Thursday 24th September 2020
Texting driver crashes and overturns car and Project EDWARD review
Officers carried out dedicated patrols from Monday 14 September to Sunday 20 September as part of Project EDWARD (Every Day Without A Road Death), a European-wide campaign supported by forces including Sussex Police and Surrey Police.
Motorists were dealt with by way of arrest (14), being reported for summons (28), Traffic Offence Reports (379) and words of advice (355).
Sussex Police Assistant Chief Constable Dave Miller said: “Throughout the week, our officers provided education and enforcement with the ultimate aim to reduce the number of people killed and seriously injured on our roads each year.
“We also responded to community concerns, and in addition to the ‘fatal five’ offences, we detected excess noise, tyre, licence and insurance offences, as well as antisocial driving and riding.
“Last year in Sussex, 39 people were killed in collisions. That’s 39 too many, and families often never recover from the tragic and unexpected loss of a loved one.
“This is also about listening to and responding to community concerns around antisocial driving and riding. That’s why we proactively patrol rural locations – as well as the main roads – as part of our daily routine roads policing, 365 days a year.
“Our priority is to keep everyone safe on our roads. This is done through raising awareness, which is generally very well received by the public, and cracking down on those who commit offences on our roads.”
The incident captured in the video occurred in Roedean Road, Brighton, on 15 November 2019. Enquiries revealed the driver had been using his mobile phone at the wheel, and his arm had to be amputated as a result of the injuries he sustained.
It has been released with the consent of the driver involved and the owner of the dash cam, neither of whom wish to be identified.
ACC Miller added: “While we don’t wish to shock and scare people with this footage, it’s important that road users understand the serious consequences of the ‘fatal five’ offences. By taking personal responsibility and driving safely and sensibly, you can help us reduce the number of people killed and seriously injured in Sussex and Surrey.”
Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne commented: “I’m pleased to see active operations by police and partners to crack down on irresponsible driving on both our main and rural roads. I’m particularly impressed with the results from this week in support of Project EDWARD.
“The video being shared by Sussex Police is a shocking display of the consequences of dangerous driving and I am grateful to those that have agreed to share this. It really enforces the fact that we all use the roads and must share the responsibility of ensuring the safety of ourselves and others.
“Road safety will continue to be a top priority for Sussex Police because it matters to local residents. The sobering message from this video is not to drive irresponsibly because the consequences can be dangerous and life-changing.”
Police will continue to work with partners including Sussex Safer Roads Partnership and DriveSmart Surrey on various campaigns throughout the year.
You can report an incident of dangerous or antisocial driving via Operation Crackdown.
PCSOs visit 900 families to help combat rise in anti-social behaviour
Anti-social behaviour has risen by 55% in Sussex over the last seven months with 1,945 incidents recorded in February to 4,315 in August.
Although a large proportion of this can be attributed to Covid guideline breaches, young people have still been involved in over 1,500 of incidents recorded in that time.
There is understandable concern from police and partners that this behaviour could escalate into more serious criminality if they do not intervene and provide wrap around support at the earliest possible opportunity.
Since it began, REBOOT Sussex has helped 1099 young people, diverting them away from criminality & giving them the chance to turn their lives around.
Police Community Support Officers have visited the homes of 900 families over the last year as part of the Police & Crime Commissioner’s REBOOT programme and, during lockdown, officers have continued their vital interventions via telephone to help combat this rise. They are now resuming home visits.
With funding from PCC Katy Bourne, Sussex Police is working with NHS Partnership Trust, Youth Offending Service and local charities in order to deliver REBOOT. This is a county-wide, early intervention programme that engages with young people at risk of falling into a pattern of violent or criminal behaviour.
Now, if a vulnerable young person comes to the attention of Sussex Police, stage one will see them referred into the REBOOT scheme. Once accepted, a PCSO visits their home to speak to the young person involved and their parent/guardian. They will notify the family of the young person’s behaviour and talk about the potential consequences if they continue. They also make the young person aware of more positive activities in their area that they could get involved in.
Just by engaging the whole family in this way, 74% of young people have not come to the attention of the police again or needed to be escalated to stage two of the programme where they would be assigned a REBOOT Youth Coach.
PCSO Celia Joyce is an advocate of the REBOOT scheme and says that it has helped Sussex Police to manage young people’s behaviour in lockdown: “At the moment with Covid there are less things open and less for young people to do so we are finding that they are hanging around in large groups and are getting up to things they maybe wouldn’t before because they are bored.
“Our REBOOT visits give us the opportunity to deter them from this behaviour and chat to them about why it isn’t safe to be gathering in large groups at the moment and how their actions may be affecting the community.
“We also want to help these young people not fall into the wrong crowds and potentially become involved in more serious criminality. They may see their behaviour as ‘harmless’ now, but we know that it can escalate very quickly.
“It’s great to be able to talk 1-1 with them and steer them in the right direction if they have lost their way a bit.”
PCSO Chloe Darling has been serving Sussex communities for just 10 weeks and has already seen the positive impact that the intervention visits with REBOOT have on young people and their families.
She says: “In my first week of the job I visited a 14-year-old boy who has gone missing multiple times. His mum was really worried as he was disappearing for a couple of days at a time and we were concerned that he may have been involved in county lines.
“Falling off the grid for such long period of times can mean that these young people are travelling out of the county and getting up to potentially dangerous things.
“When he was found we spoke to him at his house at great length about the consequences of his actions, the dangers and the worry his family feel when he goes missing.
“We found out that he was not involved in county lines but was hanging around with people known to the police. Since our conversation, I’m happy to say he has not come to our attention again and is back on the straight and narrow.”
Police & Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne says: “I’m pleased that REBOOT is continuing to make such a positive impact to our communities, even in lockdown.
“Police Community Support Officers and Prevention Youth Officers are such an asset to Sussex Police and the REBOOT scheme, they provide that first stage of reassurance to worried families and, in a huge amount of cases, the young people engage so well with them that they do not require further intervention.
“We are cracking down on anti-social behaviour whilst at the same time safeguarding vulnerable young people from potential exploitation and empowering them to do the right thing.”
Chief Constable Jo Shiner says: “It is fantastic to hear the positive stories of how our some of our newest recruits are making a difference to young people and families in Sussex through the REBOOT programme.
“We continue to see how the support offered to young people through partnership initiatives like REBOOT help keep our communities safe by preventing crime.”
Wealden Operation Blitz ASB Patrols This Weekend
Your Op Blitz (ASB patrols) teams are out again this Friday and Saturday, please call 07770700642 between 6pm and midnight to report any anti-social behaviour across your town.
Op Blitz patrols are in addition to our regular patrols of your town, and are an ongoing initiative each Friday and Saturday, where you can report any ASB or youth related crime and disorder directly to officers out on the ground Outside of these times, please continue to report non-emergencies to 101 or visit us online Always dial 999 in an emergency.
New scam warning reported across Sussex
Police are warning people to be wary of fraudulent emails purporting to be from HM Courts and Tribunals after receiving five reports of scams in Sussex.
The emails state that the victims owe a £25 fixed penalty charge. They say that if the victim does not pay the fine they will face greater charges of £100 and detail methods of payment.
Fortunately, no victims have reported losing any money.
PC Bernadette Lawrie, Financial Abuse Safeguarding Officer for Sussex and Surrey Police, said: “Fraudsters have made the scam emails appear genuine in an effort to dupe people into sending them cash.
“Thankfully, no victims have lost money to this awful scam email which we suspect has been sent to a large number of people. We want to help them keep their money safe by raising awareness of these reports.
“Remember – if you receive an unexpected communication requesting money or financial details, always double check it is legitimate by contacting the organisation directly. Trust your instincts, if something doesn’t seem quite right then speak to friends and family before rushing into decisions regarding your finances.”
If you have any information or have been a victim to this scam please report to Action Fraud or, if vulnerable, to Sussex Police online or by dialling 101.
For more information about Operation Signature/scams; the force campaign to identify and support vulnerable victims of fraud see the website here.
Crime Summary
There have been three residential burglary reported on the Wealden District this week.
A property off Observatory View, Hailsham, reported having their garden accessed, and fishing equipment stolen from a shed overnight on the 19th September. (0422 of 20/09)
An attempted burglary was reported at a property off Hammerwood Road, East Grinstead, during the day time of the 19th September. (0903 of 20/09 relates)
A property off Barlow Place, Hailsham reported a burglary during the day time of the 19-21st September. Personal items including a mobile phone have been reported stolen. (818 of 21/09 relates)
There have been no further reports of residential burglaries on the Wealden district.
For a range of crime prevention advice, support and tips to keep you and your property safe can be found here.
If you have been the victim of a burglary, please report online, or by calling 101 – always dial 999 in an emergency/burglary in action
Action Fraud scam watch
Did you know scams cost the UK economy £5-£10 Billion a year, with over 50% of people over 65 having already been targeted by scams; and only 5% of all scams reported?
Action Fraud’s top tips
Although fraud and cybercrime comes in many forms, there are some simple steps you can take to protect yourself.
Follow Action Frauds’ personal safety checklist to keep you and those around you safe from fraud here.
Help us keep Sussex safe
If you saw or heard anything, or have any information about any incident in this message please contact us online, or call 101, quoting the reference number provided.
Alternatively you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111, or online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org
You can also visit our website at www.sussex.police.uk where you can find our easy to use online forms to report all non-emergencies to us.
You can also find police advice to keep you safe and help you understand the law, and also browse our crime prevention pages for first-hand knowledge, industry best practices and practical crime prevention advice from officers and specialist teams all across the police.
Have you ever had a policing question that doesn’t actually require direct police involvement to answer?
Ask the Police is a great online source of information for the most frequently asked policing questions, visit www.askthe.police.uk/ for more information.