Policing performance under scrutiny: Crowborough community safety, roads policing and workforce diversity

Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Katy Bourne will spotlight community reassurance in Crowborough, road safety, domestic abuse protections and gender representation in policing at her regular performance and accountability meeting (PAM) with Sussex Police chief officers on 16 April.

Reassurance for Crowborough communities

Earlier this year, the Home Office began using the former military training camp in Crowborough as temporary asylum accommodation for adult males. PCC Katy Bourne will ask for clarity on what, if any, impact this has had on Sussex Police resourcing both locally and across the county. Mrs Bourne will also seek assurances for Crowborough residents about public safety, including how effectively Sussex Police are responding to any incidents or crimes reported in and around the site.

Delivering on road safety commitments

Sussex Police launched its Fatal Five Unit in January 2026 to target the behaviours most commonly linked to fatal and serious‑injury collisions. PCC Katy Bourne will ask for an update on the unit’s achievements to date, the intelligence sources used to guide deployments and how taskings are prioritised. She will also seek clarity on how the public can submit road‑safety concerns and evidence, what updates they can expect and how the scheme’s success will be measured.

Domestic Abuse protections

PCC Katy Bourne will examine how actively Sussex Police promotes the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme (also known as Clare’s Law), which enables people to request information about a partner or third party where there may be a risk of harm, and whether the Force is seeing improved outcomes in supporting potential victims.

Mrs Bourne will also explore how Domestic Violence Protection Notices (DVPNs) and Domestic Violence Protection Orders (DVPOs) are being used across Sussex and how the police responds to reported breaches to support criminal justice outcomes. 

Workforce diversity

PCC Katy Bourne will scrutinise gender representation across police ranks and grades and the strategies in place to support women to pursue promotion and career development.

Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks

Following updates provided at recent PAMs, PCC Katy Bourne will continue to follow Sussex Police’s progress in reducing the outstanding backlog of DBS checks and improving response turnaround times.

Commenting ahead of the meeting, PCC Katy Bourne said: “Residents rightly expect transparency in policing. My role as PCC is to ask challenging questions and seek assurances on behalf of the public to ensure the Force continues to drive performance and make improvements where they are needed.”

Watch the meeting live: The April PAM will be webcast live at 13:00 on Thursday 16 April 2026: https://sussex-pcc.public-i.tv/core/portal/home