Violent Crime

Sussex Police chairs the Safer Hastings Partnership’s Violent Crime Focus Group.

The group brings together partner agencies across Hastings & St Leonards to form and sustain initiatives to meet the targets set in the Safer Hastings Strategy 2005-08. Their target is:

• To reduce Violent Crime by 5 per cent by 2008 compared to the recorded crime data for 2003/04

The group has a number of key tasks by which it aims to achieve this reduction. These tasks are:

• Provide public reassurance patrols in violent crime hotspots
• Monitor and respond to incidents of hate crime
• Sustain and develop the Bar Watch scheme and promote the use of Anti-Social Behaviour measures
• Promote and develop suitable transport links for the night-time economy
• Establish further good practice in reducing alcohol-related violent crime
• Monitor the implementation of the new licensing policy and its impact on violent crime
• Promote initiatives to reduce violent crime against young people

So far, the Violent Crime Focus Group has made a great deal of progress with these key tasks. Bar Watch is well developed and the night-time economy is well served by the scheme. The trial night bus service that ran in December 2004 was a success and was therefore repeated in December 2005 and a similar summer night bus ran earlier this year. Hastings was the first location in the UK to receive the Safer Socialising Award, except for the pilot area of Folkestone.

To find out more about the Violent Crime Focus Group, contact Antony.Blaker@sussex.pnn.police.uk.