Hello

This week is Business Crime Reduction Partnership (BCRP) Awareness Week, a chance to shine a light on the fantastic work happening across Sussex to protect our high streets. Our BCRPs bring together retailers, local businesses, police, councils and community partners to tackle shop theft, anti-social behaviour and to provide focus on the small number of prolific offenders who cause the most harm.

I’m delighted that this partnership approach is making such a real difference. In fact, we’ve seen a 69% drop in violence and assaults against shop staff in Sussex over the past year - a huge achievement and testament to the commitment of everyone involved.

Across Sussex, BCRPs are visibly stepping up activity this week - from enhanced patrols to increased business engagement - all to ensure our high streets remain safe and welcoming places for staff, customers and local communities.

I would also like to personally congratulate Nick Strickland, Field Officer at the Brighton & Hove BCRP, who has been recognised with a High Sheriff’s Award for his outstanding work on a major burglary case. His knowledge, determination and close work with Sussex Police led to a successful prosecution and a three-year sentence for a prolific offender. Nick is a credit to his team and to the city.

Tackling tensions, crime and confidence

In this month’s Performance and Accountability Meeting (PAM) held yesterday, my questions to Sussex Police chief officers covered several key areas of national and local interest.

With international tensions rising following recent events in the Middle East, I know many residents are feeling concerned. I asked Sussex Police how it is monitoring any related local tensions and what officers are doing to reassure and support our communities?

I also scrutinised the Force's progress on national policing commitments. Sussex Police has already exceeded its first 2025/26 Police Officer Maintenance Grant checkpoint and I want to ensure we stay on track for the next milestone and meet upcoming neighbourhood policing targets.

Another important update was on Operation STOP - our ground-breaking pilot using electronic tagging to tackle persistent shoplifters. I sought the latest figures on Criminal Behaviour Orders with tagging conditions and explored when this approach could be expanded more widely across Sussex. I was staggered to learn that just 138 offenders caused 1,782 charges of shop theft across Sussex last year resulting in more than 500 weeks of imprisonment. This really demonstrates how a small number of persistent offenders cause the most harm and why tagging is so important as a means to alter behaviour.

Following the College of Policing’s refreshed national guidance on media and communications, I scrutinised how Sussex Police plans to align with these standards to strengthen public trust.

It has now been a year since the launch of the Sussex Police Portal, which gives victims of crime a simpler way to get updates and communicate with officers. You can find out more about the impact the Portal has made so far and plans for its next phase in my Friday Force Focus below.

Sussex residents rightly expect visible policing, clear communication and innovative approaches to reducing crime. I remain committed to asking the challenging questions that ensure you stay informed and reassured. My monthly PAMs are live streamed and you can view recordings of all these meetings on my webcasting platform.

Katy Bourne OBE
Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner