East Sussex county councillor urges Police & Crime Comissioner to put more police on the streets

Cllr Phil Scott, who represents Hollington and Wishing Tree division, said the county’s Police and Crime Comissioner (PCC) should ‘stand up’ for East Sussex residents and demand more funding from the Government.

According to the Office of National Statistics, gun crime has gone up by 24 per cent and knife crime up by 20 per cent in the last year.

Cllr Scott said: “We certainly need more police officers out on the streets, not less, if you are really serious about reducing crime. Police officers working directly within our communities where there are real issues are able to gather intelligence working with both residents and other agencies. It’s time for the PCC to stand up for the people of East Sussex and demand from Government funding that sees more police deployed to tackle what are actually very serious crimes that affect all of our lives.”

Sussex PCC Katy Bourne said: “I recognise the force has seen an increase in demand in recent months and I know officers are carrying high workloads across all departments.

“I continue to meet regularly with community groups and residents to hear their concerns and to represent their views and issues directly to the Chief Constable. I will be addressing issues of anti-social behaviour at my Performance and Accountability Meeting on Friday, September 15 which can be viewed online at www.sussex-pcc.public-i.tv/core/portal/home.

“In order to raise more funds, I have written to the Home Secretary and the Minister for Policing and Fire to ask for the cap on the policing precept to be lifted.

“I have also secured more than £500,000 from developers via section 106 agreements and am exploring other powers available to raise extra funds. Keeping our communities safe and strengthening local policing remains a key priority for me.”

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