Durham Constabulary

The consequences of dangerous driving are devastating ❌ Darryl Anderson was almost 3 times over the drink-drive limit when he crashed earlier this year, at 141 miles an hour, killing Karlene Warner and her eight-month-old nephew Zachary Blades. Our dedicated officers, DS Hogg and DC Horner talked about how they managed to gather all the evidence needed to bring Anderson to justice on BBC's Crimewatch yesterday morning. Watch it here: https://lnkd.in/eDCdKQSt Start listening. Life is precious.

Another excellent investigation by Durham Constabulary Major Crime Team in such a tragic case where a life was taken in a violent attack on an innocent man. I am proud of the work of the team and all of those across the multiple departments that were involved in the collective effort that is required to gather the evidence and present the case in a such a professional manner. The specialist skills within our digital and forensic teams in this case, were vital in supporting investigators to understand and present the evidence to secure the justice deserved. Our thoughts remain with the family and those who cared for Mr Clarkson. https://lnkd.in/eCxmB28s

Gen Z…here we come! 👊🏻 Excited to meet the up and coming generation of youngsters at North Durham Academy and letting them know all about our amazing opportunities for the future at Durham Constabulary 👮👮♀️ Armed with a PC, a PCSO and Pens!… #RecruitmentEvent #Career #DurhamPolice

Don't just consider it. Belong 💙 If you want a life-long career, something worthwhile, a job to be proud of, check out our current vacancies. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eF2sudpR

An amazing collaboration: Durham Constabulary officers and staff work together to get justice 👏 It took a jury 𝟏𝟏 minutes to find a paedophile guilty of several sexual offences involving children. Mark Dodds physically and emotionally abused a large number of children over a ten-year period, often blackmailing them if they refused to send him naked images or perform sexual acts during the contact. His offending came to light when Durham Constabulary were notified by another police force that he was having sexual contact over snapchat with a 12yo child. Using his Snapchat account, Dodds incited the victim to carry out sexual acts whilst on live video calls to him. He recorded these calls without the knowledge of the victim and threatened to distribute the recordings if the victim did not send more. During the investigation, detectives found that Dodds had incited numerous girls from across the UK and America, to perform depraved sexual acts upon themselves online, recording the acts which he kept for his own sexual gratification as well as distributing to other likeminded individuals online. After reviewing his devices, it also became clear that he had sexually assaulted one of his victims six times and had recorded the offences on his mobile. Thousands of indecent images of a category A, B & C nature were also recovered from his devices. Bishop Auckland CID, working with the Safeguarding team and Victim Identification officer Laura Robinson were able to identify the victim in the footage and immediately put safeguarding measures in place to protect her. Prior to trial, the 38-year-old plead guilty to 58 offences which included sexual communication with children, blackmail and taking, possessing and distributing indecent images and assault on an emergency worker. He plead not guilty to six counts of sexual assaults on a child. Following a three-day trial at Durham Crown Court last week, in which the victim provided evidence, it took jury members just 11 minutes to find him guilty of all six counts. Detective Sergeant Lorraine Medd, who led the investigation said: “This was a distressing and lengthy investigation drawing together evidence from a number of devices and victims. “Dodds subjected several vulnerable children to multiple forms of sexual abuse, robbing them of their childhood and leaving them with emotional scars which they may never truly recover from. “I want to highlight the courage shown by the victim, who was forced to relive the abuse and provide evidence – their strength to stand up to Dodds is commendable. Alongside this, I would like to thank the investigation team who worked relentlessly and tirelessly to safeguard children and bring Mark Dodds to justice. “I am delighted that the jury returned the verdict so quickly, ultimately protecting further children from becoming victims. “I hope this result will allow the children to close this chapter of their lives and start their healing journey.”

Our three year plan 🚔📆 Chief Constable Rachel Bacon welcomed officers and staff to one of her 2024 roadshows at the Glow Centre in Newton Aycliffe this morning. CC Bacon’s plan has four key pillars which will shape how we build trust and confidence in the people of County Durham and Darlington. 📌Organisational 📌People 📌Operational 📌Prevention We will do this by relentlessly pursuing criminals, providing a first-class service to victims, being determined to protect vulnerable people and being the best at preventing crime and ASB.

Excited to be meeting the next generation of potential officers and staff for Durham Constabulary 🚓 If you’re interesting in working for a rewarding employer check us out! https://lnkd.in/ehVjM_uM #DarlingtonJobsFair

Yesterday, we gathered to remember the 5,000 police officers who have died while on duty in the last 180 years. Their extraordinary courage and sacrifice will be honoured further at the National Police Memorial Day service, which will be held in Glasgow on Sunday. Thank you to all those who gave their lives to protect our communities 💙

💛 Our relentless campaign to encourage victims of physical, emotional or sexual abuse to speak out continues… Today, our ad-van can be located in Darlington and is being parked in prominent locations, like Darlington College to encourage survivors to report their experience or give them the confidence to start a conversation. 📍 The van will be visible in the town until 8pm and then will move to Durham city tomorrow. If this has happened to you, tell us. We believe you 🖤 Please call 101 or 999 in an emergency.

🤍 “If you’re experiencing abuse, it is okay to speak out. Disclosing what is going on doesn’t mean you have to do anything about it, but by speaking to us, we can give you the tools to do something about it if you want to.” Jade Dunkley is Harbour's Independent Domestic Violence Advocate (IDVA) team leader – the charity works with families and individuals across County Durham and Darlington who are affected by abuse from a partner, former partner, or family member. She oversees a team of ten IDVAs who work to support victims and survivors of domestic abuse, helping them navigate the criminal justice process if they have reported an offence to police, providing non-judgemental support, and being there for them when they need to get things off their chest. They can also liaise with other agencies if victims need things like legal advice, and can help with attending appointments for mental health issues or substance misuse. Having joined the charity in 2019, Jade has helped more than 450 people who have experienced abuse, and knows just how difficult it can be for a survivor to speak up and tell someone what has happened. “If you’re experiencing abuse, it can be a really hard thing to talk about. Especially if you are in an abusive relationship and you love this person,” she says. “Many abuse victims say things like: “If I wasn’t drinking or if my mental health was better, then he wouldn’t have done what he did” and shoulder the responsibility for their abuser’s actions. They are not the ones in the wrong – their abuser is. “A lot of people also don’t realise that they are the victim of abuse, especially when it comes to sexual abuse. We find a lot of people who are in a relationship see sexual abuse as “it is just what I am meant to do” when it comes to things like groping, touching without consent, taking intimate pictures, or forcing their partner to do things sexually that they are not comfortable with.” Through their work at Harbour, Jade and her team of IDVAs work hard to educate people on what constitutes abuse and empower them to break free from an abusive relationship. They’ll take the time to really get to know the victim so they can provide them with bespoke support. Find out more about how Jade and her team can help you if you're suffering abuse here https://lnkd.in/eMY9--UJ