Urgent calls were made today to protect Dorset's communities and get more police on the beat amid a rise in crime including a surge in violent offences.

Data from the Office for National Statistics showed that recorded crime in Dorset rose by more than 8 per cent last year. A breakdown reveals violent crime has risen 22 per cent, public order offences have spiralled by more than 48 per cent and sexual offences are up 22 per cent.

There were decreases however in drug crime, theft from vehicles and shoplifting.

Although the figures relate to the 12 months to September 2018, the Echo has reported on numerous incidents of violence and other serious crimes locally since the autumn including:

* Driver robbed at busy junction in Weymouth at 10am in October

* Woman injured in Park District attack in October

* Holidaymakers assaulted near Weymouth seafront in October

* Woman stabbed in Weymouth in November

* Man stabbed on Weymouth seafront in November

* Reported rape in Dorchester in November

* Attempted robbery of woman in subway in Weymouth in November

* Man seriously assaulted in Weymouth town centre early on Christmas Eve

* Man seriously assaulted in Dorchester Road, Weymouth early on Christmas Day

* Three assaulted following fight in Weymouth early on New Year's Day

* Two stabbed in Dorchester in January

Edward Morello, Lib Dem Parliamentary Candidate for West Dorset suggested the increase in violent crime, robberies, and sexual offences was a direct result of cuts to police funding.

He said: “We have suffered years of chronic underfunding of our frontline police services in Dorset. "We’ve lost over 40 officers in the past four years. Residents of west Dorset, especially in rural communities, have been abandoned and left to fend for themselves.”

Police and Crime Commissioner Martyn Underhill said in November amid decreased funding that policing in Dorset had 'reached tipping point'.

In response to Mr Morello's comments he said: “The rise in recorded crime in Dorset reflects in part the improvements made by Dorset Police in the way they both record and enforce crime. In particular, a lot of work has been done to ensure violent crime is recorded correctly.

"I will of course keep monitoring this situation to ensure that all underlying causes are reviewed and acted upon where necessary. Dorset Echo readers will know that violence has risen dramatically locally and nationally."

He added: “I would dispute the suggestion that residents of rural areas have been left to ‘fend for themselves’. Tackling rural crime is one of my major priorities and ongoing investment is being made into the force’s Rural Crime Team. However, Mr Morello is correct in saying that Dorset Police have faced years of chronic underfunding from central government. This year’s funding settlement did little to reverse eight years of austerity which has left the force with the lowest numbers of officers since 1981."

Mr Underhill said he had called time and again for a fairer funding settlement and would continue to lobby the government.

Community safety spokesman for Weymouth & Portland Borough Council Cllr Mike Byatt said the police were facing significant challenge including an increase in 'county lines' crime.

Bobbies on beat vital

South Dorset MP Richard Drax has called for more money for the police, saying that without increased funding, “more frontline officers might have to go".

Speaking during a Parliamentary debate on the Police Grant, Mr Drax said Dorset Police faced three main problems; the continued reduction of government core funding, the increasing complexity and volume of demand and the unavoidable but continued financial pressure, including police pensions.

Saying that in Dorset “we have no more than 50 officers at night on duty at any one time,” Mr Drax also said the “biggest single cost to police resources has been welfare-related calls, with more repeat calls from the vulnerable, including those with mental health issues.”

In addition, he said, “Dorset’s population has increased by 20,000 this year, with changes to demographics and diversity, but there is absolutely no national recognition of this financially.”

In response to crime figures, Mr Drax told the Echo that more officers were needed on the beat.

"If offenders see police on the streets they are far less likely to commit crime," he said.

"I don't want to alarm people because Dorset is still a safe place but the lack of visible officers is a factor and statistics show that serious crime has risen."