Barnham and Eastergate - News and Events

The Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner Latest Update

Hello

Tomorrow marks 'Supporting Male Victims of Domestic Abuse Day' led by the organisation ManKind Initiative.

Statistics show that 1 in 7 men experience domestic abuse. This type of behaviour can include emotional, psychological, financial and economic abuse.

It can also include controlling behaviour as well as stalking and harassment.

According to ManKind Initiative, of all the domestic abuse crimes recorded by police for 22/23, 25% were committed against men and over 20% of male domestic abuse victims don't tell anyone they are a victim of abuse.

Having spoken with male victims of domestic abuse, it was clear there was a gap in provision for support for men delivered by men in Sussex.

Following an application to the Ministry of Justice for funding, I was able to commission two male Independent Domestic Abuse Advisors (IDVAs) to offer this tailored support service for men in Sussex.

The two Sussex-based male IDVAs were recruited earlier this year through Victim Support and the Mankind Charity and it is encouraging to know that our male IDVAs are already making a significant difference to the lives of male domestic abuse victims and survivors.

I am grateful for the support of Victim Support and Mankind Charity for overseeing the two roles to ensure Sussex can provide the highest-quality service to those who need it most.

Keeping young people safe online

Last week, the NSPCC issued a report that revealed online grooming against children has increased by 89% in the last six years with more than 7,000 Sexual Communication with a Child offences being recorded by police last year.

Over the past three years, to help keep young people safe online, I have provided over £680,000 to Barnardo’s and the YMCA DownsLink Group’s WiSE project to fund an initiative called Project SOLAH.

Standing for ‘Safer Online At Home’, SOLAH began in November 2021 as a pathway for the Sussex Police Online Investigation Team to refer children and young people into especially where they were either uploading self-generated images to the internet or sharing indecent images of children between themselves, in person or online.

Children and young people who have been identified as being at risk are offered safeguarding advice and education sessions delivered by specialist staff at YMCA DownsLink Group’s WiSE project and Barnardo’s.

The sessions can focus on: education looking at what online grooming and sextortion is; how to use apps safely; exploring where messages may end up; talking about what privacy means and the implications of sharing photos, as well as discussing online content, contact and conduct.

Visit my website to read more about this and hear my views on the Online Safety Bill and looking after our young people online.

Katy

Katy Bourne OBE
Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner

Holding the police to account - watch live.

On Friday 15 November, I'll be holding my final Performance and Accountability Meeting with Sussex Police for 2024.

The meetings are an opportunity for me, on your behalf, to hold the Chief Constable to account in an open and transparent way.

In my upcoming PAM, I'll be scrutinising the Force on a variety of topics, including:

- The impact of the Government's Early Prisoner Release Scheme for Sussex Police

- The Online Safety Act as mentioned in my newsletter above.

- The delays on DBS checks.

You can watch live on my webcasting site on 15th November at 1pm.