Neighbourhood Watch Roundup

Special Edition: How Safe is Seaford Really? All The Statistics

We say it every time, that Seaford is one of the safest towns in the country but is that as true to say today as it was before the pandemic? Have cost-of-living increases, job losses through the pandemic and other pressing social and economic factors made an impact on crime in our town? Luckily, we have superb statistics available to us through the Sussex Police website, so the answer is relatively easy if you have the time to troll through the data. Sussex Police has divided Seaford & Bishopstone into five areas, so to have a thorough look at what’s what in yours, head on over to: https:// www.sussex.police.uk/area/your-area and enter your postcode. For an overview, here’s some crime data we put together for Seaford Central over the last 12 months and total reported crime over the last 36 months from May 2019.

It seems our biggest challenge in the centre of our town is how we treat each other and how we behave! Of the 415 reported crimes (an average of 34.5 incidents a month), an astonishing 312 involve bad behaviour toward each other or criminal damage. Of course, these stats reflect reported crimes, and once again this exercise underlines the importance of reporting every crime. Our police resources are allocated based on need, and so if no crime is reported, no resource is allocated. We are dead certain that more than three bicycles were swiped in Seaford Central in the last 12 months! Overall, there has been a significant drop in crime over the previous year, specifically robbery, which was

something we barely ever experienced before the pandemic. Although these statistics are only relevant to Seaford Central, a quick look at the data for other areas of town echo the trend – not only is Seaford one of the safest towns, but our crime rate is also reducing year on year. It would be really interesting to see Cyber Crime reported as a separate statistic, as that seems to be where all of us are most vulnerable.

There is definitely merit in the new policing model implemented over the past couple of years – there is real value in having dedicated PCSOs who get to know their town and townsfolk, and this is reflected in the significant reduction in crime, specifically the reduction in antisocial behaviour. Our DC for Lewes is CI, Di Lewis. Di is the policing commander for Eastbourne and Lewes and is responsible for the local policing of these districts. She leads the local Neighbourhood Policing Team consisting of both police officers and Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) who are dedicated to protecting our communities, catching criminals and delivering an outstanding service in the locality. You can see who our

PCSO’s are at https://www.sussex.police.uk/area/, pop in your postcode and click the “On The Team” tab. We too have our role to play as Great Neighbours because nobody knows the neighbourhood better than we who live here. Keeping an eye out for things that look iffy, reporting crime, caring about our neighbours who are more vulnerable or need a little help, all adds up to safe and happy neighbourhoods – a town where our children can play free-range, where our elders are respected and valued, where our youth are encouraged and praised. It sounds utopian, but it is honestly so simple even if all we give is a friendly smile. A visible and relevant Neighbourhood Watch also helps to keep crime at bay and we need do no more than display a roundel on our front doors to achieve this. While every resident of Seaford and Bishopstone is automatically under the umbrella of what we do, our Association relies on membership to keep doing what we do. It costs £3 per household per year to be Association members, and £2 per household per year for retirees. Joining is so simple too – just head over to www.sandbnhw.org/join

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