'This role reflects our commitment to improving the victim experience'

As 16 Days of Activism continues, I wanted to highlight one of the new roles within Dorset Police which is focused on improving the service victims receive from the Force. Funded partly by my Office, the Victims Champion is a new role designed to continue the improvements to victims-first policing in Dorset. Today, I’d like to introduce Chelsie Cullen, Dorset Police’s Victims Champion to tell you more about her role and the vital importance of putting victims at the very centre of policing.

“I have worked for Dorset Police for 20 years, starting as a Detention Officer in Custody and then moving onto the Custody management support team. These roles have contributed to my passion and commitment to improving standards, supporting officers and staff and delivering our best service for the public. I am proud to be the face of this new role to Dorset Police and look forward to continuing improvements for our victims, working together with departments and our partnerships.

“This role will oversee Dorset Police’s commitment to the Victims Code of Practice from the start of the victim’s journey and throughout. This new position has a clear and vital mission: to put victims at the heart of everything we do, not just in policy, but in everyday practice. Victim care is not a checklist, it is a commitment. And it must be lived and upheld by everyone, every time.

“Every contact leaves a trace. How we engage with victims – every word, every update, every choice – has a lasting impact. This new role is about ensuring that these traces are dignified, clear, caring and do the right thing. Support organisations also play a very important part of a victim’s journey, providing expert, bespoke support for victims, and part of my role is about ensuring officers and staff know the most appropriate places to signpost victims towards so they can access the best support available.

“We want to ensure every officer and staff member recognises their role in delivering a victim-first service – one where victims are informed, empowered, and given a voice. Within my role, I also want to ensure that officers and staff feel informed and empowered and get the tools and support they need to complete this work. I want them to be able to go home at the end of the day and say, ‘I did the best job for that person’.

“Being a victim of crime is disempowering. The Criminal Justice System and beyond can be overwhelming and complex, often leaving victims feeling excluded from the process. If we ensure victims have clear points of contact, opportunities to ask questions, and avenues to be heard, this helps them regain a sense of control. This role reflects our absolute commitment as a police force to improving the victim experience – not through words alone, but through meaningful, measurable change.”

Thank you Chelsie for your inspiring words and I look forward to seeing the progress made. Supporting victims of crime in a dignified and respectful way, and ensuring communication is proactive and clear is integral to ensuring the public has confidence in Dorset Police, and we must all do whatever we can to make sure this is the norm, not the exception. Putting Victims and Communities First is a key priority in my Police and Crime Plan, and I am determined to ensure Dorset Police shows empathy and understanding for victims, adopts a duty of candour when things go wrong, and seeks a path of continuous improvement.

As part of my commitment to this vital part of policing, my Office commissions several support services for victims of crime in Dorset and I know the deep value they provide for those in times of crisis recovering from trauma. Whether it is through Victims Support Dorset, The Shores, STARS, Paragon or many of the other services we provide vital funding for, I am dedicated to ensuring these services are available to continue making a difference for people in Dorset.

David Sidwick

Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner