Hello

This week, I spoke to farmers, representatives from the National Farmers Union and partners from across East Sussex at a Rural Crime Roundtable, building on the success of our recent meeting in West Sussex. It was a valuable opportunity to hear directly about the issues affecting our rural areas – from hare coursing and equipment theft to police responses when crimes are in progress.

I outlined the work I’m leading with Sussex Police to improve how rural incidents are identified and handled and officers from our Rural Crime Team explained how they are providing specialist training to neighbourhood officers. We agreed to encourage wider use of the DISC information sharing app, which has already made a real difference elsewhere in the county. With lambing season approaching, we also discussed the rise in livestock attacks when dogs are not kept on leads.

There is always more work to do to ensure our rural communities feel safe and confident that the police will respond when needed. I was particularly concerned to hear about the increasing violence and abuse that farmers are experiencing. While they were somewhat reassured that action is underway to protect them, we cannot ignore the fear and pressure caused by repeated attacks on their land, homes and livestock and the cumulative impact this has. I will continue to work closely with our Rural Crime Team and the National Farmers Union to act on the issues raised. My next step is to organise a similar meeting in Mid Sussex to gather further insights from our rural community.

Scrutinising police performance

At this month’s Performance & Accountability Meeting (PAM) held yesterday, I questioned Sussex Police’s senior officers on several key issues affecting our county including the response to the Government’s new Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy; fraud prevention; and the morale of the police workforce.

Following the publication of the national Freedom from Violence and Abuse Strategy, I wanted to understand how Sussex Police is adapting its work to better protect women and girls and how they intend to measure improvements locally? I also asked about the Force’s response to the latest recommendations from the Angiolini Inquiry, including the national rollout of Project Vigilant (or Operation Shield as it’s called in Sussex) and the continued development of Operation Soteria.

This year marks a decade since I first introduced funding for two specialist fraud caseworkers within Victim Support. With romance fraud referrals rising 5.5% last year, I sought updates on Sussex Police’s recent intensification activity - including how officers are tackling new threats such as Ai enabled fraud and what the new national reporting service, Report Fraud, will mean for residents?

With the Home Secretary recently announcing the biggest policing reforms in 200 years, I also asked the Chief Constable about current levels of morale within the workforce - how it’s measured, what support is available and what pressures are having the biggest impact?

My PAMs are about transparency and accountability – a core part of my governance role as Police and Crime Commissioner. I believe you deserve clear answers about how national policy is shaping local policing and how your police service is working to keep you safe. You can watch the meeting and catch up on all previous discussions on my webcasting platform.

Katy Bourne OBE
Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner