Chief Inspector Hodges - Horsham May Update

Horsham District Monthly Update - What we did in May!

Serving Sussex - how we will deliver policing to Horsham District - is broken down into three pillars; namely Keeping People Safe, Neighbourhood Policing and Best Use of Resources. To reflect this my update will be structured alongside the three key themes supporting each pillar.

Keeping People Safe

Catching criminals - 

Operation Serpent is currently being run by Horsham NPT as a response to the supply of Class A drugs in Roffey, Horsham. There is a lot of activity between drug dealers from Crawley and Horsham residents, which has resulted in serious threats and incidents of public disorder, with the regular use of weapons. As such, a proactive approach is being taken between Sussex Police, the local housing association and the Community Safety Partnership. Recently, a S.60 power was granted after intelligence was gathered by NPT to suggest an imminent fight between dealers with the use of weapons. This resulted in a preventative approach and will form part of a longer term problem-solving approach which will find sustainable solutions to this issue and maintain the confidence of the local community.

Cutting crime - 

PCSO Carol Boniface had a stall at the Storrington Duck Race on Sunday 12^th May to promote crime prevention and security marked bicycles.  I also had a dog behaviourist - Mark Bridger - with me to encourage people to report dog ‘thefts/missing’ in order that we can see any trends emerging.  At the moment we have no evidence to suggest a problem however internet sites and social media sites suggest otherwise and we will be keeping a watching brief on this issue.

Dealing with critical incidents - 

A Fatal road traffic collision occurred on Friday 10th May 2013 on the B2116 Albourne Road,Henfield. 

This was a single vehicle incident involving a 49 year old local male who was riding his motorbike eastbound on the B2116 Albourne Road in Henfield when he left the carriageway and sadly died at the scene.

Neighbourhood Policing

Being Visible and Accessible - 

Following reports of door to door callers in Ashington PCSO Bryony Sparks completed hi-visibility patrols concentrated around the areas where they were reported and where the vulnerable and the elderly live. She was also informing residents to not answer their doors if they are concerned at all and are not expecting someone, unless they have seen ID, and to report any suspicious people to Sussex Police. 

Providing a Quality Response - 

At 6.25pm on Saturday 11th May, police were called to a report of Rebecca Worrall, a 4yr girl who had gone missing from an address in Burnthouse Lane in Lower Beeding.  Friends and family had searched the area for Rebecca but called in the Police for help when they could not locate her at the rural address.  She had now been missing for approximately half an hour and so everyone involved was very concerned for her welfare.