An event arranged to discuss anti-social behaviour (ASB) in Rye attracted some 100 attendees to the Tilling Green Community Centre on Saturday, May 30. Cllr Simon McGurk, who organised the meeting, welcomed attendees and representatives of organisations who are affected by, or hope to influence, criminal behaviour in Rye.
He pointed out some of the great work being done by organisations such as the Rye Youth Zone, who had a stand at the event and now have 102 young people registered – with some 50 attending on a regular basis. He also gave an example of how damaging anti-social behaviour can be – having supported a family through a campaign of hate crime over two years, ultimately resulting in their move from the area.
The police were represented by Sergeants Roger Tomlinson and Jessica McNab, with Roger describing police support in Rye and also providing some statistics on anti-social behaviour in the area. There have been 121 ASB reports in the last year and he illustrated a recent case where six local miscreants were identified by CCTV and placed on behavioural contracts.
In partnership with the Transport Police more out of town troublemakers were also identified and similar action taken. Roger highlighted, along with Simon McGurk and Hastings and Rye MP Helena Dollimore, the importance of reporting any crime incidents so that the Battle based PC’s (2) and PCSO’s (6) can be deployed in Rye as required. Anti-social behaviour is the third highest police priority, following burglaries and public place violent crime.
This stirred a considerable response in the audience with several examples given of cases being opened and then immediately closed via a call to 101 or the online reporting service, even though evidence was available that could result in action. One resident highlighted two violent incidents where she had to insist that the police consider available CCTV evidence.
During the debate it became clear that considerably better coordination is required between the central reporting function and the local police officers tasked with preventing and investigating anti-social behaviour in Rye itself. Helena Dollimore committed to taking this issue up with senior police management.
The increased use of CCTV was then discussed with the police advising that the necessary infrastructure did not exist in Rye to support increased coverage. A different view was given by Jane Brook, from the Rye Chamber of Commerce, who highlighted a report that they had commissioned laying out how a sophisticated AI supported system could be installed in key locations to help prevent crime of all types.
Cllr Boyd continued the discussion on reporting, highlighting long response times on the 101 service and the desire that reports should be made directly to neighbourhood officers who understand the local situation. However, Sergeant Tomlinson maintained that call 101 or online reporting was the most efficient reporting mechanism, and that response times had improved in recent weeks. He emphasised that 999 should always be used in an emergency. He also confirmed, in a response to a question by Mark Legg, the new vice chair of Rother District Council, that increasingly available doorbell footage is considered an acceptable form of evidence.
Simon McGurk and Helena Dollimore brought the meeting to a close highlighting the need for the whole community, residents, businesses and professional services to work together to tackle this growing problem. The audience expressed appreciation at the Sussex Police attendance at the event, along with the Tilling Green Residents Association, Rye Youth Zone, Rye Chamber of Commerce, the Rye Food Bank, Sea Cadets and Southern Housing – all with a role to play in helping to resolve the ASB problem we all face.
Helena encouraged all those with concerns in this area to contact her, or the police, and circulated a “sign-up” opportunity to receive updates on progress going forward.
Further events will also be organised in due course to discuss plans and assess progress.
Image Credits: Peter Connock , Rye Chamber of Commerce .