East Sussex Safer Communities Partnership Business Plan Refresh 2022/23
Contents
The Problem: Identifying those at Risk of Harm
The Problem: Protecting Vulnerable People
The Problem: Keeping Communities Safe
What have we achieved? Identifying those at Risk of Harm
What have we achieved? Protecting Vulnerable People
What have we achieved? Keeping Communities Safe
National Drivers influencing Safer Communities Work
Focus for 2022/23 - Identifying those at Risk of Harm
Focus for 2022/23 - Protecting Vulnerable People
Focus for 2022/23 - Keeping Communities Safe
Our Ambition
The Partnership ambition is to make East Sussex a safer place to live for everyone.
We are committed to working collaboratively across the statutory and voluntary sectors to reduce and prevent crime and anti-social behaviour, support the victims of crime, protect our most vulnerable residents, and create more inclusive and resilient neighbourhoods and communities. We will achieve this through raising awareness, through coproduction and collaboration, and through driving wider policy change.
Cross-Cutting Themes
Championing integrated initiatives across systems and organisational boundaries, the Partnership is focused on keeping communities safe, identifying those at risk of harm, and protecting vulnerable people. These reflect and complement the individual priorities of the five District and Borough CSPs, the County Council, Police, Probation, Fire and Rescue Services, and the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Office, alongside those of our local Safeguarding Boards.
In identifying those at risk of harm, workstreams range from preventing people from being drawn into violent extremism to reducing the harms associated with drug and alcohol misuse.
In protecting vulnerable people, workstreams range from improving online safety to disrupting modern slavery and protecting people from domestic and sexual violence and abuse.
In keeping communities safe, workstreams range from improving road safety to reducing public place serious violence.
The Partnership recognises that some people experience intersectional disadvantage and that this may have been compounded by their experience of the pandemic. Our approach is underpinned by a commitment to responding to people across the entirety of their experience and by the promotion of diversity and equality of access to service provision. Of equal importance is the proportionate targeting of resource to have the most impact, recognising for example, that males account for most of both perpetrators and victims of serious violent crime, and that females are most at risk of domestic and sexual violence and abuse.
There are various interdependencies between the Partnership’s workstreams, with actions in one area affecting the outcomes in another. Our approach to tackling serious violence will therefore take account of the need to reduce drug and alcohol-related harm; our work on reducing re-offending will consider the impact of homelessness and worklessness on recidivism; and our actions to tackle public place anti-social behaviour will read across to our commitment to eliminating harassment and Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG). Running through all our workstreams is a focus on online safety and an attention to individuals who have experienced severe disadvantage (those with multiple, complex needs).
Our Approach
The Partnership includes representation from specialist Children’s Services in recognition that communities are made up of both adults and children, and an understanding that upstream interventions that support behaviour change reduce the necessity for future crisis-driven responses. An integrated approach relies on partners taking an active role at a systems level tackling issues at scale through aligning priorities, commissioning, and external income generation; and sharing resources, data insights, intelligence, and learning. The implementation of change, however, happens at a local level - where people live, work and access services. It is at a place-based level that the contribution of our VCSE partners in enabling a safer East Sussex and as bridges to local communities is most important.
The Partnership will work together to create strong networks of support, building connections, shared values, and trust across and between communities, and empowering people in communities have a sense of control, to support each other and to take collective action. This approach draws on community assets, encouraging participation, influence, and ownership, while continuing to safeguard more vulnerable individuals and finding ways to enable their voices to be heard.
Community safety is an outcome rather than a collection of services, and the East Sussex Safer Communities Partnership is more than just the sum of its parts. Taking a data and evidence-informed approach to strategic and business planning, the Partnership will continue to evaluate its collective impact, developing a shared understanding of ‘what works’ and how best to achieve sustainability.
The Problem: Identifying those at Risk of Harm
Preventing Violent Extremism:
· Prevent and Channel referrals remain low and in line with national trends
· Mental Health and Autism Spectrum Disorders feature in most referrals
Contextual Safeguarding:
· ASCH and Police report grooming activity targeting boys and BAME children, who comprise 28% of MACE caseload
· There are ten active and emerging crack cocaine and heroin County drug lines
Improving Outcomes for People who have experienced Severe Disadvantage:
· Women who have experienced multiple disadvantage increasingly feature in Safeguarding Adults and Domestic Homicide Reviews
Drug-Related Harm:
· Project ADDER in Hastings – an intensive approach which combines targeted and tougher policing with enhanced treatment services
Alcohol-Related Harm:
• The highest numbers of people in alcohol treatment are from Rother and Wealden
• Hastings is significantly worse for alcohol related hospital admissions
Young People’s Substance Misuse:
• Young People in treatment typically have other issues, including LAC status, mental health and a history of Adverse Childhood Experiences
Opiate and Crack Cocaine Related Deaths
|
Area |
2017/18 |
2018/19 |
2019/20 |
2020/21 |
|
Hastings |
8 |
18 |
16 |
15 |
|
East Sussex |
15 |
15 |
25 |
22 |
|
England |
1712 |
1897 |
2010 |
2382 |
The Problem: Protecting Vulnerable People
Violence Against Women Girls:
• Sexual Violence and Abuse is the most selected category in the public Reputation Tracker Survey
• Peak in needle-spiking offences over summer/ autumn 2021
Rape and Sexual Violence:
• From Oct 2020 to end Sept 2021, reports to Police of Serious Sexual Violence increased by 7% and reports of Sexual Offences increased by 5.5% from the year before
• Increases were highest in Eastbourne and Hastings
• Domestic Violence and Abuse: There was a 6.3% decrease in Domestic Abuse Crimes in 2020/21 from 2019/20
• Through 2019 – 21, 40% of serious violent crime in East Sussex occurred in a dwelling
Hate Crime:
· Sussex Police Strategic Assessment highlights links with terrorism Fewer than 12% of race Hate Crimes solved
· Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking: 5 – 7 reports of Modern Slavery to Sussex Police and 2 – 4 via ESCC ASCH per month
· Placement of asylum-seeking people in town centre locations increases risk of criminal and labour exploitation
The Problem: Keeping Communities Safe
Public Place Serious Violence:
• Devonshire Ward in Eastbourne has consistently had the highest number of both victims and perpetrators of Serious Violence
• 20% of Serious Violence offenders are repeat offenders and 12% of victims have been repeatedly victimised
Reducing Reoffending:
20% of female and 30% of males on the YOT caseload reoffend: the rate for both black children and mixed ethnicity children is 38%.
• 68% of first-time entrants into the criminal justice system in East Sussex were never previously known to authorities
Fraud, Scams and Online Safety:
• Online safety featuring as a higher concern in East Sussex Reputation Tracker Survey
• 60 instances of Doorstep Crime in East Sussex reported to ESCC Trading Standards in 2020/21
The graph shows the number of Operation Signature reports by age as follows:
· 16 and 24 reports for the 0-29 age bracket in 2019-20 and 2020-21 respectively.
· 74 and 112 reports for the 30-59 age bracket in 2019-20 and 2020-21 respectively.
· 172 and 261 reports for the 60-74 age bracket in 2019-20 and 2020-21 respectively.
· 512 and 112 reports for the 30-59 age bracket in 2019-20 and 2020-21 respectively.
· 74 and 778 reports for the 75+ age bracket in 2019-20 and 2020-21 respectively.
East Sussex ASB Crime Reports to Sussex Police
|
ASB Crime Type |
2018-19 |
2019-20 |
2020-21 |
% change since 2018-19 |
|
Personal |
923 |
1039 |
1424 |
+54.3 |
|
Nuisance |
237 |
219 |
350 |
+47.7 |
|
Environmental |
19 |
20 |
29 |
+52.6 |
Anti-Social Behaviour:
• 2021 saw the highest incidence of Personal ASB, focused in town centres
• Verbal abuse/ intimidation saw the highest jump in selection as a key ASB priority on the Reputation Tracker Survey, with 25% making it a top-3 priority
Street Communities:
• Aggressive street begging is one of most selected ASB issues on the RTS
• People who have experienced severe disadvantage with multiple, complex needs are most at risk of chronic and revolving homelessness
Road Safety:
• Despite fewer people driving to work, pedestrian and cyclist casualties were higher than in 2019 and 2020
• Anti-social driving and speeding ranked as the 2nd most chosen ASB priority on RTS
What have we achieved? Identifying those at Risk of Harm
Preventing Violent Extremism: Channel Early Intervention and Support for Young People
East Sussex Channel panel utilises Intervention Providers (IPs) as part of individual support plans where appropriate. 14 IP sessions took place with young people adopted by Channel in 2021 with work focussing on identity, hate crime and safe online habits.
Preventing Violent Extremism: Prevent Board
In 2021 the East Sussex Prevent Board delivered multi-agency Prevent and Channel awareness training for frontline staff in East Sussex. In total 354 frontline staff registered for the sessions and Schools, police, SPFT, CCG, Probation, District and Boroughs, ESCC staff were the main recipients of the training. Feedback polls indicated that participants found the training increased their knowledge.
Contextual Safeguarding
Contextual Safeguarding was designed to change how child protection systems viewed, and responded to, children at risk of significant harm in extra-familial settings and relationships. In East Sussex tackling the exploitation of vulnerable young people involves developing preventative and educational activities by working with partners through the Multi Agency Child Exploitation group, victim support, local schools & colleges, and Sussex Police.
A number of preventative actions took place in Uckfield, Crowborough and Ringmer in 2021. These included visiting a variety of premises in Uckfield and Crowborough where young people had been accessing alcohol and tobacco, raising awareness with staff to help them identify and respond to safeguarding concerns in and near their premises. Look Closer[1] resources were distributed to staff highlighting that exploited young people don’t always look and act vulnerable and if something doesn’t feel right, it might not be.
Due to concerns around young people and the use of the local railway the Education Officer for the South-East Railway Community Partnership and British Transport Police delivered rail safety education including issues of anti-social behaviour, train hopping and consequences to all students at Uckfield College.
Work to raise awareness with parents/carers in Uckfield included a virtual YouTube session on County lines and Exploitation. The session was viewed more than 800 times.
The local approach to contextual safeguarding work delivered in both Uckfield and Hailsham over the past two years was presented at a Sussex Contextual Safeguarding Webinar in September hosted by the OSPCC.
Contextual Safeguarding: Work in Schools
183 educational workshops were delivered to schools and colleges in 2021,reaching over 7,000 students these sessions included the:
Relation-SHOPS Programme: based around the knowledge and skills children and young people need for avoiding risky situations and building positive, respectful, and non-exploitative relationships as well as staying safe both on and offline.
Relation-SHOPS sessions were also delivered to special schools in the county with content adjusted and tailored to the needs of the students.
This is a fantastic scheme of work that is relevant, age appropriate, engaging and expertly delivered….
I would highly recommend to all primary schools.
Andrew McKechnie West Rise Junior School
Challenging Extremism Assemblies are delivered to whole schools or year groups. They examine what is meant by extremism, the process of online radicalisation, what national driver is and how it can develop into extremist views when left unchallenged.
Improving Outcomes for People who have experienced Severe Disadvantage:
Changing Futures
In June 2021, Sussex was awarded £4,425,000 Changing Futures Programme funding to end March 2024. Changing Futures is designed to drive and sustain a long-lasting legacy of system change through testing a more joined up and person-centred approach to working with people who have experienced multiple disadvantage that endures beyond the initial programme period. The Sussex Programme seeks to make an impact at an individual, service and system level through working in partnership and co-ordinating flexible, trauma-informed support with the involvement of those with lived experience.
Improving Outcomes for People who have experienced Severe Disadvantage: Drug-Related Harm
Project ADDER is a Home Office initiative that aims to address the use of, and harms caused by heroin and crack cocaine in Hastings. Interventions implemented as part of this work include an Outreach Team; a Care Navigation Team and a Prison In-Reach Team. Other multi-agency mechanisms implemented include:
· Drug and alcohol treatment service providing support got opiate, non-opiate and alcohol misusers
· Treatment services for specific groups such as those using dependence-forming medication
· Recovery services for specific groups such as women and veterans
· Workers seconded to other organisations to provide specialist substance misuse support e.g. within the RSI and Probation
· Harm reduction support including targeted work with those in temporary accommodation and naloxone and Nyxoid* distribution
· Multi-Agency Cuckooing Meeting
The impact of alcohol and drug misuse is not limited to those who actively misuse substances – the ripple effect means the impacts are felt throughout all communities in East Sussex. This harm may be hidden due to the stigma attached to seeking support for drug and alcohol misuse disorders which can reinforce a sense of shame often posing a barrier to accessing treatment. The Safer Communities Partnership has sought to raise the profile of support services and open up discussion around the misuse of drugs and alcohol. This has been supported by the ESCC Safer East Sussex Team which has undertaken work to find out what East Sussex residents – both those directly affected by drug and alcohol misuse, and others - think local services should offer.
Alcohol-Related Harm
The East Sussex Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy 2021-2026 was published last year, with four strategic priorities:
· Priority: Encouraging a healthy relationship with alcohol
· Priority 2: Protecting children, young people and their families
· Priority 3: Making effective treatment and recovery accessible to all who need it
· Priority 4: Creating safe environments in East Sussex
Young People’s Substance Misuse:
From the beginning of April, the Substance Misuse Service in East Sussex will be available to the under 25s. Following successful treatment activity and positive outcomes last year, extra funding is now in place to help more young people and their families.
During 2021 funding from Project ADDER, a government initiative to reduce the harm caused by the supply and use of drugs, financed new staff which led to a significant increase in the number of young people accessing treatment.
In addition, 92 per cent of young people successfully completed their treatment in East Sussex compared to the national figure of 81 per cent.
The East Sussex Under 25 Substance Misuse Service, formerly the Under 19 Service, has again invested the new funds in more staff, including health practitioners, to deliver additional drug and alcohol services across the county.
What have we achieved? Protecting Vulnerable People
Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG)
Led by the OSPCC, Sussex made three successful partnership bids to the national Safer Streets Fund, securing £1.3m across Sussex to deliver:
· early intervention measures – such as ‘Healthy Relationships’ sessions for year 8 students at Sussex secondary schools and a ‘Do the Right Thing’ campaign addressing men’s and boys’ behaviour
· VAWG co-ordinators appointed to encourage businesses and organisations to sign up as Safe Spaces and to train them on tackling misogyny and harassment
· the creation of a Sussex Safe Space App which guides women to safe spaces when they feel their personal safety is threatened
· lighting, signage and CCTV improvements to Alexandra Park in Hastings and Gildredge Park in Eastbourne.
· support for businesses operating in the Night-Time Economy to tackle VAWG
· training the Sussex Fire & Rescue Service so they can add the safety of women to their fire safety inspections
· additional VAWG police patrols
· bystanders training (to help people challenge abuse and harassment safely) delivered by Survivors Network and Lifecentre
· stalking awareness training delivered by Veritas
· investment in Street Pastor schemes
· the introduction of stop-top anti-drink spiking measures.
Rape and Sexual Violence
In response to the rise in rape and sexual offence reporting nationally and locally, Sussex Police, CPS RASSO, and Survivor’s Network are working in partnership across East Sussex to improve reporting mechanisms, victim support, expedition and increase of positive outcomes, and proactive operations.
Sussex Police are early adopters of the Single Online Home which enables victims and professionals to report and access support networks such as Survivor’s Network online (anonymously if wished).
Sussex Police are working collaboratively with CPS RASSO South East to deliver early investigative advice from qualified RASSO Prosecutors in rape cases. This has resulted in a substantial increase in submissions to CPS for charging advice in rape cases and has expedited positive outcomes.
Domestic Violence and Abuse
Through 2021/22, with the passing of the Domestic Abuse Act into legislation, there has been a huge amount of activity to improve our response to victims and survivors of domestic abuse:
· Establishment of the Pan-Sussex Domestic Abuse Partnership Board
· Appointment of a Community Development Officer working across Sussex to amplify the voices of people with lived experience
· Pan-Sussex Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence Framework and Action Plan completed, and an East Sussex Action Plan developed
· Comprehensive assessment of the support needs of people experiencing domestic abuse in safe accommodation
· Pan-Sussex Domestic Abuse Accommodation and Support Strategy and Action Plan produced
· Specialist Domestic Abuse Advisors commissioned and co-located in Housing Options teams
· Respite Rooms established for women at risk of rough sleeping who are experiencing domestic abuse
· Establishment and mobilisation of the mutli-agency Victim Hub, managing domestic abuse, sexual violence, and stalking and harassment referrals
· Mobilisation of new contracts for Domestic Abuse Support Services: CGL, Survivor’s Network, Veritas Justice and Clarion Housing Group
· Domestic Homicide Review partnership policy and protocol developed and a multi-agency DHR Learning Event was held in June 2021.
· ESCC Youth Cabinet: working with young people to raise awareness of harmful sexual behaviours and a Domestic Violence and Abuse Campaign
· Multi-agency (free) training offer introduced for Domestic Abuse, Sexual Violence, Stalking and Harassment
· White Ribbon Action Plan produced
· Pan-Sussex 16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence.
Hate Crime
This is a crime, typically one involving violence, that is motivated by prejudice on the basis of race, religion, sexual orientation, or other grounds. Partnership structures and action plans for addressing this type of crime is undertaken at a Pan Sussex level through the Hate Crime Steering Group, and at a placed based level in the District and Borough Community Safety Partnerships.
Each District/Borough has a multi-agency Hate & Anti-Social Behaviour Risk Assessment Conference co-ordinating police, housing and VCSE support.
Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking: Pan-Sussex Anti-Slavery Network
In 2021, the Pan-Sussex Anti-Slavery Network (SASN) network members the University of Sussex received European funding alongside the development company Always Possible to develop an Anti-Modern Slavery Project. The project included the production of events (webinars and podcasts), research and the development of an online community content hub specifically for modern slavery via a peer networking platform The Possibility Club to enable the sharing of research, business innovation and grassroots practice.
Restore, a Christian project, based at King’s Church, Hastings spoke at the project’s first webinar around their work to give victims hope through befriending and running events that encourage and empower survivors.
In October 2021, the SASN facilitated online workshops designed to support the cross-sector network members identify what the challenges of Modern Slavery are for their respective organisations, what this means in practice e.g., resource, capacity and training; and how the network can help.
Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking: Training and Awareness Raising
The Safer Communities Partnership supported the Safeguarding Adults Board Multi-Agency Training workshops to deliver Modern Slavery training to single points of contact and first responders across the county.
What have we achieved? Keeping Communities Safe
Public Place Serious Violence: Violence Reduction Partnership (VRP)
The East Sussex VRP is a multi-agency partnership working together to address serious violence across East Sussex. Partners have considered those who are either causing or experiencing the most harm, along with developing targeted focussed deterrence initiatives to support young people who are most at risk of serious violence and exploitation, and their families. Funding for some of this work has been secured from the Home Office, the STAR grant and the Youth Justice Board.
Public Place Serious Violence: High Harm Hotspots
Devonshire Ward, Eastbourne:
A range of activities have been taking place across Devonshire ward and parts of Eastbourne town centre, including victim and perpetrator profiling, engagement with local HMO residents, and increased levels of patrol activity to tackle local issues. An in-depth study at one of these hotspots using Police and SECAmb data indicated that all suspects and offenders were living outside the hotspot area within Devonshire ward, and a clear link between growing drug distribution and consumption in unpredictable environments and increasing violence.
During October and November 2021, heightened levels of direct patrol activity (DPA) were re-focussed across these locations and the number of serious and violent crime reports fell by almost a third (down 29%), whilst reports for all crime in public places fell by 22%. Partnership activity included: public reassurance, promotion of local drug treatment and recovery services,identifying alley gates which needed repair and partnership visits to the Hotel which promoted local support services for temporary residents.
A range of actions are underway in Castle Ward, Hastings including engagement with local businesses, victim and perpetrator profiling, and increased levels of police patrol activity to tackle local issues.
Partnership activity has also included a review of community alcohol impact zones to manage the number of alcohol licenses, Safe Space (run by the Hastings Street Pastors), continuation of the taxi marshal service, and the gating of a footpath within the highest hot spot for serious violence in the town centre.
Public Place Serious Violence: Young People
College Central Project
Home Office funding has resourced two Youth Offending Team (YOT) workers who have been co-located in College Central, Eastbourne since 2019 where some of the most vulnerable young people in the County access educational opportunities, resulting in children no longer bringing knives into school, and a reduction in school exclusions.
Family Keywork
The Home Office has also funded a Family Keywork Service since 2019: https://vimeo.com/678818676/07399b8f93
The MACE Family Key Work service is an intensive case work model which works with young people and their families, who are at risk of criminal or sexual exploitation. It is a Level 4 service and works with young people under 18.
“Our son was completely out of control. He’d been groomed by a local group, but we didn’t know that was what was going on initially. We lost him. He wasn’t allowing us to be his parents. He was making his own decisions and making bad ones. He was being told by the school that he was bad, and he lived up to that. It was so frightening while we were in it. We couldn’t put our finger on what was wrong, why it was happening, why he had changed. Things started to change when we moved schools, it was at that point the Key Worker started working with us and from that point on it was us, the school, the social worker and Louise all singing from the same hymn sheet. Louise did things like take him out for coffee, have 1-1 time with him, it was a good distraction for him and the car journeys in particular were really valuable as he was more comfortable talking to her as there was no eye contact. She was superb with him. Now he has got a job, and he’s happy. It’s an absolute transformation. We’d forgotten what our chatty boy was like but he’s back again. In terms of improvements, I suppose I wonder what would have happened if we’d have had support 6 months earlier.”
Parent
STAR Project Habitual Knife Carriers
The STAR project focused on 31 young people (under 18) who have been identified as habitual knife carriers (HKC) and their associates in specific locations. The project aims to change the behaviour of this group of children and divert them and their associates/local peer groups from being drawn into future knife carrying and other criminal activity.
Virtual reality headsets showing a stabbing incident from various perspectives have been purchased to further deter this cohort of young people away from serious violence. Funding to continue and extend this work is being sought. An evaluation is currently being prepared.
Contextual Safeguarding Work in Hastings
During COVID there were increases and changes within the risk presentation of children who are being criminally exploited in Hastings. In 2021 the Youth Offending Team were successful in obtaining a grant from the Youth Justice Board to undertake focused deterrence work with these children. Key deliverables include representation of the experience of the child; enabling children to build a positive relationship with a trusted adult; disruption of exploitation by the application of external controls and reflecting the principles of connected practice across the programme of intervention (a trauma informed approach).
This work is seen as best practice and a podcast has been recorded for the National Contextual Safeguarding Network for a show case session and is available from their March 2022 on their website.
Sussex University are providing an academic summary of the project findings which will be shared via a webinar in March 2022.
In My Shoes
In My Shoes is a new project delivered with Victim Support and supported by Bexhill Performing Arts Students. It portrays the different impacts certain crimes and behaviours can have on an individual. Victim accounts explore knife crime, domestic abuse, sexual exploitation, hate crime and online harms. The session is delivered to secondary students. The project has been so impactful that Victim Support are seeking funding for a post to extend and co-ordinate the work across Sussex.
Under 25s Violence and Exploitation Reduction Unit (VERU)
Established in 2021, the Probation VERU focuses on young males aged between 18 and 25 aiming to create a whole systems approach combining services with partnership agencies to target joint priorities tackling violence, exploitation, domestic abuse, and anti-social behaviour.
Reducing Reoffending
During 2021-22 East Sussex Trailblazers including the ESCC Safer East Sussex Team, Probation services, the Rough Sleepers Initiative and local District & Borough housing authorities developed new and innovative resettlement opportunities for prison leavers by adopting a whole systems approach. This included the joint funding across all local housing authorities of a new Prison Housing Options Officer role to offer prison leavers specialist housing advice, guidance, and support prior to release to prevent homelessness.
In July 2021, Hastings Borough Council successfully bid to MHCLG’s Accommodation for ex-Offenders (AFO) scheme, being awarded funding of £255,000 over 2021/22 and 2022/23. The aim of the project is to improve access to the private rented sector for ex-offenders who have left prison within the last 12 months. The AFO will provide funding for additional tenancy sustainment services (to be delivered through the Rapid Rehousing Pathway service) and dedicated tenancy sustainment and landlord incentive grants.
Fraud, Scams and Online Safety: Get Safe Online
In 2021 the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) reported that they had removed more online scams than in the previous three years combined, with coronavirus and health themed cybercrime driving the increase.
In July 2021 ESCC agreed three years of ‘invest to save’ ASC funding for the Get Safe Online – Local Government Cyber Protect Programme. Get Safe Online (GSO) offers a variety of resources to help raise awareness in our communities and prevent our residents becoming victims of cyber-related and enabled crimes.
Fraud, Scams and Online Safety: East Sussex Against Scams Partnership
The East Sussex Against Scams Partnership ESASP is a partnership of organisations committed to taking a stand against scams and aims to make East Sussex a scam-free county. During 2021/22 ESASP raised awareness of the prevalence of online scams and preventative resources that are publicly available, across local radio stations in Sussex. There are currently over 100 East Sussex Against Scams Charter Partners.
Anti-Social Behaviour and Street Communities
Anti-social behaviour covers a range of behaviours affecting individuals and communities including excessive noise, verbal abuse and intimidation, littering/fly-tipping, vandalism and public drinking. Partnership structures and action plans for addressing anti-social behaviour and street communities are delivered at a placed based level in the District and Borough Community Safety Partnerships.
A multi-agency approach is being taken to address challenges associated with the Street Community in Hastings. This focuses on ensuring there are links with all existing initiatives such as Project ADDER, the RSI, ESTAR, with communication being joined up, enforcement approaches taken to address anti-social behaviour and aggressive begging and consideration of wider community engagement e.g. through a Positive Giving campaign or a Celebration of Recovery type event.
A similar function in Eastbourne forms part of the multi-agency approach to ensure those who are members of the street community at risk of being involved in serious violence and anti-social behaviour are able to access appropriate support.
Acquisitive Crime
Safer Streets funding was secured by Wealden District Council during 2021. The initiative involved the installation of crime–prevention measures, improved security measures, education and information projects and a Neighbourhood Watch scheme in Hailsham. A substance misuse outreach function was embedded in the team which promotes the services available and supports individuals to access them.
Road Safety
Reducing road casualties and tackling anti-social driving are key priorities across East Sussex. The high concentration of single-carriageway and rural roads significantly increase the risk of being killed or seriously injured (KSI). Speeding, aggressive driving/riding and lacking road awareness are key contributory factors that contribute to fear for drivers/riders and pedestrians alike.
Other road-related issues including excess noise and inconsiderate parking adding to the frustrations of local people and local communities.
The Sussex Safer Roads Partnership (SSRP) is tasked with improving road safety, joining teams from BHCC, East & West Sussex County Councils and Fire & Rescue Services, Sussex Police and Highways England. It develops strategies and campaigns to raise awareness of road safety law and deliver preventative measures to encourage safe road use.
In East Sussex, ESCC and Highways England are responsible for adopting engineering solutions to road safety concerns, including investigating serious traffic incidents to determine if road or sign engineering can reduce the risk of further harm. ESCC continue to provide road safety education in school and colleges to ensure young people understand how to easily and quickly reduce the risk that their action or inaction on the road can cause harm to others and themselves.
There are Road Safety Action Groups for the Eastbourne, Lewes and Wealden areas and the Hastings & Rother area which report to their own community safety partnerships; their work supports the SSRP and local road safety priorities. These include Community Speedwatch, community campaigns and Safe Drive Stay Alive, and ESFRS’s multi-agency presentations for young people aged 16 and 17 to reduce their risk of death and injury on the road through better decision-making.
National Drivers influencing Safer Communities Work
Over the coming year partners will work together to plan new strategies for community safety, based on several upcoming changes at a national level:
· The Beating Crime Plan sets out the Government’s plan to deliver the ‘change that Britain needs’, with less crime, fewer victims, and a safer country.
· The Police, Crime Sentencing & Courts Bill, placing new duties on schools, police, councils, and health authorities to prevent serious violence
· The Domestic Abuse Act, aiming to reform how the justice system and partner agencies work with victims of domestic abuse.
· New recommendations arising from an independent review of the Modern Slavery Act 2015
· The Modern Slavery Bill which aims to enhance the efforts in tackling modern slavery supply chains and to further strengthen support measures for victims of human trafficking.
· The Protect Duty Bill which aims to enhance national security by introducing new security requirements for certain public locations and venues to ensure preparedness for and protection from terrorist attacks.
· Changes to the Channel management process under the Government’s Prevent anti-extremism programme, giving more responsibility and autonomy to local government safeguarding panels.
· The Counter-terrorism strategy CONTEST 2018 which aims to reduce the risk to the UK and its citizens and interests overseas from terrorism, so that people can go about their lives freely and with confidence.
· The Counterterrorism and Border Security Act 2019 and a resultant Independent Review of Preventwhich will consider the UK’s strategy for protecting people vulnerable to being drawn into terrorism, and will make recommendations for the future.
· The Dame Carole Black Review which provides an analysis of the challenges posed by drug supply and demand, including the ways in which drugs fuel serious violence.
· The new National Drugs Strategy, From harm to hope: A 10-year drugs plan to cut crime and save lives - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
· The draft Online Safety Bill which establishes a new regulatory framework to tackle harmful content online.