Good afternoon Residents,

I hope you are all well. Please find below your monthly Sussex Police bulletin containing the latest appeals, news, and crime prevention advice for Arun.

APPEALS

Appeal to locate witnesses to serious incident in Littlehampton

Police are appealing for witnesses following an incident in Littlehampton.

Officers were called after a man was found with serious injuries in St. Catherines Road, Littlehampton at around 17.20pm on Thursday December 12.

It is believed the victim, a 48-year-old man from Bognor Regis, may have been assaulted. The man was taken to hospital for treatment where he remains. An investigation is ongoing to establish the full circumstances of the incident.

Witnesses or anyone with any information, or dash cam or doorbell footage, is asked to contact police online or call 101 quoting serial 994 of 12/12.

Appeal to locate witnesses to serious incident in Littlehampton | Sussex Police

CRIME REPORTS

Burglary and vehicle crime

We continue to see a number of reports of break ins to sheds and outbuildings, with bikes being stolen. You can help to keep your property safe by keeping valuable items out of sight, securing sheds/outbuildings with good quality locks, removing tools and ladders and keeping side gates locked. Vehicle crimes have included thefts from vehicles of items such as phones, money, bags, and laptops. Please ensure that all valuables and tools are removed, and that vehicles are locked. Particularly with Christmas, please ensure that shopping or bags are not left on show in vehicles, presents and valuables are hidden out of sight at home, and that any boxes and packaging from expensive gifts are thrown away discretely.

You can find more information on keeping your property and vehicles safe here - 

Crime prevention advice | Sussex Police

Secured by Design - Home Security Advice

Secured by Design - Garden Security

Preventing car and vehicle theft | Crime Prevention | Sussex Police

Secured by Design - Vehicle Crime

NEWS

Sussex Police launch winter crackdown on drink and drug drivers

There will be increased drug testing of motorists on our roads as part of Sussex Police’s annual crackdown on drivers over the limit.

Additional patrols will be in place as part of the nationwide campaign to tackle drink and drug driving called Operation Limit.

The focus on drug-driving follows a rise in the number of drug-driving offences detected across the country, and officers will also be continuing their efforts to catch drink-drivers as well.

Motorists are being warned that there are no excuses for drink or drug-driving as Sussex Police launch the annual winter crackdown campaign today.

Being over the limit can have fatal consequences, with drink and drug-driving being one of the the main reasons why people are killed or seriously injured on our roads.

But it also has consequences for those who are caught while over the limit, such as losing their driving licence and potentially losing their job as a result.

The campaign runs from December 1 to January 1, and appeals to the public’s sense of shared responsibility to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured.

Officers will carry out additional patrols and stop checks, above the regular patrols which take place 24/7, every day of the year. There will also be more drug-testing of drivers being carried out.

You can read more here - Sussex Police launch winter crackdown on drink and drug drivers | Sussex Police

Man charged following criminal damage to cars in Bognor Regis

Inde Sneddon, 24, of no fixed address, has been charged in connection with causing criminal damage in Bognor Regis.

It is alleged that in the early hours of Friday 20 December he damaged several cars in the Nyewood Lane area and resisted arrest.

He was charged with 14 counts of criminal damage. He was also charged with resisting arrest, causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal (a police dog), theft from a motor vehicle, possession of an offensive weapon, threats to kills, resisting arrest, a public order offence and shoplifting.

He has been remanded and will appear at Crawley Magistrates Court on Monday (23 December).

Man charged following criminal damage to cars in Bognor Regis | Sussex Police

REPORTING A CRIME

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 do not require an urgent response. In an emergency when life is threatened or there is immediate danger always call 999.  

Connect with us face-to-face at a police station or contact the local policing team at www.sussex.police.uk/area/your-area.  

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. 

Crimestoppers

Crimestoppers is speaking up about neighbourhood crimes. Robbery, theft, and burglary harm communities and have a long-lasting impact on their victims. People not only suffer from the loss of their possessions, the invasion of privacy and violation of personal space, but some may experience emotional distress or be left with physical injuries.

Victims of crime may experience long-term adverse effects, from feelings of strong emotions to physical effects including a lack of sleep or falling ill. For some, the trauma can force them to change their ordinary daily routines, out of fear of repeat victimisation.

If you have witnessed an incident of robbery, theft, or burglary, or have information about a crime, tell Crimestoppers and remain 100% anonymous.

Call free on 0800 555 111 or visit the website - 

https://crimestoppers-uk.org/news-campaigns/campaigns/speaking-up-about-neighbourhood-crime

SUPPORT

If you have been a victim of crime, you can contact Victim Support who can give you the emotional support and advice you need. It does not matter how long ago the crime took place – they are always on hand to support you. More information is available here https://www.victimsupport.org.uk/

For individuals affected by romance fraud, are over 18, and live in Sussex; Victim Support are offering a free, specialist service supporting victims of relationship fraud. Their service can be delivered both in person and online and may include one-to-one support sessions, peer support and group work. 

You either contact them via email or telephone: FraudPeerSupportPilot@victimsupport.org.uk / 0303 313 2955.

Children and young person support

If you have children and young people in your family or you have friends that do, we are providing information and access to dedicated support services, if they feel they are unable to speak to their relatives or teachers. 

Is this OK?

Is This Ok? is a free, anonymous, and confidential service, bringing trained professionals together to provide support to young people through a chat service. You do not need to provide your real name (a nickname is fine for us!), and we don’t need to know your address.

The service is available for children and young people aged 13 - 18 years old and you can find out more here https://www.isthisok.org.uk/

Fearless - Crimestoppers

It can be a frightening time when children and young people hear of a crime being planned, witness a crime or are being exploited. Fearless enables young people to pass on information about crime 100% anonymously. The Fearless website is available here https://crimestoppers-uk.org/fearless/what-is-fearless

We’re supporting Counter Terrorism Policing’s campaign to encourage everyone to help keep each other safe this winter. We ask you to help by staying alert and trusting your instincts.

If something doesn’t feel right, tell staff, security or police straight away, and they will do the rest. You won’t be wasting our time.

In an emergency, call 999. Let’s keep each other safe.

Wishing you all a safe festive break, and a happy new year. If you need us we're here. Call 999 in emergencies or report via 101 or online for non-emergencies.

Kind regards,

Sherilyn