Dorset Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing the county of Dorset in the south-west of England, which includes the largely rural area covered by Dorset Council, and the urban conurbation of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole. The force covers an area of with a population of 774,000. History Dorset County Constabulary was formed in 1855. In 1965, it had an establishment of 544 and an actual strength of 466. On 1 October 1967, it merged with Bournemouth Borough Police to form Dorset and Bournemouth Constabulary. On 1 April 1974, this force took over some areas (mainly Christchurch and its hinterland) from Hampshire Constabulary and acquired its present name of Dorset Police. Chief constables Dorset Constabulary 19241955 Peel Yates 19551962 Ronald Berry Greenwood 19621967 Arthur Hambleton Dorset and Bournemouth Constabulary 19671974 Arthur Hambleton Dorset Police 19741980 Arthur Hambleton 19811982 David Owen 1982 1995 Brian Weight 19951998 D. W. Aldous 19992004 Jane Stichbury 20052012 Martin Baker 20122018 Debbie Simpson 20182021 James Vaughan 2021–2023 Scott Chilton from 1 March 2023 Amanda Pearson Governance Dorset Police was formerly responsible to the Dorset Police Authority, which was replaced in 2012 by the elected Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC). , the PCC is David Sidwick, who represents the Conservative Party. Organisation and operations The force covers an area of with a population of 774,000, which increases in the tourist season. In 2022, Dorset Police received 121,798 emergency calls on 999. In the 20182019 financial year, Dorset Police: Recorded 183,412 incidents, including 55,028 crimes Made 10,515 arrests Dealt with 5,832 missing persons incidents and 7,426 mental health incidents Criminal Investigation Department Criminal Investigation Department (CID) provides advice to all policing units on crime-related matters and maintaining a corporate approach to reducing crime, as well as providing specialist and investigative roles. CID is split into numerous sub-departments, which include: Child Protect Investigation, Intelligence Directorate, Scientific Support. Roads Policing Unit The force is responsible for policing road across the county. There are no motorways located within Dorset. Dorset Police have around 450 vehicles, from 20 different manufacturers, and drive a total of 7.5million miles a year. The Roads Policing Unit also features the following teams: No Excuse Team Launched in 2010, the No Excuse Team aim to reduce deaths and serious injuries on Dorset roads. Interceptor Team Launched in 2023, the Interceptor Team target criminals using the road network within Dorset. Ports Policing Unit The Ports