Drug dealing, anti-social behaviour and alcohol top the Kent Police priority list for Dover's Town & Castle area. Our door supervisors, retail officers and patrols help port-town businesses deal with the same issues on their own premises.
Trusted Protection in Dover
Dover is a Kent port town, and its Town & Castle police team has chosen to concentrate on drug dealing, general anti-social behaviour and alcohol. Each of those has a direct bearing on local businesses. Licensed premises see alcohol-related trouble first, shops and doorways attract loitering and nuisance, and empty buildings can be used for dealing. With 814 anti-social behaviour reports within a mile last year, visible security and quick reporting both help.
Dover Business Profile
Dover has 3,710 registered businesses. Construction is the biggest group at 665, followed by professional services on 535 and hospitality on 320. Construction's 17.9% share runs well above the 14.1% British average, and with 11 building sites mapped within 5km, plant and materials theft is a live risk. Solar CCTV towers and out-of-hours patrols logged by GPS give contractors a record of every check.
Hospitality makes up 8.6% of Dover firms compared with 6.5% nationally, and there are 32 pubs and bars within 5km. Given the police focus on alcohol and anti-social behaviour, SIA door supervisors are often the most useful step for licensed venues. Officers we arrange are vetted to BS 7858 and paid through PAYE, and they report to our 24/7 control room throughout each shift.
Crabble stadium, The Booking Hall and the Silver Screen Cinema are among the venues mapped near Dover. Gatherings there for 200 or more people will need to meet Martyn's Law when it starts, and our stewards can manage searches and entry. What Martyn's Law means for venues.
Sources: Go Security officer network (counts rounded to the nearest 5); ONS UK Business Counts via Nomis; place data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Updated October 2026.
Security Requirements in Dover
Dover's commercial life is shaped by the Port of Dover's Eastern Docks, along with The Charlton Shopping Centre, Buckland Hospital and two stations, Dover Priory and Kearsney. Venues range from two cinemas to an arts project and a stadium. With docks, a shopping centre, a hospital and leisure venues all inside 5km, Dover's security needs stretch from controlled access at industrial sites to friendly but firm cover at public-facing premises.
Services in Dover
These are the services we arrange for Dover retailers, venues, contractors and businesses near the port.
Security guarding · Mobile patrols · Key holding · Alarm response · Event security · K9 security · CCTV towers · CCTV monitoring · POD intruder alarms
Crime & Security Data
Police.uk recorded 4,023 offences within a mile of Dover between September 2025 and August 2026.
Violence and sexual offences were the largest group at 1,415, followed by anti-social behaviour at 814, shoplifting at 475, criminal damage and arson at 341 and other theft at 237. Overall crime in the latest quarter was 11% lower than a year earlier, but shoplifting rose 35%. Retailers should take that shoplifting increase seriously, while pubs and bars will recognise the anti-social behaviour figures.
Source: Police.uk open data, street-level crime within ~1 mile, September 2025 to August 2026. Locations are approximate.
Local Policing
The Town & Castle team of Kent Police lists drug dealing, general anti-social behaviour and alcohol as its neighbourhood priorities for Dover.
Current neighbourhood priorities:
Source: Police.uk neighbourhoods, the policing team whose area covers Dover.
Areas We Cover Near Dover
Folkestone and Hawkinge are both 7 miles from Dover, and Deal is 8 miles away. We can arrange guarding and patrols across all three.
Postcodes We Cover in Dover
The 3 postcode districts nearest central Dover, covering parts of Dover and Folkestone and Hythe.
Nearest first. Source: ONS postcode data via postcodes.io. Need another postcode? Check coverage.
Dover Security FAQs
Kent Police's Town & Castle team is focused on drug dealing, general anti-social behaviour and alcohol. Our officers support businesses by keeping doorways clear, managing entry and passing on detailed incident logs.
Yes. Police.uk recorded 475 shoplifting offences within a mile, and the most recent quarter was 35% higher than a year before. Uniformed retail officers at The Charlton Shopping Centre or on the high street can help reduce losses.
We do. There are 32 pubs and bars within 5km, and hospitality is 8.6% of local businesses. SIA door supervisors help manage alcohol-related issues, which is one of the police team's stated priorities.
With 11 mapped construction sites and construction making up 17.9% of firms, we provide CCTV towers, mobile patrols after working hours and key holding for site cabins and compounds.
Yes. We provide SIA-licensed stewards for matches and events at Crabble and other local venues such as The Booking Hall. For crowds of 200 or more, we can also help with Martyn's Law planning.
Free, no-obligation quote
Tell us about your site and what you need. We'll price it and come back to you, normally within one working day.
Request a free on-site security audit, worth £250, for your Dover premises, or call 0800 471 4792 for a quote on guards or patrols.
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