Wealden Police update.

Wednesday, 12 October, 2011

An update on activity across Wealden for the last week.

I joined my operations team yesterday (11/10/11) in the Hartfield area on a plain clothes patrol of the area. This is not my favoured tactic as the law abiding public do not see us and get the reassurance they would from a uniformed officer. It is a tactic I use to specifically target certain criminal elements. We gathered some interesting intelligence that will help us target criminals and keep you all safe and secure. The team will be operating in plain clothes in other areas of Wealden over the coming weeks when the need arises. Although in plain clothes they will respond to an emergency call if nearby and will always show full Sussex Police identification.
Dick Coates, Wealden District Commander.

The restructure is in place as outlined in my messages over the last few weeks. I am really pleased with the results so far. The time it takes for us to investigate crimes has dropped which means a better service to you. We also seem to be bailing less people who are arrested. That means we are delivering justice quicker and saving ourselves time. These are early indications but give me great heart that we are doing the right thing.

We are now doing some surveys of victims of ASB. This will enable us to see if our service is fit for purpose and that we are delivering the service that is required and expected by the communities we serve. I was encouraged by the results of a survey this week from a resident of Hailsham who said that the service she had received for an ASB issue was excellent and that we had remained in contact to keep her updated regarding ongoing work. I know we do not get it right all the time but we want to try and make sure we do.

I will be working at the Hailsahm bonfire this weekend. I hope everyone who attends has a lovely evening. Other bonfires across Wealden have shown that underage drinking is an issue at these events. You may have seen the national papers picked up the fact that at one village event in Wealden, we confiscated about 800 bottles of alcohol from people who were underage. I do not intend the Hailsham bonfire to be spoiled by a few people who have consumed alcohol so we will be taking a robust response regarding underage drinking and also local premises selling alcohol to people who are already under the influence of alcohol. That work has already started with our licensing team visiting local establishments and making sure they are aware of their responsibilities. You can help by spreading the word that we will be targeting any poor behaviour so that the majority enjoy the evening.

Your continued support is really appreciated.
Proud to be serving Wealden.