News and appeals
Multi-agency group works together to tackle knife crime and serious violence in Sussex
A multi-agency group aims to reduce and prevent knife-related violence in Sussex by educating young people on the legal and personal consequences of knife carrying.
The move to address the root causes of knife crime sees Sussex Police, local authorities and local community groups such as The Hangleton and Knoll Project and Make Good Trouble working together to share vital information about the legal implications of carrying a knife with young people.
They will share images and animations that will appear at busy locations around Sussex and close to schools as part of the work to help raise awareness among young people.
A 17-year-old girl from Sussex, who wishes to remain anonymous, wants to warn others by telling how a dispute when she was 15 escalated and changed her life forever.
She said: “I don’t really know what I was thinking but I took a kitchen knife out with me and left my mum a note to say I was going to sort things out. I had no intention of using the knife but it made me feel safe knowing I had it.
“My mum had called the police as she was worried and I was later caught with the knife and arrested. I was given bail conditions and had to appear in court. I was given a 12 month court order. This will always be on my file now and because of this I will not be able to work with children like I always wanted to do.
“At the time I did these things I didn’t think about the future but now I am trying to move on. It’s very hard and that is for taking a knife out just once. Now I can see what a stupid mistake it was. Carrying a knife for whatever reason I certainly wouldn’t recommend. At the time it may seem a good idea but when you grow up or try to grow up it may be too late. The damage is done and I learnt the hard way.
“I am still young and have been through a lot the last couple of years but I’ve realised now what I did was wrong and if I can help someone by telling my story I will be happy.”
Chief Inspector Paul Phelps said: “Our priority is keeping young people safe from harm and ensuring they’re aware of the dangers of carrying a knife.
“It’s a huge misconception that carrying a knife for protection makes you safer. We are clear that carrying a knife puts you and those around you at a greater risk and we hope our campaign helps deliver this message to the young people who need it.
“Getting caught with a knife can change your life. Too many young people’s lives are affected by knife crime so we’re taking a stand against carrying these dangerous weapons and prevent young people from making decisions that could affect their futures.
“Knife crime is a complex issue; and to create real long-lasting change it’s essential that we work together to help keep young people safe and knife free.”
Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne said: “This campaign will raise awareness of the cost of carrying a knife and provides opportunities for young people to discuss what might motivate them to carry one in the first place.
“It is so important that real-life stories are shared with young people, so they can understand the life-changing consequences this could have on them.
“It is great to see Sussex Police being so proactive in their response to serious violence of this kind, putting early intervention methods in place to educate and protect our young people from getting caught up in criminality.
“The message is clear; lose the knife, not a life.”
As well as providing images and animations, information with signs to watch out for and where to get help will be shared with parents and carers.
Sussex Police will also be rolling out an educational video to be shown in schools, pupil referral units and children’s homes which shows the personal consequences of knife crime from the perspective of an officer, a medic, the parent of a victim and a reformed knife carrier.
Members of the public may have noticed an increased police presence as we up our ‘days of action’ and operational activity using funding from the Home Office to tackle serious violence. This includes knife sweeps, searches and the use of knife arches to prevent harmful weapons coming into our communities.
If you are a parent or carer and you are concerned someone you care for is in danger of becoming a victim of knife crime, try to talk with them in the first instance or seek advice from Family Lives on 0808 800 22 22.
There is further guidance and support on the Sussex Police website here.
You can report knife crime online or by calling 101. In an emergency always call 999.
To report knife crime anonymously go to https://crimestoppers-uk.org/
Remember to follow us on Twitter and Facebook so you can see our activity throughout the next few weeks.
Edward is Every Day Without A Road Death
ISSUED ON BEHALF OF THE SUSSEX SAFER ROADS PARTNERSHIP
Surrey Police and Sussex Police are urging road users to pledge their support towards September’s campaign to save lives and reduce death and injury on roads across the counties.
The forces will once again be supporting Project EDWARD (Every Day Without A Road Death), which aims to bring casualty reduction and road safety to the forefront of people’s minds.
In 2019 in Surrey, a total of 3,895 injury collisions were reported to police. Of these, 30 were fatal and a further 705 resulted in serious injuries.
In Sussex, a total of 5,250 injury collisions were reported to police. Of these, 42 were fatal and a further 1107 resulted in serious injuries.
Project Edward, set to take place on Wednesday (16 September) and championed by ROADPOL (European Traffic Police Network), aims to raise long term awareness of road safety and better driving.
Around 1,700 people lose their lives on British roads each year, many of which could have been avoided with a small change in how people use and share the roads
Chief Inspector Michael Hodder, of the Roads Policing Unit for Surrey Police and Sussex Police, said: “It is shocking to think of the number of fatal crashes across Surrey and Sussex last year. The victims are all someone’s family, someone’s friend, and the preventable loss of life significantly impacts those close to the individual and the wider community.
Many collisions could easily have been avoided by having a proper knowledge and understanding of basic rules of the roads. The ‘Fatal Five’ – drink or drug driving, mobile phone use, not wearing a seatbelt, inconsiderate driving along with speeding are the five common causes of serious and fatal collisions, and it is these offences in particular that we focus on to create change across our road network.
Even one fatality is one too many, which is why we continue to support Project Edward’s mission.”
Roads policing officers will provide high-visibility patrols across Surrey and Sussex on the week beginning Monday 14 September, with particular focus on the Fatal Five, supported by road safety colleagues – DriveSMART Surrey and Sussex Safer Roads Partnership.
The ultimate goal, however, is to improve road safety for the longer term; not just one day. Officers and colleagues will continue to respond to roads policing matters as party of their duties 365 days a year.
Chief Insp Hodder added: “We need to continue to build upon our expertise and experience in road safety to reduce deaths and serious injury, improve the knowledge and awareness of road safety, and encourage others to do the same. Even if you do not drive, we are all road users of one type or another, and unfortunately, we probably all know someone who has been in a collision.”
Across the week, there will be road safety educational messaging being delivered across Surrey and Sussex, with enforcement carried out by dedicated patrols throughout the road network of the counties.
The Sussex and Police Crime Commissioner, Katy Bourne, further supported the activity due to take place across Sussex: “I’m pleased to see our partners working together and pledging their continued commitment to road safety.
“One road death is one too many. By pledging today to use our roads responsibly, whether as a driver, cyclist or pedestrian, we can start to make a collective effort to minimise the risk of a collision that can have life-changing consequences.”
To support this day and the work carried out by Surrey Police and Sussex Police, members of the public can follow @ProjectEdward on Twitter, put Wednesday 16 September in their diaries and pledge to make a positive change for road safety!
Public urged to play their part in preventing the spread of Covid-19
Police in Sussex continue to encourage people to play their part in preventing the spread of Covid-19 as changes to the government’s regulations come into force on Monday (September 14).
The regulation changes will limit gatherings to six people, except in a small number of circumstances including schools, workplaces and organised team sports.
Sussex Police officers will continue to be out and about in their communities to engage with members of the public, explaining the new government regulations and encouraging people to follow them.
Police will disperse groups of more than six where necessary and issue fines to those who don’t comply. Enforcement will only be used proportionately, as a last resort, when engagement has not been successful.
Superintendent Julia Pope said: “Everyone has a part to play in preventing the spread of coronavirus. We will be doing all we can and we encourage others to do the same by following the new rules set out by the government.
“Our officers will continue to engage with their communities and in most situations, this engagement can resolve breaches without us having to issue a fine. We will issue fines when people refuse to comply.
“The demands on the police service are now back to pre-Covid levels. Our priorities lie with public safety and so it is even more important that people take personal responsibility for their actions and do their bit to prevent the spread of the virus, so the force can operate effectively for those who need us.
“If people are aware of a serious and current breach of the government’s coronavirus regulations, we would ask them to report it to us online.
“We will continue to work closely with the government, businesses, local
authorities and partner agencies to make Sussex a safe place for people to live, work and visit. We ask the public to work with us and act responsibly to help prevent the spread of the virus.”
Do you live in East Sussex and could you support the police’s work tackling the issues affecting your community?
Police in East Sussex are looking for volunteers to share their views as part of an Independent Advisory Group (IAG), helping to shape and support the policing priorities across the district.
The role will provide feedback and advice on how the police’s actions are interpreted by members of the public, and seek to improve the two-way communications between police in East Sussex and the diverse communities of the area.
IAGs consider local issues such as stop and search figures, hate crime statistics, critical incidents or issues raised as relevant and topical to the public.
IAGs aim to:
Maximise the trust and confidence of the diverse communities of East Sussex through communication, exchanges of views and discussion of police issues;
Provide a forum for the community to help shape service delivery;
Enable Sussex Police locally, to develop policies and procedures that are both accessible and transparent;
Increase our engagement with communities and help expand the potential for community involvement in policing;
Act as a ‘critical friend’ to review policing and policy decisions and debrief incidents and operations.
Chief Superintendent Tanya Jones said: “I am proud of the work my staff do on a daily basis to keep communities safe. The police however, cannot even begin to tackle local issues of public concern if we do not know, understand and engage with the communities we serve.
“We must always work to have, maintain and grow, the trust and confidence of local communities, to work with us to tackle issues of crime and disorder in a transparent, inclusive and accessible way.
“The IAG should accurately reflect the diversity of East Sussex and we would like to encourage applications from underrepresented communities and groups.
“We also want the group to be a fair representation of the different districts within East Sussex, and so we are particularly keen to hear from people in Wealden, Seahaven and rural Rother.”
The IAG’s ultimate aim is that members contribute positively to the effectiveness of policing across East Sussex; to increase public trust, confidence, respect, accountability and partnership which exists between the police and the communities it serves.
Meetings are quarterly, normally on a Monday evening, and will allow a representation of local people to have a voice in policing. Independent Advisory Group members will be entitled to the reimbursement of reasonable costs incurred by participating, such as travel.
If you are over the age of 16 and would like to express an interest in becoming a member of the IAG, please email your details, including your name, contact details and area where you live or community you represent, to ES_Secretariat@sussex.pnn.police.uk by October 2, 2020.
Crime summary
A burglary occurred on Grovlye Lane, Heathfield on 11/09/2020 whereby an attempt was made to gain access to an outbuilding, fortunately no items were stolen from the premises (Ref: 47200156593)
A burglary occurred on Skippers Hill, Mayfield between 05/08/2020 – 16/08/2020 whereby a residential premises was entered, it is not currently known whether any items were stolen from within (Ref: 47200157908)
A burglary occurred on Stone Dene Close, Forest Row, whereby a house was broken into and keys and a car were stolen from the premises (Ref: 47200158758)