises its
powers under the Act.
In the past year alone, we have seized
over £3.5 million from criminals - including
£1.8 million in cash.
The money seized in Dorset goes to central
government but, under the Asset Recovery
Operation Dismantle Update
Operation Dismantle was established in April
2005 to tackle the supply of Class A drugs
across the County.
It set out to identify and tackle the most violent
drug dealing offenders within the County and
this ethos remains as relevant today as it was
when Dismantle began.
To ensure that we are able to identify and tackle
individuals who are known for both violence and
Incentivisation Scheme, Dorset Police
receives back a proportion of the cash taken
from criminals. This money is then
reinvested in fighting crime. It is also used to
fund other policing activity, such as the
recent end-of-year performance adverts you
may have seen or heard in your local media.
As Detective Inspector Sue Wynn, head of
the Economic Crime Unit explains,
“Criminals have been living off the
proceeds of their crimes for too long and
we can now better protect youngsters from
the negative role model this creates by
seizing assets and removing mislaid
notions of ‘gangster glamour’.”
The Economic Crime Unit are keen to know
about anyone suspected to be living off the
proceeds of crime and if you have any
information, please call 01202 or 01305 22 22
22 and ask for the Money Laundering Unit.
Alternatively, you can contact Crimestoppers
on 0800 555 111 to report information relating
to people who make a profit from crime.
Class A drug offences, drug analysts are in
place. They collate information and evidence
and pass this to a dedicated team. Decisions
are then made on the best action to take.
Dorset Police are committed to tackling drug
dealing across the County and our core role
within the drugs arena is one of enforcement.
We strive to tackle not only drug dealing
but other crime which may be linked and
will continue to target those involved in the
supply of drugs for their
criminal behaviour.
As a result of the excellent
work carried out, Operation
Dismantle has contributed to
the seizure of Proceeds of
Crime Assets, amounting to
£1,840,482 for 2006/07.
Focus on...Dorset Police Special Branch
Dorset Police Special Branch is one specialist
department within the wider Criminal Investigation
Department (CID). It is based around the county
with offices at the force headquarters in Winfrith,
Bournemouth, Bournemouth International Airport
and Poole Port.
Special Branch in Dorset has developed, like
others around the country, from a historical
standpoint of countering purely Irish Terrorism -
to what we see and expect today to counter the
threat from international, Irish and domestic
terrorism and extremism.
Our work is conducted in support of the
government approach to counter-terrorism,
focusing on four key factors:
Detective Sergeant Dave Webster and
recently retired Detective Constable Adrian
Hugill were awarded with a Chief
Constable’s Commendation at a recent
Dorset Police Awards Ceremony.
Dave and Adrian had to investigate the
extremely difficult case of a two-year old boy
being physically abused by his mum’s
boyfriend.
The case was complicated and lengthy, the
boy was admitted to Poole hospital with life
threatening injuries when we first became
involved and soon it was discovered that he
also had a number of historical injuries.
The boy’s mother and boyfriend continually
denied causing any harm to the boy. Experts
●●● The prevention of terrorism
●●● The pursuit of terrorists
●●● The protection of the UK from terrorists
●●● Preparedness with the appropriate
resources and people to respond to any
terrorist incident
Dorset remains one of the safest areas to live
but it is important to ensure it remains this way.
Responsibilities of Special Branch therefore
include:
●●● Gathering and analysing information
●●● Initiating and developing policing
operations
●●● Providing, initiating and maintaining
counter terrorism security
Special Branch also work with others to ensure
the safety of the high profile VIPs that Dorset
attracts, for example Prince Charles who visited
in 2006.
Special Branch officers and staff are trained to
the highest level and form an integral part of
policing in Dorset.
Excellent Work by Officers in the
Criminal Investigation Department
were called in and Dave and Adrian showed
extreme professionalism and resilience to
ensure thorough and accurate evidence
could be presented at the trial. The pair
worked tirelessly and during the investigation
over 100 statements were taken and over
1000 documents collated.
Following a two-week trial, the boyfriend was
convicted of wounding and cruelty against
the boy and received a nine year prison
sentence. The mother pleased guilty to
cruelty and was given a 39 week suspended
prison sentence.
The two year old boy was expected to die
but happily, has now made an almost full
recovery from his injuries and is living locally
with a foster family.
Conditional Cautions -
Now in a Police Station near You!
Fingerprints and DNA sample are taken from an offender in custody
Criminal Justice Division
As the Criminal Justice Division (CJD), of Dorset Police, we are responsible for all the activities
that take place once an offender is detained and brought into custody - from the moment that
person is booked in, through to the final resulting of a case dealt with at court and the archiving
of related case papers.
The processes involved in bringing an offender to justice can seem complicated, but at all times
our focus is on providing the very best service to victims and witnesses.
The overall aim of our work is to serve communities fairly and bring more offences to justice.
Dorset Criminal Justice Division works in support of the Force’s corporate plan. With this in
mind, we aim to:
■ Provide consistent high standards of service to victims and witnesses;
■ Bring more offences to justice;
■ Raise public and professional confidence in our service delivery.
Conditional Cautions have arrived in Dorset this
year. A Conditional Caution is a new type of
caution that can be issued to adult offenders
who admit their guilt. It is given to offenders who
have committed a criminal act, but one that
would not result in going to prison.
It is a type of caution with enforceable conditions
attached to it. This means that the offender will
receive a caution provided that they comply with
conditions that are relevant to the offence they
have committed. In every case the victim of the
crime is consulted, and their views are always
taken into account.
The Crown Prosecution Service decide on
appropriate conditions. If these are successfully
met within an agreed time limit the caution is
completed. If not, the offender will be prosecuted
for the original offence. Their failure to comply
with the conditions can also be mentioned in
court, and then taken into account when
sentencing.
Conditional Cautions do not replace the simple
adult caution, which we will continue to use in
Dorset. Nor would they be used in cases where
it would be more appropriate to charge the
offender and send them to court.
They are a positive initiative to help us to deliver
swift justice for victims of crime, putting wrongs
right without the involvement of the courts. They
have proved extremely popular with victims of
crime in the trial areas, and with police officers.
For example, earlier this year a band playing in
Boscombe had an argument, during which one
of the band members deliberately damaged the
car of another band member. The offender was
arrested, and dealt with by being given a
conditional caution. His conditions were to pay
compensation to the victim to repair the car -
and also to write a formal letter apologising for
his actions.
Johannes Oosthuizen, the patrol sergeant who
dealt with above case, said “This is an excellent
example of how a conditional caution can work
best for the offender and the victim. A first class
result!”
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