Achievements

In the eight years since the Safer Hastings Partnership (previously the Hastings Crime & Disorder Reduction Partnership, or CDRP) was formed, we have strived to reduce crime, disorder and anti-social behaviour, as well as pioneering new initiatives to improve the safety and quality of our residents’ lives.

Crime has fallen by 27% in Hastings & St Leonards (2007/08 compared with 2003/04), with massive reductions in dwelling place burglary (down 60%), robbery (down 55%) and car crime (down 48%). (For more crime stats, click here.)

In addition, our residents are feeling safer, with an increase of almost 20% in the number of people who feel safe walking alone in the area in which they live at night (2006 compared with 2001) and a 13.4% increase in the number of people who feel safe walking alone at night in the town centre.

Daytime feelings of safety have improved too, with an increase of 9.1% in the area in which residents live and a 15% increase in the town centre.

Among our other achievements, we were presented with the Government Office for the South East’s Best New Media Activity Award for our 11-screen community TV network, SHP-TV, in October 2005.

MP Charles Clarke praised the SHP as an “excellent partnership” in January 2005 when he made Hastings his first port of call as Home Secretary.

Our Warden Service (coming soon) was among the first five in the country to receive the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister’s Quality Standard Award.

The Hastings & St Leonards Bar Watch Scheme banned more than 100 troublemakers from our town centre pubs and clubs in 2005.

Our local Shop Watch Scheme identified more than 250 offenders in 2005.

In October 2004, our Anti-Social Behaviour Unit was recognised by the Home Office as one of 50 Together Action Areas across the UK.

Between the 2001/02 and 2004/05 performance years, we reduced total crime in Hastings & St Leonards by 18%.

By the end of the 2004/05-performance year, we had reduced robbery by 50% (compared with 2002/03), vehicle crime by 40% (compared with 2003/04) and domestic burglary by 39% (compared with 2003/04).

Both Hastings & St Leonards town centres were recognised as safer places to shop, visit and run businesses, thanks to the commitment of the members and partners of the town’s Shop Watch Scheme. Their hard work was rewarded in November 2005 when they received the Home Office-sponsored Safer Business Award.

Members and partners of the town’s Bar Watch Scheme were also rewarded for their hard work recently in making Hastings & St Leonards one of the first places in the country to receive the Home Office-sponsored Safer Socialising Award. Pubs, clubs, fast food outlets and restaurants can now apply to Town Centre Management for their individual gold, silver or bronze Safer Socialising Award.

More than 4,000 homes are signed up to the local Neighbourhood Watch by Email Scheme (coming soon).

Members of the SHP attended the House of Lords for an exhibition about community TV networks, where BBC Crimewatch’s Nick Ross drew attention to the outstanding results of the Partnership in Hastings.

A town-wide street drinking ban covering the whole of Hastings & St Leonards was introduced on 1st September 2005. Seven street drinkers have been handed down Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (ASBOs) since the street drinking ban came into force.

Our 2004 Fear Of Crime Survey revealed that people in Hastings & St Leonards were feeling safer than they felt in 2001, and the latest survey, conducted in October 2005, found that feelings have safety have increased once again.
The biggest increases were in people feeling safe walking alone at night. The 2004 survey showed that 42% of our residents felt safe walking alone at night in the area in which they live; this has now risen to 52%.
Feelings of safety in the town centre at night have also increased by more than 10%, with 41% now feeling safe, compared to 30% last year.
Locals also feel safer walking alone where they live and in the town centre during the day, with increases of 2% taking the totals to 91% and 94% respectively.

East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service conducted more than 400 home safety visits in 2005, installing 528 smoke detectors.

Hastings Borough Council’s Parking Services team has identified and impounded more than 3,000 untaxed vehicles on the streets of Hastings & St Leonards since November 2002, as well as removing almost 2,000 abandoned vehicles from our streets.

Of the first 20 young people to go through the Restorative Justice scheme, only one has re-offended.