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Letter from Sarah Davis Sussex Police.
District Commander - East Brighton.  January Update

'Proud to be serving you and keeping our communities safe'


For those of you who were not aware; I am your new District Commander.  Chief Inspector Jacqui Griffiths successfully applied for a position within Special Branch, and will be using her previous experience of criminal intelligence to best effect. She provided solid leadership to the district while she was here, and we wish her the best of luck in her new position.

Most of my experience is in neighbourhood policing across a broad range of communities including Hastings and the numerous rural wards of Battle. This is the first time that I have worked in the same area as I live, and this gives me an even greater sense of personal responsibility. Although police are relied upon to service a raft of complex needs, I believe that our mission is simple. We need to accept that communities are made of people, each with the own hopes, fears and expectations. Our service will evolve to ensure that we are mindful of this, and increase satisfaction with what we deliver from call to conviction.  Local people look to us to be there when they need us; catch criminals; and make the area safer. This is always at the back of our minds and it has helped the team to consistently perform well, reducing crime to such an extent that we have to work doubly hard to detect the crimes that are reported.

There is a real energy and determination within your police teams, whether their roles involve getting to you quickly in an emergency, engaging and resolving local issues, or investigating priority crimes. As I mentioned: I have a broad experience of neighbourhood policing, and the East District policing team are some of the most productive and dedicated individuals I have worked with. They take our business personally which is often a recipe for success and a key offender in custody!

Over the last few years they have achieved great things with our partners, and there have been considerable improvements in local life for some of the communities who traditionally suffered particular challenges. The East Brighton New Deal for Communities Partnership (formerly EB4U) scheme is a fine example of this. We would struggle to achieve our aims without the support and involvement of local groups and agencies, who share our determination in building confident communities and improving the quality of life for local people. They also help us to deal with offenders who target victims for who they are, and to assure vulnerable victims of the support we could offer them. We are also in discussions with local businesses, keen to invest in the communities they work in. I look forward to updating you with how we can move this forward.

Operation Athlete, our key strategy for anti-social behaviour and young people, is now funded until the end of the year, and our activity extended into Saturday evenings. This puts us in a strong position, in readiness for some positive intervention over the warmer months. We have to remain mindful that young people are a community in themselves - some will never get into trouble; some will forever be in trouble; and a significant number could move either way. Because of this they should be regarded in an intelligent fashion, maximising both the opportunities to apprehend the key young offenders, and positively influence those who could be drawn into criminality by them.   

I mentioned earlier that headline performance is strong. Violent crime continues to fall and more offenders are being caught. Vehicle crime is down by a further 20% and we use a variety of tactics to arrest our main offenders. We are experiencing a rise in burglaries, reflected force wide, and often committed in flats and houses which have not been secured properly. In spite of our campaigns, vehicles are also left insecure with valuables on show. Please continue to convey the message that we cannot offer thieves that sort of temptation.

As part of the divisional command team I will continue to review our capabilities and look to remove unnecessary barriers, duplication and bureaucracy. We continue to find ways to improve our service and meet your expectations. In return we rely on your support and involvement, without which we would struggle to make our area a safe place to live, work and visit. Irrespective of how well we perform, we will always seek to improve, and our mantra will continue to be one victim is one too many.

Don't forget to check out the local team who are serving you via www.sussex.police.uk
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