Backing Community Policing and Our Emergency Services

Over the weekend, I spent a fantastic afternoon with my family at the Emergency Services Day in Oaklands Park. It was a brilliant event that brought together all the emergency services, as well as the many voluntary organisations that support their work. My family thoroughly enjoyed it, and I hope the event becomes a permanent fixture in the calendar. It was great to see residents, especially young people, engaging with our emergency services and learning more about the vital role they play in keeping the public safe. 

During recess, I spent the morning with Sussex Police in Selsey, visiting a number of businesses and community establishments. The experience was a stark reminder of the challenges currently facing community policing and our emergency services more broadly. 

Sussex Police have recently adopted a new model that allocates a PC in the neighbourhood team to a smaller area. Selsey now has a designated Police Community Support Officer and a PC overseeing the area, along with the Witterings and the Bournes. Their aim is to be out on regular foot patrols, but due to the administrative burden PCs must shoulder, they are not on patrol nearly as often as they would like. 

This is why we, as Liberal Democrats, have called for the establishment of an online crime agency, to give officers more time away from their desks and allow them to focus on community policing. I also recently attempted to add an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill, which aimed to improve the transfer of data between the Police and Crown Prosecution Service, a proposal the Government chose to ignore. The effect of the current system is simply more administration and desk time for officers. 

Walking through the town with three uniformed officers turned heads so sharply that many might have assumed I was on a stroll with three elephants. Residents told us of their shock at seeing any police officers patrolling the streets, let alone three together. 

This lack of visibility is having a profound, though largely unmeasured, effect on local crime. Several business owners admitted that they had not reported incidents, convinced that little or no action would follow. Consequently, the concerns I regularly hear from residents, both in correspondence and in person, are not being captured in official statistics. This under-reporting has serious implications. If crime is not formally recorded, resources cannot be allocated to address problems that the community clearly recognises. I would encourage all residents to actively report any crime they witness, including low-level offences, so that an accurate picture can be built. 

Jess with Sussex Police in Selsey