ANTI-SOCIAL behaviour incidents in Dorset are now the lowest they have been in almost 20 years, according to the county's Police and Crime Commissioner.

He says the results come about largely because of officers targeting incidents with its "Operation Relentless" campaign which has seen additional police effort, including 1,400 additional patrols in Bournemouth and Poole, and targeted action at 50 locations throughout Dorset.

David Sidwick told Thursday's county-wide Police and Crime Panel that providing £49,000 to 12 organisation in the county to back their efforts to tackle anti-social behaviour has also helped.

He told the meeting, in Dorchester, that he would continue to press for action on knife and drug crime with a public meeting about ketamine use, to his surprise, attracting more than 400 people.

Mr Sidwick said he would also continue to target rural crime with a 25 per cent reduction in poaching over the last four years.

He said he hoped to see continued progress on that, and on fly-tipping, which continued to blight many rural communities, with both activities often carried out by organised crime.

The Commissioner said more was being done, with the Police, to improve the experience of victims of crime across Dorset with funding for a "Victims Champion" and a renewed contract for Victim Support.

He told the meeting that he would continue to address the Government over the Dorset force being the second worst funded in the country, meanwhile examining key areas of police activities in the county to see if they were the most efficient they could be.