Crawley police numbers have remained stable over the past decade, but I welcome the Government’s pledge for an additional 20,000 officers nationwide.

Sussex Police have already recruited more than 250 officers as part of this initiative. Overall, Sussex Police are set to see some 379 new officers many to patrol the neighbourhoods of Crawley.

The Government are ensuring the police have the powers and resources they need to cut crime and keep our streets safe.

Police funding has been boosted by £1.1 billion this year, and in addition to the recruitment thousands of extra officers, the Beating Crime Plan has been launched to make our town and country safer.

The Police, Crime, Sentencing & Courts Act will also deliver new powers for the police to cut crime and make sure criminals spend longer in jail. This builds on the action already taken by Government since 2019 – including boosting police funding up to £16.9 billion for 2022-23 and delivering £70 million through the Safer Streets Fund to make neighbourhoods secure.

In July 2022, it was confirmed that the Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner, Katy Bourne, had been awarded a total of £1.5 million from the Home Office under the latest round of Safer Streets funding.

Two applications, with a range of innovative solutions to tackle anti-social behaviour, were submitted, with both bids being successful thanks to the effective demonstration of need in areas throughout Sussex and an appropriate response proposal to addressing these issues.