News and events

Would you like to join the Sussex Police?

Sussex Police has today, Monday 10th May, opened police officer recruitment for the first time this year, as part of its push to drive up police officer numbers by 2022. 

During this round of recruitment applications will be sort for the 2022 cohorts as part of a three year programme where they will study for a degree in professional policing practice while undertaking their training.  

Between April 2021 and March 2022 Sussex Police will recruit over 250 officers, including an increase of 121 as a result of Operation Uplift (the government increase of 20,000 officers nationally) and 30 additional officers funded by the precept. In addition, the recruitment plans to ensure that it replaces all those officers who leave the force during the year – normally as a result of retirement. 

As such Sussex Police will see a net increase of 117 officers over the financial year. With opportunities to specialise in a diverse range of policing specialisms, a career as a police officer opens doors to roles in areas such as safeguarding, community engagement, investigations and anti-terrorism.  Those who enter the force will experience a job that is challenging and demanding, but offers job satisfaction and variety like no other. 

By continuing to strengthen local policing numbers, these officers will make a real difference to communities across the county by giving Sussex residents what they want – a visible and proactive force which is tough on crime. 

Director of People Services Adrian Rutherford said: 

“I have been really pleased to have seen the quality of new officers that we have been recruiting over the past few years, in this time of growth for Sussex Police. This has been enhanced by the new entry routes into policing including the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship programme which has proved highly popular and will equip our new officers with the skills and attitude to provide an excellent service to the public of Sussex. 

“We are particularly looking to attract candidates from communities who are underrepresented in policing – this is essential to ensure that we can be an effective and high performing force.” 

If you have the judgment to make quick decisions, are confident to be the first person in, have the compassion and empathy to help those in need and the resilience to serve the community every single day; then being a police officer could be the career you've always dreamed of. 

Recruitment will close at midnight on the 24th May. Please note, we anticipate high levels of interest so recommend submitting your application as early as possible. 

Apply now and help make a real difference to your community. 

https://www.lumesse-engage.com/policejobssurreyandsussex/jobs/police-constable-degree-apprenticeship-sysx-unfm00064-1  

Broxmead Lane Closures

Over the next three months, the West Sussex Community Safety & Wellbeing Team are working with West Sussex Trading Standards to offer residents free online webinars to help keep themselves ‘Safe Against Scams’.

These hour and a half sessions have been organised as the county has seen a rise in a number of different scams, including telephone, courier and romance fraud.

Not only do these scams have a financial impact on victims, they also have an emotional impact which can often be just as damaging.

Francesca Blow, Lead for Safe Digital Life at the County Council, said: “More than ever before, people across West Sussex have been relying on technology to enable them to work, learn and connect with each other. Inevitably, criminals have exploited and used our increased digital lives to their advantage.

“Working alongside our Trading Standards Team has helped us to create a really great session which we hope will teach attendees how to spot a scam, what to do if their friends or their family become a victim and generally to help raise awareness of the different types of fraud that are doing the rounds here in West Sussex.”

Richard Sargeant, Trading Standards Team Manager at the County Council, said: “Since the pandemic started there has been a significant rise in reports from members of the public who have been affected by telephone and online scams.

“As a team, we are always looking for opportunities to raise awareness, so it has been great to work with Francesca and her team to help teach people how they can stop fraudsters before they can have a detrimental effect on somebody’s life.”

The dates for the free sessions are:

• Thursday 20 May  10am – 11.30am
• Thursday 20 May  6pm – 7.30pm
• Tuesday 15 June  10am – 11.30am
• Tuesday 15 June  6pm – 7.30pm
• Tuesday 27 July  10am – 11.30am
• Tuesday 27 July  6pm – 7.30pm

If you’re interested in signing up for one of the free webinars, visit Eventbrite and search for ‘Safe Against Scams’ to book your place.

In response to the increased fear of pet theft, Neighbourhood Watch has launched our PROTECT YOUR POOCH campaign.  The campaign will run on social media from 17th – 30th May but those who do not use social media can support the campaign by displaying this poster in their community, or attending our online Dog Theft webinar on the 27th May at 5pm.  The webinar will be led by Neighbourhood Watch Network with speakers from the Met Police and Crimestoppers, as well as special guest speaker Katy Bourne, PCC for Sussex. To book your place, click here. The PROTECT YOUR POOCH campaign encourages people to keep their pets SECURE, IN SIGHT and SEARCHABLE, and to HELP MAKE PET THEFT A SPECIFIC CRIMINAL OFFENCE.  The Met Police and Crimestoppers are backing our SECURE, IN SIGHT and SEARCHABLE message.  More information on the campaign can be found on www.ourwatch.org.uk/protectyourpooch.  You can support the campaign by acting on our advice and sharing our messages in the following ways:

1. Follow us on Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / LinkedIn and share our campaign posts  
2. Print this poster and display it in your community  
3. Share this campaign image on your local Whatsapp groups  
4. Help make pet theft a specific criminal offence by signing a petition or writing to your MP. Find out more on www.ourwatch.org.uk/protectyourpooch  
5. Attend our online Dog Theft webinar on 27th May, 5pm. Book your place here.

About guest speaker Katy Bourne, PCC for Sussex Katy Bourne is in her third term as Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Sussex. She was first elected in 2012, re-elected in 2016 and again in 2021.  The PCC’s role is to hold the Chief Constable to account for the performance of the Force; effectively making the police answerable to the communities they serve. Katy is responsible for setting the strategic direction and priorities for Sussex Police through the Police & Crime Plan. This includes setting the police budget and local police precept – the amount residents pay for policing in their council tax. She also has a statutory duty to deliver community safety initiatives including Restorative Justice and crime reduction grants, along with commissioning support services for victims of crime. Her genuine passion and commitment to making a difference has won her praise from successive Home Secretaries and Prime Ministers and in June 2019 she was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours. For anybody who wishes to have a PROTECT YOUR POOCH campaign pack, please email [email protected]. Keep safe, NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH NETWORK, Central Support Team Follow us.. ourwatch.org.uk / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / LinkedIn Neighbourhoood Watch Network is a charity registered in England & Wales, CIO no: 1173349

 Booking that long-awaited holiday or travel online? Don’t fall victim to travel fraud! Following a year of travel bans, quarantine, uncertainty and missed holidays, many of us are desperate to get away for a break, whether it’s a holiday in the sun or a weekend by the sea in the UK. You may be taking the plunge and booking right now, or waiting cautiously until the travel situation becomes clearer. Or you may be booking travel and accommodation for that face-to-face meeting you’ve yearned for every time you go on a video call. But cybercriminals are busy thinking about holidays and travel too ... not taking them but exploiting your desperation for a break, with fake websites, advertisements, emails, social media posts, texts and phone calls for holidays, flights, accommodation or pilgrimages that don’t exist. Avoid disappointment and financial losses: start by reading Get Safe Online's expert tips on searching and booking holidays, and travel safely and securely. Top tips to ensure your holiday or travel booking is safe

• Do thorough research on accommodation, flights, cruises, package holidays or pilgrimages advertised via private advertisements, to check they’re authentic.
• Check that accommodation really exists by finding it on Google Maps and looking for independent reviews and recommendations. If you can, call and speak to the owner/agent directly. If the number is not provided, email and request it.
• Check reviews on TripAdvisor or similar sites.
• Never pay for holidays or travel by bank transfer. If you do and it’s a fraud, you may never see your money again. Paying by credit card means more chance of getting your money back if something goes wrong.
• Make sure travel agents and tour operators you book through are members of trade associations such as ABTA or ATOL, by checking on these bodies’ websites.

For the full story, visit www.getsafeonline.org, select ‘Protecting Yourself’ and then ‘Holiday & Travel Booking’. Get Safe Online is the UK’s leading source of information and advice on online safety and security, for the public and small businesses. It is a not-for-profit, public/private sector partnership backed by law enforcement agencies and leading organisations in internet security, banking and retail. For more information and expert, easy-to-follow, impartial advice on safeguarding yourself, your family, finances, devices and workplace, visit www.getsafeonline.org. If you think you’ve been a victim of online fraud, report it to Action Fraud, the UK’s national fraud and cybercrime reporting centre on 0300 123 20 40 or at www.actionfraud.police.uk. 

Over the last year reports of burglary have dropped dramatically across Sussex. The lockdown measures that have been in place across the UK have undoubtedly contributed to this reduction. As lockdown measures continue to ease and with summer approaching, we want to keep it this way. Monday 17 May marked a milestone in the Government road map out of lockdown with people beginning to return to their place of work, the hospitality sector opening up their services fully, taking a ‘staycation’ and enjoy social activities more fully across the UK. What this also means is while people can enjoy more freedom away from their homes, they will be empty for longer periods of time. In order to keep burglary rates low, we need to ensure that as the nation continues to move out of lockdown home security is a top priority. We want to remind residents of the crime prevention advice available to protect their homes against burglary. This could be as simple as ensuring that all windows are closed and double checking that doors are locked when leaving the home. All week we are sharing crime prevention advice on the Sussex Police social media accounts and will continue to publicise when burglars are convicted at court. Burglary is a priority that we continue to tackle. To protect your property, you can find practical prevention tips to:

• protect your home including information on door and window locks here
• keep burglars out of your property here
• keep your shed or garage safe and secure here
• access to all information on protecting your home from crime here

There are also other ways to protect your personal belongings by using property marking. Register your belongings on the free Immobilise national property register. It only takes a few minutes and increases the chances of being reunited with your property if it is stolen. Find out more on their website here.

Over 100,000 people are thought to be regularly caring for a friend or family member in West Sussex, so this Carers Week, running from 7 – 13 June, it’s more important than ever to raise awareness and shine a spotlight on the information and services available to family and friend carers across the county.

Backed by West Sussex County Council, the NHS and West Sussex charity, Carers Support West Sussex, there’s plenty on offer to help those looking after friends and family.

With more than 29,000 carers currently registered in West Sussex, including young carers, young adult carers and adult carers, this is still only a fraction of the estimated number of family and friend carers believed to be living in West Sussex. Carers Support West Sussex are urging those not yet registered to sign up to access the support they may require now or in the future.

This year, family and friend carers are continuing to face new challenges because of the Covid-19 pandemic, with many taking on more caring responsibilities for their relatives and friends who are disabled, ill or older and who need support.

As part of Carers Week, Carers Support West Sussex has put together a programme of carer focused workshops, where attendees will have the opportunity to:

• Learn something new or improve knowledge;
• Virtually meet others in a similar situation and have a chance to socialise;
• Have a break from caring roles.

A majority of these are online classes, but if you are able, there are also picnics taking place at Parham House in Pulborough, Swanbourne Lake in Arundel and a coastal walk starting in Ferring. To find out more, visit https://www.carerssupport.org.uk/carers-week.

Amanda Jupp, Cabinet Member for Adults Services at West Sussex County Council, said: “Carers Week is a really important time in the calendar as it is a great way of reminding all of our family and friend carers here in West Sussex that there is help and support available for them whatever situation they may find themselves in.

“Caring is such a huge responsibility and many carers spend so much time looking after someone else, that they forget to take some time for themselves, which is where Carers Support West Sussex can prove invaluable as they run carer groups, a Carer Response Line, help carers access free counselling and provide funds so that carers can do something for themselves, amongst many other things.”

Sonia Mangan, Chief Executive at Carers Support West Sussex also said “This year’s Carers Week theme is ‘Making Caring Visible and Valued across West Sussex’ and we aim to raise awareness of caring, highlight the challenges family and friend carers face and recognise the contributions they make to families and our local community.

“Across England and Wales carers save the UK economy more than £150 billion every year, and with the pandemic seeing more individuals taking on a family and friend caring role, we need to make sure that these people get exactly what they need to stay well whilst caring for someone else.”

For anyone that can’t attend the workshops, there is still plenty that Carers Support can offer you after the week has finished, including a free Carers Discount Card, which gives family and friend carers in the county a range of exclusive offers and discounts.

The aim of the scheme is to promote the health and wellbeing of carers whilst alleviating some of the financial strain that is often placed upon them by their role.

To find out more and for further information about the great work that Carers Support West Sussex do for family and friend carers across the county, visit www.carerssupport.org.uk/.

For further information please contact the news desk on 0330 222 8090 or email [email protected]. For urgent out-of-hours enquiries please call 07767 098415.   

Allied Westminister have announced the launch of the 2021 Wonderful Villages Photo Competition

The competition closes on 21st November 2021, giving you plenty of time to take your best picture!

The theme is Britain’s ‘Wonderful Villages’ and we’re interested in any photo taken in the UK that captures a sense of village life and community spirit. We’ve recorded a special podcast episode offering some insight into what the competition judges are looking for and to explain a little bit more about how it all works.

For more information visit https://thevillagehallspodcast...

Sussex Safer Roads Partnership are raising awareness and providing road safety information on the importance of wearing a seatbelt, no matter how long or short the journey. As lockdown eases further SSRP are reminding the public of maintaining correct road safety practice to ensure the safety of themselves and others when travelling across the county. Whilst the majority of road users wear their seatbelts, the consequences however, should they not be worn, can be severe. In 2019, 23% of car occupants killed were not wearing a seatbelt. This is only a 3% decrease since 2018 where the proportion of car occupants killed while not wearing a seatbelt was 26%. Whether a driver or a passenger in a vehicle, in a crash a seatbelt greatly improves your chance of avoiding serious injury of death. To keep up to date with road safety information and advice, members of the public can visit www.sussexsaferroads.gov.uk and follow @SussexSRP on Twitter