Friday 19th April 2024

Sussex Alerts - Eastbourne Police

Community Speed Watch needs you

Help reduce deaths and injury on the roads of your towns and villages; Community Speedwatch is looking for volunteers to help join a local Community Scheme in your area.

This is a vital role in helping to reduce anti-social driving and helping to prevent death and injury on our roads, and full training will be given for this voluntary role by Sussex Police.

Community Speedwatch (CSW) is a national initiative where active members of local communities join with the support of the Police to monitor speeds of vehicles using speed detection devices.

Vehicles exceeding the speed limit are referred to the Police with the aim of educating drivers to reduce their speeds.

In cases where education is blatantly ignored and evidence of repeat or excessive offences is collated (even across county borders), enforcement and prosecution can follow.

Find out more, sign up to a local scheme and join online by visiting CSW online here.

Burglary appeal

Police are appealing for information after high value jewellery and items were taken from a home in Eastbourne.

The owner reported a window was smashed at the property in Upper Avenue in the town centre in order to gain entry.

The break-in is believed to have occurred between 8.30am and 11.30am on Monday, April 8.

Jewellery including rings, necklaces and watches were taken, as well as some electrical items.

Officers are appealing for residents in the area to be vigilant and for anyone who may have seen what happened to come forward.

Anyone with relevant footage such as CCTV, dashcam or doorbell footage in the area at the time is also encourage to report it to us.

Information can be reported to Sussex Police online or on 101 by quoting serial 441 of 08/04.

Operation Downsway

Each weekend until the end of the year, targeted enforcement checks, and educational days will be held across your town as part of Operation Downsway.

Last weekend saw Officers visit a number of reported areas of high ASB driving, including areas reported for excess speed; where Officers conducted a number of checks, and spoke with local residents about their concerns.

Elsewhere, Officers conducted various checks including those for ASB driving, insurance and excess speed up along the roads around Beachy Head, where a continued Public Safety Protection Order (PSPO) is in place.

During the course of their checks in the Beachy Head area, a TOR (traffic offence report) was issued to a driver seen not wearing their seatbelt, and a second driver was stopped, and a FPN (fixed penalty notice) was issued under the PSPO for excess speeding.

The aim of the operation again this year is to:

• Reduce the number of people who are killed or seriously injured on the roads of East Sussex

• Help reduce the number of reported incidents of anti-social driving

• Increase public confidence in local policing through increased visibility and patrols

• Educate and raise awareness of the fatal 5 driving offences

These activities aimed at both enforcing and educating drivers in the area are driven by both public reporting and collision data; we continue to encourage residents to report ASB and driving relating offences to us at the time, by either calling 101 or reporting online.

In an emergency/serious road traffic accident always call 999.

Stay safe this summer from ticket fraud

Follow Action Fraud's top tips to avoid falling victim to ticket fraud this Summer.

According to new data, £6.7 million was lost to ticket fraud in 2023 in the UK alone. Action Fraud, the national fraud and cybercrime reporting service, has launched a new ticket fraud awareness campaign, warning people to be alert to fraudsters trying to catch out people planning for popular and sold-out events. 

How to protect yourself from ticket fraud:

If you think you’ve been a victim of fraud, contact your bank immediately and report it to Action Fraud online at actionfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040, or call Police on 101.

Eastbourne Night Safety Marshals

Remember each weekend, from 8pm to 4am on Friday and Saturday nights, the marshals will patrol areas of Eastbourne centre, visiting night-time venues, and supporting members of the community while out in the town - this is in addition to regular police patrols, and patrols from partners such as Eastbourne council and the Eastbourne Street Pastors who operate each weekend supporting vulnerable persons.

Earlier this year, a new team launched in Eastbourne working alongside police and partners to help keep people safe when they are out at night in the town.

In just a few months, the Night Safety Marshals have already assisted in providing support to over 70 vulnerable women, and over 30 vulnerable men by way of helping them to reunite with friends and family, contact the Police or assist them in getting home safely.

As well as this, the team have highlighted and resolved more than 15 incidents of public disorder, helping to lower the levels of crime attributed by the night-time economy in the town centre over the weekend.

The team launched in January with the aim of providing an additional visible presence in the town and to help in the early identification and dispersal of emerging risks.

They will also provide support to police and key partners such as Street Pastors, Security Industry Authority (SIA) door staff at licensed premises, and members of the Business Crime Reduction Partnership (BCRP).

Inspector Sarah Taylor, of the Eastbourne Neighbourhood Policing Team, said:

"Protecting our community from violence and crime, particularly during the night-time economy, is a key priority for police.

"Everybody has the right to enjoy a night out and Eastbourne is, and will continue to be, a safe place to do this.

"We already have a range of measures in place to support this work, including dedicated cars, targeted patrols, and close partnership working with licensed premises to promote other safety schemes such as Ask for Angela. 

"The Night Safety Marshals are a very welcome addition to our town centre and will further support our work to protect vulnerable people and catch offenders.”

"If you or someone you know are a victim of crime or need assistance on a night out, speak to a police officer, bar staff, Night Safety Marshal, or call 999 in an emergency."

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.