Hello

I hope you all had an enjoyable festive season and are happily settling in to 2025 as well as wrapping up warm in this very chilly weather.

Throughout December, Sussex Police again took part in Operation Limit - the annual national campaign that aims to reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries caused by people driving under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol.

Officers carried out increased patrols and set up random stop check sites along busy driving routes.

More than 8,500 motorists were stopped and checked during the campaign this year. Last year's campaign totalled around 6,000 checks so I am pleased to see that Sussex Police have been even more proactive.

Police officers made 270 arrests on Sussex roads during the campaign and the majority of these were for drug-driving - more than 60 arrests were made following collisions.

Whilst the officers’ diligent work delivers results in making our streets safer, it really is disheartening that so many people still do not understand - or choose to disregard - the dangers and consequences of driving under the influence or perhaps they think they will get away with it.

This campaign, alongside the year-round work carried out by Sussex Police, should be a clear message to those who choose to drink and drug drive that it is only a matter of time until you get caught and face the consequences. This could include a driving ban, a criminal record or even prison time.

I want to thank the residents and visitors of Sussex who have reported suspicious driving activity especially if it was someone they knew who was drink or drug driving. Submitting those reports isn’t always easy, especially when it means reporting family, friends or colleagues but it is always the right thing to do and it can save lives.

I'll be scrutinising the work of Operation Limit and asking how the Force plans to keep Sussex roads safer in my upcoming Performance and Accountability Meeting with the Chief Constable next week.

The meeting takes place on 16 January at 1pm and is webcast live.

In December, the Government published the draft Police Grant Settlement for the coming financial year alongside announcements on proposed additional funding for neighbourhood policing.

The figures for Sussex Police amount to a possible total grant of £419 million for 2025-26 but it assumes that I will raise the local precept (the police element of your council tax) by the maximum amount allowed too.

Sussex Police have made huge efforts to make efficiencies over the past year without reducing services and we have saved £5.7 million. However, we calculate a necessary savings requirement of £5 million for the year ahead which will not be without its challenges.

This week, my office and Sussex Police met with members of the Police and Crime Panel Precept Working Group to look at these figures and funding pressures in more detail and to consider feedback on police performance, public confidence and funding options.

As PCC, I now have to consider what level of police precept needs to be set for the coming year to maintain policing services and my recommendation will be formally put before the full Police and Crime Panel at the end of this month for their approval.

Katy Bourne OBE
Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner