Anti-social behaviour in Dorset has to stop – and the police are going to do all they can to ensure it does.

Operation Relentless aims to remind residents and visitors that the Force takes a tough approach to anti-social behaviour (ASB) and sends a very clear message to those involved that it simply will not be tolerated in the county.

Overall reports of anti-social behaviour have fallen in Dorset over the last two years. However, it traditionally increases over the summer months and tackling it remains a Force priority.

Superintendent Alan Setchell, Force anti-social behaviour lead, said: “We know from speaking to our communities and from public surveys that anti-social behaviour is an ongoing issue and remains a real concern to residents and businesses.

“Anti-social behaviour is a very visible form of disruption in our communities and is closely linked to how safe people feel. When it is persistent it can have a significant impact on people’s lives.

“The Force has a number of operations already underway to tackle anti-social behaviour in hotspot areas across the county. Operation Relentless has been introduced to allow us to provide a clear and consistent message that we take reports of anti-social behaviour seriously and it is not acceptable.

“We want to empower our communities to help us fight this issue and take the anti away from anti-social by reporting incidents of anti-social behaviour involving loud, abusive, rowdy or intimidating alcohol-related behaviour, drug misuse and intimidating gangs of people to Dorset Police.

“We know that there is not one simple solution to all the issues anti-social behaviour can cause. Each policing area throughout Dorset has its own dedicated plan to tackle such activity and officers continue to work closely with the respective local authority to identify and reduce incidents. This year we have strengthened our links with partners even further by working directly alongside them in newly set up Multi Agency Command Centre in Bournemouth that co-ordinates summer resilience staff to hotspot areas across the BCP area and in Dorset County.”

The launch of Operation Relentless coincides with the UK’s first ASB awareness week, which runs from Monday 19 July to Sunday 25 July.

David Sidwick, Police and Crime Commissioner for Dorset, said: “Tackling anti-social behaviour is a major priority of mine and I’m glad to see the Force is launching a major campaign to robustly deal with this issue within my first 100 days in the role.

“I’ve spoken to so many people across the county who have told me how their lives have been ruined by persistent nuisance, and dealing with these problems will be a major theme of my police and crime plan, which I will be launching in the autumn.

“It’s also important people realise that many anti-social behaviour problems are the responsibility of different agencies such as local authorities, with a survey by my office last year revealing a great deal of confusion over who was responsible for what. I’ll be working with all of these agencies to make sure we get this message across more clearly, but in the meantime I’d encourage everyone to visit the Dorset Police’s ASK NED pages online where they can get more information.”

You can report anti-social behaviour at www.dorset.police.uk or by calling Dorset Police on 101. As always in an emergency where life is at risk or a crime is being committed dial 999.

Dorset Police says if it is unable to deal with your complaint directly, it will give you advice on which local agency can help and how to contact them.

As a guide local councils have the powers to deal with:

• Abandoned vehicles
• Graffiti and flyposting
• Damage to public property
• Rubbish and fly tipping
• Noise, including loud music, noisy neighbours, parties, alarms, animals and noise from pubs and clubs

You can find lots of advice on Dorset’s dedicated anti-social behaviour pages www.dorset.police.uk/help-advice-crime-prevention/safety-in-your-community/asb/ or by visiting Ask NED here: www.dorset.police.uk/contact-us/ask-ned-how-can-we-help/