ASB Awareness Week: Tackling ASB Together in Chichester

This week marks Anti-social Behaviour (ASB) Awareness Week, which is supported annually by Police & Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne.

In Sussex, PCC Bourne works with a multitude of partners across the county to tackle ASB including Sussex Police, Community Safety Partnerships, Business Improvement Districts and others. Most notably, the previous government funded the highly successful Immediate Justice programme in the county, which saw offenders make visible amends for the wrong they had caused.

An example of organisations successfully working together to tackle ASB has taken place in Chichester in recent months. Below you can read more about how multiple agencies have worked hard to make the city centre safer for all:

Chichester District Council (CDC) has seen success in tackling anti-social behaviour in the city centre by working in partnership with other agencies.

CDC conduct regular security walks around the city centre with other statutory agencies, such as Chichester BID, Sussex Police, Chichester College, WSFRS and the Business Crime Reduction Partnership and chiBack to ensure the safety of residents and visitors to the area.

Fire Station Manager Anton Mezzone, noticed issues arising relating to trespassing on rooftops of shops and flats in the city centre at night, creating numerous risks. Buildings affected included a large, now vacant, department store, short stay hotel, private flats and a museum.

After speaking with relevant parties, it came to the fore that trespassers were gaining access to the roof of the department store via the hotel carpark along with other hidden access points. This sparked a multi-agency meeting between Chichester District Council, Community Wardens, West Sussex Fire & Rescue, Sussex Police, Bid Ambassadors, residents and relevant landlords. The meeting included a visit of the site and discussions were held to explore how to tackle the issue through a partnership approach.

It was suggested and agreed that the site be cleared of weeds and debris to halt access routes to the roof space and introduce 24/7 security. Members of the meeting and residents were pleased with the proposed plan, giving them confidence that the issue was being tackled, that work would make access to the buildings more difficult for trespassers, security would be both an active deterrent and would also provide safety should an emergency breakout during unsociable hours.  

The site has now been cleared of weeds and debris with the new security being in the later stages of installation. The work and ongoing monitoring of the area marks a huge improvement on making the city a safer place and is greatly appreciated by residents.

Praising the success of this work, Sussex PCC Katy Bourne said: “The strong, proactive action taken by many organisations in Chichester to tackle trespassing is a fantastic example of what can be achieved when everyone works together to solve a local issue.

“It’s fantastic that this work has made residents feel safer and has reduced incidents. Well done to all involved for tackling anti-social behaviour and improving our beautiful Chichester city centre for everyone.”

You can see images of the work carried out to date below: