Police refute city crime figures

According to the Office for National Statistics [ONS], Sussex Police recorded 28,225 offences in Brighton & Hove in the 12 months to June. An increase of 135 crimes compared with the previous year, when there were 24,908.

That was higher than the rate across England & Wales, which was 91.3 crimes per 1,000 people compared to at 96.7 in Brighton & Hove.

But Sussex Police have objected saying that the ONS compared the 2022 figures with pre-Covid figures rather than 2021, supposedly to get a more accurate picture of how the crime rate was changing.

The force said if the comparison was made with 2021, it would show an overall drop in crime. This would show a 3.5% decrease, compared to a 7% increase nationally.

Chief Superintendent Justin Burtenshaw said: “Brighton and Hove is a safe place to live, work and visit and our officers, volunteers and staff work tirelessly to combat crime across the city.

“Much of the year June, 2020, to June, 2021, was spent under varying degrees of lockdown and overall crime rates fell dramatically as a result.

“As a division we carry out a huge amount of work to keep people safe, with increased patrols around areas of concern and the night-time economy, as well as ongoing initiatives with our partners in the community to tackle the root causes of crime and anti-social behaviour, and safeguard vulnerable people.

“We also work with multiple agencies including the Business Crime Reduction Partnership to tackle business crime across the city”.