Dorset Police are offering the opportunity to accompany officers out on patrol.
The observation scheme is open to people living in Dorset who are aged 18 and over. The scheme is set to provide an unprecedented opportunity for people who are interested to see a range of policing techniques in action. These may include arrests, how the police deal with offenders and victims, statement taking, questioning and stop and searches.
As well as joining police officers with such duties, requests to ride along with an officer will be available where possible, enabling people to get to grips with local policing teams and the area better.
The lay observation scheme is one of the ways Dorset Police is showing its transparency. It also forms part of our commitment to the Home Office’s Best Use of Stop and Search Scheme.
Monique Munroe has taken part in the scheme and said:
“I had adrenaline – rather than blood – pumping through my veins, and that was before we’d even left the police station!”
She got to go out on the road with an officer and experience first hand what it’s like to go out on a call and said:
“I was kitted out with a stab vest, hi-vis jacket and radio and given user instructions. We went to find a missing person and also to see if we could spot a car which had been involved in an incident earlier on.”
Participants must attend a safety briefing prior to going out on patrol and will have to follow the instructions of the officer they’re accompanying at all times and wear a high visibility observer jacket.
