MP Pete Kyle welcomes extra cash for Sussex Police to tackle violent crime but with a caveat.

The MP for Hove & Portslade together MPs Caroline Lucas [Pavilion] and Lloyd-Russell-Moyle [Kemptown] wrote to the Home Secretary Savid Javid in April asking him to set up a taskforce to address the rising levels of violent crime in the city. Violent crime has risen by 108% in the last 8 years and more than 5,739 incidents of violence have been recorded in the first quarter of 2019 alone.

The Home Secretary subsequently agreed to boost funding for Sussex Police by £1.34m from the Serious Violence Fund.

The MP has welcomed the Government’s action, but he also said: “Any money provided which will help our police fight violent crime is hugely appreciated. I'm also immensely pleased that a combined effort from the city's MPs has helped to bring £1.34m in to our force by piling pressure on the government.

"However, it's disappointing to have to remind the Home Secretary that analysis of National Audit Office data shows that our Sussex Force experienced a drop in funding which totalled £57,256,043 in real-terms over the last eight years, making the £1.34m a mere drop in the ocean”.