Country Watch Covers
Our Background
The Police and Crime Plan 2021-2029 has six key priorities.
One of those priorities is to Fight Rural Crime and one of the key themes within that priority is to launch Country Watch in Dorset.
Country Watch brings together rural communities and relevant agencies so that crime, ASB and disorder issues affecting rural areas can be best addressed through partnership working. This work includes increasing the resilience of rural communities through strengthening rural watch schemes and introducing more partnership working through the Dorset Partnership Against Rural Crime (PARC) - Formerly known as the Rural Crime Reduction Board (RCRB).
Our Purpose
The purpose of the PARC is to oversee the delivery of the key actions needed to implement the Police and Crime Plan priority to Fight Rural Crime. The PARC will ensure integration with the work of other strategic partnerships, boards and groups - so that there is clarity of responsibilities between them, and all key priorities are addressed.
This will include to:
- Influence and develop strategic themes and projects to tackle rural crime issues
- Support development of plans focussing on prevention, intelligence, and enforcement
- Identify high priority rural crime issues and subsequently prioritising these issues for Board activity - through the delivery of a PARC Action Plan.
Our Aim
The aim of the PARC is to make Dorset the safest county by leading the way in preventing and reducing rural crime. The introduction of a PARC, in partnership with rural communities, is to:
- Improve communication, engagement, and crime reporting, within rural communities
- Prevent rural crime, including rural theft, wildlife crime, fly-tipping, and related organised crime
- Strengthen rural watch schemes and implementation of a grant scheme.
Reporting Crime
Please report your concerns, no matter how insignificant you think they might be. Something you’ve seen or heard may seem insignificant but it could be vital information provided by you to build that crucial intelligence picture. It could help us to catch a criminal and keep people in your community safe.
Membership
Membership of the Dorset PARC includes:
- Association of Dorset Watches
- BCP Council
- CLA
- Cornish Mutual
- Dorset Association of Parish and Town Councils (DAPTC)
- Dorset Council
- Dorset Police
- Dorset Wildlife Trust
- Environment Agency
- Forestry England
- Historic England
- Kingston Maurward College
- National Trust
- Natural England
- NFU – National Farmers Union
- NFU Mutual
- Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner