A NEW unit designed to tackle those who use the county’s road network to commit crimes has been launched by Dorset Police.

The 'Interceptor Team' will see uniformed officers tackle crimes such as county lines drug dealing, human trafficking, modern slavery, burglary and vehicle crime.

Assistant Chief Constable Steve Lyne, of Dorset Police, said: “Our vision is to make Dorset a safe county for everyone through our relentless pursuit of criminals and this new team will enhance the hard work and dedication of our existing teams who serve our communities 24/7.

“Vehicles travel around 3.5 billion miles on Dorset’s network of 3,080 miles of roads each year and we recognise that vehicle use is often the primary mode of transport for criminals.

“These officers have the highest possible driving skills available in Dorset and will take the fight back to the criminals; targeting those who cause the most harm to our communities.

“Our message is clear – if you use our roads to enable your offending, you’re highly likely to be caught and put before the courts.”

In addition, the team will also target high-risk road users – known as Operation Dragoon targets – to ensure the roads are safe for all, complementing the work of our roads policing team and the well-known No Excuse initiative.

A combination of marked and unmarked high-performance vehicles will be used by the team as well as high-tech equipment which will allow officers to check various policing systems for intelligence from within the vehicle.

David Sidwick, Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner, said: “I am delighted to see the new ‘Interceptor Team’ being launched here today.

“Putting the funding in place for this new team has been a vital step forward in taking the fight to the criminals that use our road network in order to commit serious crime in our county.

"Intelligence lead, proactive, collaborative policing is exactly what I want to see from Dorset Police and I look forward to hearing about the many successes that I’m sure this team will have over the next weeks and months.

"The message to the criminals is clear – Dorset is no place for you – think again – the interceptors are waiting.”