Representing the voice of the public in policing is a huge job, but someone’s got to do it well… We caught up with David Sidwick, who’s been in the role for over a year now, to find out what he’s most proud of this far, and what he hopes to achieve in future

Born in Bournemouth, David Sidwick studied anatomical science at the University of Bristol. After graduating he joined the pharmaceutical industry as a representative working across Dorset. He’s been on the UK Management Board for Parke-Davis as CNS Therapy Director (Marketing Director) and achieved an MBA with Distinction from Manchester University, before setting up his own business facilitating the education of more than 17,500 secondary care consultants. In 2021 he was elected the Conservative Police and Crime Commissioner for Dorset.

Could you explain the role of the Police and Crime Commissioner?
I am one of 41 Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) in England and Wales. The PCC acts as the voice of the public in policing and the overarching purpose of my role is to deliver an effective and efficient police service in Dorset. This is achieved by holding the Force to account on behalf of local people through my Police and Crime Plan. I spent three years consulting with the people of Dorset, really getting to know what they want and need from their police force; this information then helped shape my Police and Crime Plan, ensuring its priorities aligned with those of the people of Dorset.

Why choose ‘help me make our police crimefighters again’ as your campaign slogan?
There are three reasons. Firstly, when I went out as a candidate with the response team, we went to a call and it took 20 minutes to get there, 10 minutes of investigation, 20 minutes to get back to the station and then 15 minutes to sort the paperwork. I don’t want Dorset Police being administrators, I want them out doing what the public expect them to do.
The second reason was that during my campaign we were in COVID, and the police were asked to police things like parties, which they are never normally asked to do as they are crime fighters.
The third and most fundamental reason was that I felt that we had had nine years of a Police and Crime Plan that talked about vulnerability, support, and transformation. It didn’t have the words ‘cut crime’ as one of it’s four pillars, yet when I asked the people of Dorset what they wanted, they said they wanted crime, anti-social behaviour and the issue of illegal drugs addressed. That’s why I said it’s about making our police crime fighters again.

What about day-to-day police presence in the community?
The first thing I will say about police presence is that Dorset is getting more officers and I would expect to see the majority of these officers going into the community. Of the first 50 new officers we have had, 44 of them have gone straight out to work in communities across the county. This increase in officers will result in more of a presence in the community and residents feeling more connected to their local policing teams.
As a philosophy, I want to see much more connectivity and engagement from our officers. A programme of transformation is in place to ensure this happens.

How frankly have police departments been able to share their experiences and challenges? Can you share any aspects? 
The short answer is, very frankly. I have always maintained that I want to hear the reality of the situation and the force knows this. In fact, you reference the line “help me make our police crimefighters again” – that line originally came directly from a serving officer, not from your PCC.
I feel that there are very open lines of communication between me and Dorset Police. I’ve spoken to officers across Dorset, both as a candidate and since coming into office to give me an understanding of what the situation is and what the challenges are in the different departments. I have been out on patrol with neighbourhood policing teams, response officers, traffic officers, dog handlers and the marine section, amongst others, trying to really get an idea of what it’s like for front-line police in Dorset.
I think the biggest challenge I hear about is that a vast amount of work nowadays is not actual policing. The Police often pick up where there are gaps left by other agencies. For example, recently officers were dealing with a County Lines incident where a young person had been sent down from London on the train. The incident was dealt with and child protection services in London were contacted, however, they did not have a way to get the boy home. As a result, the officers from Dorset Police had to transport the boy back to London and ensure he was safe.

What constitutes rural crime?
There is no set definition of rural crime, however it can be very broadly classified as any crime or anti-social behaviour occurring in rural areas. Rural crime is often linked to organised crime groups who target and exploit rural communities across a range of crime types for example organised plant theft, livestock theft, burglaries targeting firearms, poaching and hare-coursing.
For me, rural crime means two things. Firstly, it’s those crimes that are unique to the rural area, things like hare-coursing and theft from farms. However, it also covers crimes that occur everywhere but are made worse and have a big impact because of the isolated living in rural areas. Things like domestic abuse, where we see an increase in the time it takes for victims to report and get help if they live in a rural area.

How many of the 20,000 new police across the country will we get in the southwest?
Dorset has been allocated an additional 184 officers over three years, and the force is on track to deliver this uplift.

How has the rural crime team been increased?
There has been a 400% uplift in resources to the Rural Crime team in Dorset since I became PCC.
In terms of numbers, the team previously consisted of two Police Constables (PC) and one Police Community Support Officer (PCSO). The increase now means that the team consists of a dedicated Inspector, Sergeant, five Constables, two Police Community Support Officers, a Neighbourhood Engagement Officer, three Special Constables and three Police Staff Volunteers.
This increase in resources and capacity has extended the police’s reach and capability to fight rural crime.

How are you tackling farm thefts? 
If we look at data from Dorset Police, so far this year there have been 44 thefts from farm premises across Dorset, this is down from 66 in August 2021. Although these figures are currently unverified, I am delighted to see such a large reduction.
The recent increase in the Rural Crime Team has meant that they are now equipped to take on serious organised crime groups. When a tractor is stolen and shipped across the channel this is organised crime and Dorset Police are now better equipped to address this. Recently, I witnessed £500,000 worth of equipment be returned to owners and you could see the joy when they got their property back.
I understand the detrimental implications theft from farms can have. A piece of equipment being stolen has a massive knock-on effect on farmers and their livelihoods. When equipment has been stolen, work cannot be done without hiring or buying new machinery. This is worsened by current supply chain issues that can result in long waits for new equipment.

Have you seen an increase in environmental disharmony and protests in your time as PCC?
I have seen an increase nationally, and I think it is disgusting that people think they can disrupt others’ lives by stopping them from being able to drive to work, drop their kids off at school or buy milk. People have the right to express their opinions but not at the expense of others. Luckily, it seems that these actions are taken by the extremist few.

As a key instigator for the treatment of neuropathic pain relief to be brought into the UK, how do you feel about the classification of cannabis as a drug, when many have it for medicinal use?
Having worked in the pharmaceutical industry assessing drugs, including cannabinoids for over 25 years, it is very clear to me that pharmaceutical preparations need to be thoroughly tested through clinical trials. Cannabis has not been able to satisfy the safety requirements to become a pharmaceutical preparation for common conditions. It is, however, prescribed by some secondary care physicians as a last resort when treating life-threatening or serious illnesses when all other licensed treatments have been exhausted.
The fact that it has not been able to become a commonly prescribed prescription medicine, coupled with new evidence of side-effects including mental health issues, cancer, birth defects and premature ageing, leads me to conclude that it should not be declassified. I believe there is a case for legislators to be ever watchful of the categorisation of this illegal drug.

It’s been a year since you were elected as PCC, what do you feel you’ve achieved in that year? And what are you tackling next?
I feel that I have achieved a great deal in my first year as PCC. Progress has been made towards every single priority within my Police and Crime Plan. After I emphasised to Dorset Police that ASB was an issue that needed addressing they have brought in Operation Relentless which works alongside my Operational Relentless Community Fund to tackle anti-social behaviour in our communities.
As previously mentioned there has been a 400% increase in resources to the Rural Crime Team, something that I raised as needing to be done within my first 100 days in office. My office has also seen the implementation of the Rural Crime Reduction Board, which sees partners working together to prevent and reduce rural crime.
Dorset also now has its own dedicated and proactive operation to target drugs – Operation Viper, which is set to target criminality, take drugs off our streets, share intelligence and protect the vulnerable. Operation Viper, along with Operation Scorpion, has been working to tackle illegal drugs and related crimes across Dorset and across county borders too.
I have three areas that are at the top of my list to continue tackling next year:
• Ensure we have a more effective solution for violence against women and girls, rape, domestic abuse and stalking.
• Fix the Future – we have some great kids in Dorset, but some get caught up on the wrong path. Fix the Future is about helping these young people get back on track. This involves things like the four fantastic Police Cadet units we have across Dorset as well as providing funding to support of educational establishments, youth clubs, local groups and charities working with at-risk young people.
• The issue of drugs and the harm they do. We have just seen the setup of the Combatting Drugs Partnership which brings together all organisations in Dorset that deal with substance abuse, and I am eager for the work of this partnership to begin.

You recently wrote ‘democracy is one of our most valuable institutions’ – can you explain what you mean?
I strongly believe that it should not be a small number of elite people deciding what happens. People should have a say in the institutions that play a big part in their lives. Policing, because of the power it yields, must be connected to the people it serves.
That’s why I think it is so important that people vote for their Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC). It is the Commissioner’s responsibility to ask what the people want from their police and instil that into their Police and Crime plan priorities, then they must scrutinise the force to ensure these priorities are met.

Finally: Line of Duty or Hot Fuzz?
Both – I’d like more Sergeant Angels and at least now everybody knows what OCG stands for.