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BBC News
a day ago
- BBC News
Illegal e-bikes will be crushed, Dorset Police warns
Illegally modified e-bikes, scramblers and scooters are being crushed in a crackdown on antisocial behaviour and organised Police said the operation, focusing on Poole and north Bournemouth, was in response to an increase in reported Nick Lee, of Poole Neighbourhood Policing Team, said illegally adapted electric vehicles were enabling serious violent crime, drug-dealing and acquisitive the start of 2025, the force has seized 52 electric scooters and 33 electric bikes which were being driven illegally. Police are also working with Bournemouth University to analyse data from the crackdown to inform future Lee said tackling antisocial behaviour remained "a key priority"."The large proportion of calls we have received demonstrates how concerned our communities are about the use of these vehicles in public," he and Crime Commissioner David Sidwick said: "If you're caught riding one of these vehicles illegally, it will be seized, crushed and recycled." You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
Times
07-07-2025
- Health
- Times
Smelling cannabis in public makes me feel unsafe, police chief says
The police and crime commissioner lead for substance misuse has said cannabis is 'chronically dangerous'. David Sidwick, who is the police and crime commissioner for Dorset, backed the College of Policing's stance that the smell of the drug on British streets is 'a sign of crime and disorder'. Sir Andy Marsh, the chief executive of the College of Policing and a former chief constable of Avon and Somerset, said smoke made him feel unsafe in his own community and it was the sort of problem that police 'ought to do something about'. It comes after Sir Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, among others, called for possession of small quantities of the class B drug to be decriminalised. Sidwick told The Times: 'I'm really pleased that the College of Policing is taking this seriously because going soft on this stuff doesn't work. The reason why the smell of cannabis is so prevalent is because we've had 30 years of people saying it isn't dangerous. 'I worked in the pharmaceutical industry for 30 years and this drug has long-term chronic side effects. It is associated with more birth defects than thalidomide and is linked to more than 20 cancers. Not to mention the issues with psychosis and drug driving.' Sidwick wrote a letter last month to the police minister Diana Johnson which was signed by 13 other police and crime commissioners claiming that the effect of the drug in society 'may be far worse' than heroin. • Have the police effectively decriminalised cannabis already? He said: 'It is a chronically dangerous drug that we haven't gripped. The whole world has been subjected to a PR campaign in the other direction. Some of those countries who have legalised it are trying to put the genie back in the bottle — Thailand and the [Porto] mayor in Portugal — but once it is out it is staying out.' Marsh, who is in charge of national police standards, told the Daily Mail: 'In my community, my kids are too frightened to use the bus stop because it always stinks of cannabis. Policing is about creating an environment that people feel safe in. • How to reclaim the streets from crime, by a police chief with a plan 'I'm speaking from personal experience and people I talk to. If I walk through a town, city, or even village centre and I smell cannabis, it does actually have an impact on how safe I feel. 'One definition of what police should be doing is — [if] something [is] happening which does not feel right, someone ought to do something about it.' 'For me, the smell of cannabis around communities feels like a sign of crime and disorder.' Marsh, speaking before the start of a new leadership programme for policing, was supported by Sir Stephen Watson, the chief constable of Greater Manchester, and Serena Kennedy, the chief constable of Merseyside, who retires next month. They said police forces were in a 'foot race for public confidence' and could no longer ignore what have traditionally been seen as the 'little things'. Watson said: 'This is the so-called lower level stuff, but actually it really isn't lower level stuff in the sense that this is where the public take their cues as to how safe or otherwise they feel, and how effective or otherwise is policing. 'The public aren't going to give us top marks for being brilliant at investigating murder alone. They expect us to be a full-spectrum organisation and that is what we are seeking to inspire in those who come forward for this course.' Their intervention follows a report, backed by Khan, which recommended that possession of cannabis be dealt with under the Psychoactive Substances Act rather than the Misuse of Drugs Act and that possessing small quantities for personal use should not be a criminal act. The maximum penalty for possession is five years in prison. The report said policing of cannabis possession 'continues to focus on particular ethnic communities, creating damaging, long-lasting consequences for individuals, wider society and police-community relations'. The Home Office said it had 'no intention' of changing the drug's status.
BBC News
13-06-2025
- BBC News
Dorset PCC defends release of body-worn footage of sacked officer
The decision to release footage showing a police officer putting his hands on a 15-year-old boy's throat has been defended by the man responsible for the police Police Crime Commissioner (PCC), David Sidwick, said releasing the footage would help the public "make up their own minds".PC Lorne Castle was dismissed without notice for gross misconduct following his detention of a 15-year-old boy in Bournemouth in January PCC was responding to the concerns of Dorset residents, put to him by BBC Radio Solent. Dorset Police released body-worn camera footage of the incident, in which the officer shouted and swore, telling the boy: "Stop resisting or I'm going to smash you."Mr Sidwick said he would not comment on the case or the subsequent appeal by Lorne Castle, but said previously that Dorset Police was right to release the video to allow the public to "make up their own minds".Thre PCC said: "Mr Castle has a right to appeal. The legal process has got to play out. Once that happens I will be making comment because I have been looking at this intently as you can imagine." Women's safety 'top priority' Ruth Kimber and Alicia Trowbridge from Blandford said they wanted to feel safer, and for women to "be able to walk the streets without feeling you're at risk of anything". The PCC said the safety of women and girls was one of his "top priorities"."The first thing I'd say is I'm sorry people feel like that. Crime is down 7% in Dorset while I've been PCC, but that doesn't matter if people don't feel safe", Mr Sidwick said."We work with partners, the local authorities, trying to get more CCTV, I went into bat to get Safer Streets funding, it also helps fund projects aimed at increasing the safety of women and girls, so things like funding for the Unity Promise in BCP, funding STARS, Sexual Trauma and Recovery Service to support people who've had problems. "It's also important to encourage women to tell us exactly where they don't feel safe, including using the Street Safe app." 'Shoplifting is a big issue' John and Pat Day from Lytchett Minster wanted to know what the PCC would do about said: "We need more officers on the street. People are scared to go out at night."Shoplifting is a big issue. Small shops need to be protected. It's not up to people to make citizens arrests because of knife crime."Mr Sidwick said it was a live issue that the force was tackling. "Our increase in shoplifting is 5% in Dorset, it's 20% across the country. Operation Shopkeeper in Dorset targets shoplifters. "It's working. We are doing it every day. I've said to the force they need to show they are cutting crime, reducing ASB, they have to show that and keep doing what they're doing." You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
BBC News
13-06-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Spending Review criticised by Tory police leaders in south
Three Conservative Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) in the south of England have criticised the chancellor's long-term spending Reeves announced on Wednesday that police funding would rise by 2.3% a year to fund 13,000 more neighbourhood Thames Valley PCC Matthew Barber and Hampshire and Isle of Wight PCC Donna Jones said the increase was funded by an assumed increase in council tax, while Dorset PCC David Sidwick said policing was at risk without "significant investment".Reeves told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme she did not "accept" the need for cuts to police jobs. Reeves' comments were in response to Labour's London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan saying the Spending Review would lead to cuts to frontline policing. Police budgets are made up of funding from both central government and a portion of council tax called the police can raise this precept by £14 a year for a Band D council tax bill without having to have a referendum. This is in addition to a 5% general rise."When they talk about spending power, that's predicated on me increasing council tax by £14 every year for the next three years on local taxpayers," said Barber."The chancellor says no tax rise is needed to fund her spending plans [but] she's simply passing the buck from one place to another, and taxpayers end up picking up the bill." 'Tough decisions' Jones said the plan to increase neighbourhood policing by 13,000 officers was "now merely a pipe dream"."What it is going to mean is that smaller police forces across the country will probably be forced to reduce their head count for police officers, and probably entirely get rid of police community support officers," she said Dorset residents "already pay over and above what other areas do for their police force" because rurality and seasonality were not considered in the funding formula."That is not right," he said."I understand there are tough decisions the government must make - we've had to make many in Dorset due to years of underfunding - but it is clear that serious and very real concerns from all corners of policing have once again not been heeded by those in power."The Home Office has been approached for comment. You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
PCC supports calls to reclassify cannabis
A Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) says he "fully supports" calls to reclassify cannabis as a Class A drug. Police forces in the west and south west of England have been cracking down on people using recreational drugs, with Dorset PCC David Sidwick this week reiterating calls for cannabis to be upgraded. Wiltshire PCC Philip Wilkinson says he has seen "first-hand" how cannabis cultivation and use are "deeply intertwined with a spectrum of criminal activities" in his county. The Home Office said it has "no intention of reclassifying cannabis from a Class B substance under the Misuse of Drugs Act". More news stories for Wiltshire Listen to the latest news for Wiltshire "From anti-social behaviour and retail theft to more serious offences like modern slavery and human trafficking, cannabis often serves as a gateway drug and funding source for organised crime groups," said Mr Wilkinson. Recent operations targeting organised crime groups in Wiltshire resulted in more than 100kg (220lbs) of cannabis being seized. These took place as part of Operation Scorpion, a joint initiative by Avon & Somerset, Dorset, Devon & Cornwall, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire forces, aimed at disrupting drugs networks around the west and south west of England. Mr Wilkinson added: "The idea that cannabis is a harmless drug is a misconception. Its cultivation and distribution are often controlled by organised crime networks that exploit vulnerable individuals and perpetuate violence. "County lines operations are the clearest example of how drug-related crime has extended its tentacles into our rural towns and villages. The notion that drug-related crime is only an urban issue is outdated and dangerously naïve." He said a national drug policy "that recognises cannabis as the deeply harmful drug it is, and supports prevention, education, and treatment alongside policing" would "send a clear message about the seriousness of its impact on our communities". Mr Wilkinson asked members of the public to continue reporting "any crimes and intelligence from their communities" so action can be taken. A Home Office spokesperson said: "We will continue to work with partners across health, policing and wider public services to drive down drug use, ensure more people receive timely treatment and support, and make our streets and communities safer. Follow BBC Wiltshire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. Experts criticise calls to re-classify cannabis Police crackdown on drug use in night-time economy Mayor backs report's call for cannabis law reform Wiltshire Police
