Local Crime

Arrests

Last week, officers made a total of 17 arrests across Wealden for offences including criminal damage, theft and assault.

The neighbourhood policing team also responded to a multitude of reports from anti social behaviour to traffic collisions, whilst regular patrols took place throughout the district.

We were able to attend different events and raise awareness on subjects like dementia and fraud, as a continuous effort to support our local community and keep everyone safe.

Electric Scooters

Did you know it's illegal to use e-scooters on the road or in public spaces?

Officers seized 2 e-scooters over the weekend after being caught riding in the road and on the pavement. It's currently not possible to get insurance for privately owned e-scooters, so using one in public risks the vehicle being seized.

They're classed as motor vehicles under the Road Traffic Act 1988, which means the rules that apply to motor vehicles, also apply to e-scooters. This includes the need to have a licence, insurance and tax.

It's legal to use an e-scooter on private land with the permission of the land owner.

If you don't have a licence, or the correct licence, or are riding without insurance you could face a Fixed Penalty notice.

For further advice on e-scooters, have a read here 👉 Advice on e-scooter usage | Sussex Police

Careers day!

A slightly different day for our officers yesterday, who took part in careers day at Eastbourne sports park!

It was a great opportunity for us to engage with over 1000 students from schools all over the district as well as discuss a variety of policing careers from sergeants to dog handlers. We love being able to share what we do with the community and love to hear from students who aspire to join the force one day!

When joining the force, you understand that every day really is different and you never know what you're going to be faced with. However, our officers weren't quite expecting 'cockroach handling' to be part of the job! Thanks to Drusillas for bringing these along!

If you or someone you know wants to join the team, you can see our current vacancies here Police Jobs Surrey and Sussex – Police Jobs Surrey and Sussex

Stop Think Fraud

There has been an increase in fraudulent text messages being sent.

Fake texts are often short and simple, but fraudsters use cunning tactics to make them believable. They can even ‘spoof’ the mobile number they message from, so it appears in the same thread as a genuine contact, such as your bank.

Be wary if you receive text messages of the following nature:

💰 An ‘irresistible’ product offer or prize

⚠️ An urgent alert about security, for example your bank account details have been compromised

📦 A delivery company demanding you pay a fee before they deliver a parcel

👪 An appeal from a family member asking you to send money

💬 Messages sent outside normal business hours, especially if they’re very late at night or very early in the morning

If you've been a victim of fraud, find out here what you can do 👉 Report fraud - Stop! Think Fraud (stopthinkfraud.campaign.gov.uk)

Catalytic converter theft

We have seen an increase in the theft of catalytic converters over the last few months. They are often targeted by thieves as they contain valuable metals, and can be removed in less than a minute.

There are signs that can suggest that a theft is being committed:

• If a vehicle is being raised using a carjack in a car park or residential area
• There is a loud drilling or cutting sound coming from underneath the vehicle.

Prevent it!

• To keep your catalytic converter safe, you can ask your car dealer for advice on locks or guards that are approved by the vehicle manufacturer
• Alternatively, try to make sure your vehicle is parked in a garage overnight, or if you have a commercial vehicle, park it in a secure compound. If this isn’t possible, park in an area that’s well-lit and overlooked and try to park so that the converter can’t be easily reached by potential thieves. Vehicles that sit high above the road are particularly vulnerable.

Report it!

Whether the crime is happening now, or it has already happened, please report this to us through the appropriate channels. You may be able to support investigations by providing evidence such as ring doorbell footage.

Click, Call, Connect

For non-emergency incidents or crime prevention advice, click www.sussex.police.uk,  (If you report a crime online, we will assess it in the same way as a 101 call).

Call 101 when you don’t require an urgent response.

In an emergency when life is threatened or there is immediate danger always call 999.

If you are deaf, hard of hearing or speech impaired, you can contact us using TypeTalk on 18000 or by sending a text to 65999.

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Friday 26th January 2024

Weekly arrests

Over 10 arrests already made this week across the district for varying offences including, drug possession, criminal damage, drink driving, and 3 in for assaults.

As we head into the weekend the safety and welfare of our local communities remains a top priority; regular patrols of your towns and villages continue into the weekend, and as always we encourage residents to report anything we need to know about at the time.

101 / online at www.sussex.police.uk for all non-emergencies, and always by calling 999 in an emergency.

OCG arrests and seizures made

An organsied crime group (OCG) disguised class A and B drugs as bath salts and beauty products for export from Sussex.

Police discovered two holdalls containing nearly £1 million worth of MDMA (ecstasy) at a farm near Shoreham, prompting an investigation.

The group had tried to send packages to the USA and Australia via a courier service using false packaging, but most of the deliveries were intercepted.

Now, all eight defendants involved have been convicted for their roles in the criminality, read the full story online here.

Patrols this week

Already this week a number of patrols have taken place across the district to disrupt and identify those involved in anti-social behaviour (ASB).

Including in Hellingly (pictured) following reports from local residents around youth related ASB in the area around the community centre.

We know the effects ASB can have on local communities, and anyone found to be committing offences will be spoken to and appropriate actions taken.

Remember, additional patrols this weekend aimed at deterring, disrupting and identifying those involved in any anti-social behaviour (ASB) will be out again this Friday and Saturday from 3pm – midnight.

Each week residents across Wealden, can call the team directly on 07770 700642 to report any anti-social behaviour, including ASB driving they witness across the district.

Outside of these times, please continue to report either by calling 101 or reporting online.

All community reports help to direct additional weekend patrols in areas that have seen an increase in both ASB, and youth related crime and disorder.

Elsewhere on the district Officers have been out visiting victims of recent scams and frauds.

Officers paid a visit to Sycamore Grove Care Home, in Polegate as part of our continued commitment to safeguarding vulnerable community members and to offer reassurances and some valuable crime prevention advice to further protect residents from scams and fraud.

As well as keeping communities safe, teams play a vital role in being a direct link with local communities,, your Neighbourhood Policing Teams (NPT) across the district are here for you, working 365 days a year to improve public safety, and respond to your community concerns.

PCSO's also visited Montessori School in Framfield to meet with teachers and three very keen pupils who are completing a project about Policing. They wanted to learn more about the various roles within policing including the PCSO role.

Violence against women and girls

Understanding your experiences - your voice matters.

We are dedicated to tackling violence against women and girls. To continue our efforts, we’re running a survey so we can hear your experiences, to complete click here.

Sussex Police relies on your feedback to improve our services. The results will be used to further improve what we do with the aim of making Sussex safer for everyone. They will influence how we make decisions on where we prioritise our policing services and help us to provide better information to victims of crime about the services we provide.

The survey takes approximately 10 minutes to complete and is completely anonymous, unless you have identified yourself within the responses you give.

Sussex Police will be sharing your responses with SMSR Market Research and Analysis. Please be assured that even if there is identifiable information you have entered, only anonymised information will be shared and you will not be contacted by SMSR. By submitting the survey responses, you confirm your consent to participate in this survey.

Further information on how Sussex Police processes your information can also be found on our website.

Click, Call, Connect

For non-emergency incidents or crime prevention advice, click www.sussex.police.uk,  (If you report a crime online, we will assess it in the same way as a 101 call).

Call 101 when you don’t require an urgent response.

In an emergency when life is threatened or there is immediate danger always call 999.

If you are deaf, hard of hearing or speech impaired, you can contact us using TypeTalk on 18000 or by sending a text to 65999.

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Inspector Barker’s Update

In April, I joined the rural crime team, I have been a police officer with Sussex Police for 21 years and I'm excited to be working with you all to make our rural communities safer.

I'm keen to support the various partnerships that have been established by the team, and I'm looking for ways to enhance them to achieve positive results for our communities. I'm also committed to making sure that rural residents feel safe and supported.

I will share regular updates and insight into the work the team do to tackle rural crime as well as the engagement work they carry out.

We will continue to highlight some of the great work that's being done by our partners in the community and will also share tips on how to keep your property safe.

Rural Crime Team activity - June 2023

• Items of property security marked – 124
• Road traffic process – 10
• Heritage sites patrolled – 62
• Waste carrying vehicle checks – 29
• Farms visited – 45

Thanks to funding from both the Rother and Wealden District Councils Joint Action Groups (JAGs), the team have started additional prevention initiatives designed to deter offences in rural areas.

What’s used in Sussex, stays in Sussex

One particular initiative are new stickers for placement on farm machinery and equipment, developed to deter thieves.  

Given the majority of stolen farm and rural business equipment goes out of the county (or indeed country), this is a clear overt message to would-be thieves that what’s used in Sussex, stays in Sussex.

As an extra deterrent and annoyance to thieves, these stickers have been made with a material that leaves a residue on the item if the sticker is removed. It simply says 'stolen'. We know that criminals don’t like equipment that’s easily identifiable.

This is a small, simple step in preventing rural crime and an enhancement to all the other measures available.

We will be seeking to increase engagement and work with rural community groups (such as the Young Farmers Association) to help get these 10,000 stickers attached to tractors, quad bikes, trailers, chainsaws etc.

The initiative will be replicated using the same design and process across both sides of the county to ensure that we are consistent with our messages to those who seek to commit crime in a rural setting in Sussex.

High visibility signage

Deterring and disrupting rural criminals is a priority for the Rural Crime Team.  High visibility signage has been produced with funding by the JAG. In addition to our targeted patrols, stopping suspicious vehicles and checking for stolen farm equipment, the signs are an addition to our message to anyone thinking of committing crime in our rural areas.

To increase awareness of sheep worrying incidents across Sussex and to appeal for witnesses to specific reports, we have also produced these livestock attack warning notices.

Sheep worrying is a serious problem and one of the UK National Rural Crime Priorities. The Sussex Rural Crime Team have a very high success rate in dealing with sheep worrying incidents.

Identifying the dog owner (or person in control of the dog at the time) is crucial to seeking a successful outcome. Appeals to the public via social media have proven invaluable and adding overt signage in the area of an attack will help greatly too. The impact of sheep worrying affects us all, as well as the farmer, livestock and potentially their entire business.

One dead lamb from an attack is equivalent to 40-50 meals that won’t be reaching dinner tables. With food production and supply costs increasing, it’s more important than ever that dog owners consider the consequences of their actions.

This month two separate people have been given conditional cautions for livestock worrying. The offenders, whose dogs had attacked livestock, admitted to the offences and have been required to attend responsible dog ownership courses along with other conditions required by their cautions.

Community engagement

Members of the team were joined by Surrey Police at the South of England Show. The weather was extremely hot and sunny and we made new friends, both human and reptile. We were also fortunate enough to be awarded second place in the Discover the Countryside exhibit.

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Engage with us

Follow the Rural Crime Team on Twitter @SussexRuralCops

You can report rural crime online.

You can also anonymously report rural crime online on the Crimestoppers website or by calling 0800 555 111. This lets you give information about crime relating to, large scale industrial fly-tipping, hare coursing, machinery theft and livestock theft.

Operation Downsway is the Sussex Police response to concerns raised by local communities relating to driving and riding behaviours whilst also reducing collisions involving motorcyclists throughout the roads of Sussex.

We want to know about the road safety issues that are impacting your community.

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You can help us by filling in this survey and telling us what’s happening on the roads in your local area.

This information will help us build a picture of where we need to tackle road safety issues, which will inform our summer road safety intensification, Operation Downsway.

Every weekend between April and September officers from teams across the force will take part in the dedicated operation, providing a highly visible presence on the road network in Sussex and taking enforcement action where necessary.

You can help us by filling in this survey and telling us what’s happening on the roads in your local area.

This information will help us build a picture of where we need to tackle road safety issues, which will inform our summer road safety intensification, Operation Downsway.

Every weekend between April and September officers from teams across the force will take part in the dedicated operation, providing a highly visible presence on the road network in Sussex and taking enforcement action where necessary.

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