Sussex Snapshot: 12 Crime-fighting Achievements

22/12/2025

As the days get darker and the festive season is in full-swing, Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne shines a light on 12 crime-fighting achievements that make us all Safer in Sussex this Christmas.

  1. Record Officer numbers

Sussex Police has put a record number of officers back on the streets. We now have 250 more officers than when PCC Katy Bourne first entered office. This has increased police visibility from Chichester to Rye; restored neighbourhood policing with more officers on our streets to prevent and investigate crime and reassure Sussex residents; and solved rates are up too.

 

  1. Leading nationally for 999 and 101 response times

Sussex Police is now THE top police force in the country for answering 999 and 101 calls. Historically, residents voiced concerns over the length of time they waited to get a response from Sussex Police when reporting a crime. Improving performance and reducing waiting times has consistently been a top priority in PCC Katy Bourne’s Police and Crime Plan. Now, Sussex Police is the model to follow making it easier and quicker to report crime and get police help when you need it.

 

  1. Fighting Rural Crime

With over 60% of East and West Sussex designated as rural or super-rural, our Rural Crime Team is vital. Thanks to investment from increased police precepts, Sussex now has 21 officers dedicated to protecting rural communities, businesses and farmers and disrupting travelling gangs and criminals running hare coursing, killing wildlife and livestock and committing environmental crimes like fly tipping.

The Rural Crime Team achieved 1,400 patrol hours, visited 450 farms and recovered 34 stolen vehicles and pieces of equipment leading to a 24% overall reduction in crimes over the past year.

 

  1. Protecting our High Streets from Retail Crime

Historically, shoplifting has not been seen as a police or Government priority, despite the millions of pounds of losses to stores every year and the shocking levels of abuse and violence experienced by shopworkers.

PCC Bourne has made it her mission that Sussex Police, national forces and Government should take retail crime and shoplifting seriously. In 2020 the Commissioner established the Safer Sussex Business Partnership, making it easier to report shop theft and creating a dedicated Sussex Police Business Crime Team. 

She then scaled this up into the national Pegasus Partnership - a unique collaboration between police and major retailers to fund the first national intelligence picture of organised crime gangs in the retail sector. Since the launch in May 2024 dozens of previously unknown gangs and hundreds of offenders have been identified, disrupted, arrested and deported.

Most recently and in another first for Sussex, Katy Bourne set up the first electronic tagging scheme for persistent shoplifters.

 

  1. Protecting Women and Girls

Since 2014, PCC Katy Bourne has helped Sussex Police transform their response to violence against women and girls (VAWG) including domestic abuse. From securing hundreds of thousands of pounds in grants to make the night-time economy safer with extra police patrols, night marshals and specialist training for bar staff, to a discrete online Domestic Abuse reporting app recognised as best practice by both the Home Office and the national police inspectorate. PCC Bourne also funded ground-breaking misogyny and harmful relationship training for Sussex schools in 2021 which is now a major plank of this government’s VAWG Strategy. 

 

  1. Tackling Stalking

There are yet more firsts for Sussex: how we deal with stalking has influenced police forces across the country, guided national police practice and raised awareness of the warning signs of stalking behaviour. PCC Katy Bourne partnered with Veritas Justice to provide over 3,000 stalking victims in Sussex with support in 2024/25 alone to ensure their stalkers are investigated and prosecuted. Sussex Police were the first force to secure a Stalking Protection Order and trial perpetrator behaviour programmes. 

 

  1. Specialist Enforcement Units Tackling Serious Organised Crime

Drugs destroy lives and tear communities apart. The Specialist Enforcement Unit has delivered 650 stop and searches, made 450 arrests and seized over 300kg of drugs. Sussex Police’s Centurion team has identified and dismantled 120 county drug lines and protected dozens of young people from exploitation by drug gangs. Taking drugs off our streets is making our communities safer.

 

  1. Police Scrutiny

PCC Katy Bourne was the first PCC to webcast performance and accountability meetings with the Chief Constable, challenging Sussex Police to deliver on the public’s priorities. We have 13 years of publicly available video records showing every aspect of policing being scrutinised and explained in more than 130 sessions.

 

  1. Safe Space Sussex

Since 2014, PCCs have had a statutory responsibility to help victims and witnesses cope and recover from crime. We have led the way in Sussex with quality-assured specialist services in our Funding Network and accessible on our Safe Space Online Directory.

Katy Bourne’s experienced Victims Services Commissioning Team has allocated almost £30m over the past 11 years supporting around 45,000 people each year.

 

  1. Supporting Volunteer Organisations

Over 600 community groups in the county have benefited from £2.3m invested by PCC Katy Bourne from her Safer in Sussex Community Fund. This has provided security equipment, supported youth engagement activities, delivered fraud prevention advice to those most at risk, and sustained local Community Speedwatch schemes.

 

  1. Keeping People Safe On Our Roads

Over the last year fatalities on our roads are down 30%, which is a significant improvement - but there is so much more that we can do to change driver behaviour and reduce the risk of collisions. Early in the New Year we will launch the Fatal Five Unit, which will focus on education and enforcement, to make our roads even safer.

 

  1. Driving Down Domestic Burglary

Lastly, we should all feel safe in our homes. It’s encouraging to see real progress - domestic burglaries in Sussex are down 10% this year, thanks to relentless policing and community vigilance.

As we head into a new year, PCC Katy Bourne will continue to scrutinise and support Sussex Police and work with partners to ensure that residents are protected and visitors to Sussex feel safe.