Hello

As you may know, as PCC it is my statutory duty to set the strategic direction for Sussex Police. I am delighted to now share with you my most recent Police & Crime Plan for the county.

Within my fourth plan, I have set three priorities (aligned with the Chief Constable’s operational delivery objectives) as follows:

• Priority 1: Prevent crime and support victims and witnesses
• Priority 2: Investigate crime and bring offenders to justice
• Priority 3: Improve trust in policing and build public confidence

Having served as your PCC for almost 13 years, I have always made what residents want and need from Sussex Police my main priority and scrutiny of police performance and accountability have been essential in driving improvements and addressing the public’s concerns.

I have made sure that the priorities in this new plan are more closely aligned than ever with these concerns.

I understand why residents feel reassured when they see officers in their communities and high streets tackling antisocial behaviour, addressing road safety and other crimes affecting us all. However, whilst visibility is an essential part of effective policing, many serious offences often go unseen by the public such as sexual assaults, rapes, domestic abuse, fraud and cyber-crime yet these high-harm offences require a lot of dedicated police time and resources to investigate and detect.

It would be brilliant if you could take a few minutes to watch a video about my plan as well as read more on my website. You can also click the banner above.

Raising awareness about online grooming

In 2014, a young boy called Breck was tragically murdered after being groomed online by an 18-year-old man who ran the internet gaming server that Breck and his school friends used every day.

Following this tradgedy, Breck's mother Lorin was determined that no other family should suffer the same fate, so she set up the Breck Foundation. The Foundation visit schools, community groups, conferences and corporate companies to share Breck's story and educate people about online safety.

This year, I am delighted to be funding The Breck Foundation to create a county-wide Youth Ambassador Project to raise vital awareness about the threats of online grooming.

From September, the ambassadors who are aged 13-18 will be in place in their school or college to deliver sessions to other students to help protect them from dangers they might encounter online.

Earlier this month, I welcomed the newly recruited cohort of 49 Youth Ambassadors from across the county to my office to begin their training.

During the session, the ambassadors received safeguarding coaching, training in public speaking and confidence-building whilst learning about Breck’s story.

Next week, I am looking forward to hosting and speaking at an official launch event for the programme and soon after, the young people will begin their work. I will be providing updates about the programme through this newsletter and my website.

Katy Bourne OBE
Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner