Hello

Keeping residents safe is my top priority, which is why I successfully secured £600,000 from the Home Office’s Knife Crime Concentration Fund to support targeted action in areas of Sussex most affected by knife crime.

The funding is helping Sussex Police and partners deliver enhanced patrols, prevention programmes for young people, environmental improvements and other proactive measures in parts of Brighton, Eastbourne and Crawley.

The early results are encouraging. Over the past six months, knife crime in these hotspot locations has fallen by 47%, while the overall harm caused by knife crime has reduced by more than 42%.

While that progress is welcome, one young person carrying a knife is still one too many. This investment allows resources to be focused where they can have the greatest impact, preventing violence before it happens and helping young people choose a positive future away from crime.

Funding available for community safety projects

Applications are now open for the latest round of my Safer in Sussex Community Fund, which provides grants of up to £5,000 to local groups and organisations working to reduce crime, improve community safety and make a positive difference in their neighbourhoods. The fund has already supported a wide range of projects across Sussex, helping communities tackle local issues and create safer places to live.

Whether you have an idea to prevent crime, support vulnerable people or strengthen community safety, I would encourage you to find out more and consider applying. Successful projects must support the priorities set out in my Police & Crime Plan and demonstrate a clear benefit to local communities.

If your organisation has a project that could help make Sussex safer, please visit my website for full details on how to apply. Together, we can support practical, local initiatives that help keep residents safe.

Katy Bourne OBE
Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner