Officers are appealing for witnesses or anyone with information to come forward as they investigate a burglary at a fire station in Ferndown.

The break-in at Ferndown Fire Station in Ringwood Road occurred between 8.45am on Friday 11 April and 9am on Saturday 12 April 2025, with damage caused and items of equipment stolen.

Police Constable Georgia Hedditch, of Dorset Police, said: “This senseless burglary has resulted in the fire service being deprived of a potentially life-saving asset, as the fire engine involved was left unable to be deployed due to the loss of equipment.

“We are determined to identify those involved in this incident and are carrying out a number of enquiries.

“I would urge anyone who witnessed any suspicious activity in the area of the fire station during the relevant timeframe – or who may have captured any relevant dashcam, home CCTV or doorbell camera footage – to please report it to us.”

Area Manager Jason Moncrieff, from Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: “We are very saddened that this has happened at one of our fire stations. The impact was greater than the loss of two pieces of equipment, it meant the Ferndown crew were unavailable to attend incidents for much of Saturday, and we now have to use public money to buy replacement items.

“The offenders also damaged part of the fire station to get in, which has now been repaired, again at a cost to public funding. We would urge anyone with information about this crime to contact Dorset Police, so those responsible can be brought to justice.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Dorset Police at www.dorset.police.uk or by calling 101, quoting occurrence number 55250051842. Alternatively, independent charity Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously online at Crimestoppers-uk.org or by calling Freephone 0800 555 111.