Cannabis arrests slump to an all time low
Cannabis is made de facto legal by police officers on the ground.
The Police Federation has asked for Cannabis to be legalised as rank and file officers on the ground increasingly ignore people with small amounts of the drug clearly intended for personal consumption.
The Federation voted unanimously for legalisation saying that over 100 years of prohibition had failed with 14 million people admitting to having used cannabis at some point in the past.
The Adam Smith Institute - an economics think tank - suggested that the government could reap more than £1bn in tax if the drug was commercially available. But the Home Secretary has made it clear that the government has no plans follow the lead of Canada - the first G7 country to change the legal status of cannabis.
North street closed due to two separate medical incidents
Two separate medical incidents occured within minutes of each other on North Street. Paramedics and police were on scene to assist and BCRP members helped to secure the area.
North Street, Brighton was closed last night after two separate medical incidents within yards of each other.
Police and paramedics were called after a man was hit by bus at around 5.30pm. The man was treated at the scene and appears to have only suffered minor injuries.
Shortly after this police were alerted to a woman who was unconscious outside TK Maxx at the junction with Ship Street. The female was given CPR by paramedics and taken to hospital.
Due to the nature of the incidents an operation was carried out to secure the scene and close the road. BCRP members from Boots, Sainsbury's, Decathlon, Churchill Square, TK Maxx and the Brilliant Brighton Ambassadors all played a part to assist police with this work showcasing how partnership works at it's best.
The road has since reopened.
*photo credit: David Dixon
Investigation launched into a spate of bin thefts
An investigation has been launched into a spate of bin thefts in the city.
Brighton and Hove city council are appealing for information about the identity of individuals involved in the theft of large black bins from local businesses.
Up to 16 bins, valued at around £5,000, have been stolen from outside premises in the city and could be being sold off for scrap metal or cleaned down and sold on for around £200 on the black market.
Councillor Gill Mitchell, chair of the city's Environment, Transport and Sustainability Committee, said; "every bin that's stolen means less money we have to spend on other waste services we provide.
Inspector Paul Ransome from Sussex Police has requested that anyone with information contact police on 101 quoting serial 504 of 27/05.
Wanted man arrested by Sussex Police
Jessie Burbidge, who was wanted for a string of offences, has been arrested and remanded in custody.
A local Hove man who was wanted for a series of offences including escaping lawful custody has been arrested.
Jessie Burbidge, 22, was arrested in Hangleton on Saturday 9th of June. He has been charged with assaulting a police officer with intent to resist arrest in Worthing (6th of April), causing criminal damage to a car in Worthing (6th of April), escaping from lawful custody at Worthing (6th of April) and assaulting a police officer with intent to resist arrest in Hove (9th of June).
Lush campaign falls foul of Chief Constable
High Street retailer Lush annoys the Head of Sussex Police
The Lush campaign in their shop windows in certain parts of the UK has been lambasted by Sussex Police Chief Constable Giles York.
The campaign is against what Lush describes as an ongoing undercover policing scandal involving officers going undercover to infiltrate protest groups. In the past officers have crossed the line and developed relationships with some of the protesters and even had children with them.
Lush has joined forces with the Police Spies Out of Lives campaign to push for more progress in the ongoing Public Inquiry into Undercover Policing and is encouraging customers to send a postcard to the new Home Secretary Sajid Javid but it insists this is not an anti-police campaign claiming it was not about front line police officers.
Giles York Tweeted: 'Modern Covert Policing is regulated & inspected giving effective, efficient options for tackling [the] changing face of today's most serious criminality. Transparency is key to public legitimacy and #Lush clumsily bring[s] focus to awful mistakes in our past that still affect victims today.'
Sajid Javid joined in the condemnation saying he never thought he would see a mainstream retailer running a public advertising campaign against the police.
Brilliant Brighton Ambassadors help secure arrest of wanted man
A wanted man was arrested yesterday (Thursday 24 May) after being spotted by the Brilliant Brighton Ambassadors.
A wanted man was arrested yesterday (Thursday 24 May) after being spotted by the Brilliant Brighton [Business Improvement District] Ambassadors.
Andrew Nicol, who was wanted on recall to prison for breaching his licence conditions, was spotted by two of the ambassadors in the city centre. They contacted police and kept Nicol under surveillance until police arrived to make the arrest. A great example of partnership working in the city.
The Brilliant Brighton Ambassadors are part of the Business Improvement District (BID) which is a defined geographical area which involves all businesses located within it. Traders join together to fund improvements to their trading environment.
The BID works to create a thriving, safe, clean and vibrant city centre that residents and visitors alike want to come back to time and time again.
The ambassadors work in partnership with the Brighton and Hove Business Crime Reduction Partnership, Sussex Police and the City Council and offer a security presence for traders and shoppers in the Business Improvement District area. The ambassadors are funded by the 517 businesses in the BID area.
The ambassadors are all Security Industry Authority (SIA) licensed security guards but they're not just for security; alongside the security role the ambassadors patrol the city centre to offer a friendly face to help members of the public in the city whether that is people asking for directions or people in need of first aid. The ambassadors are a great addition to the city helping keep Brighton a safe and happy place for all.
Not just security - the Brilliant Brighton Amabassdors are out to help everyone in the BID area - including our four legged friends!
St James's Street laments rise in crime
Kemp Town street under siege from begging and drug dealing according to businesses
The St James's Street Community Action Group recently met with the Police & Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne to complain about the rise in drug dealing and begging in the area with one saying that "lawlessness" was "out of control".
Some business owners described how drug use around St James’s Street is blatant and it was not uncommon to find needles, urine and faeces on their doorsteps first thing in the morning.
Katy Bourne has raised the issues with the Chief Constable Giles York who is aware of problems in the area and there is some hope that the rise in police precept in council tax will give scope for extra resources. For instance the top 12 beggars, who are thought to be part of a gang, are being proactively targeted.
Police also have new legislation to target drug dealers, and the Commissioner said that Sussex was one of the first forces to use new powers to block suspected dealers’ mobile phones. to counteract County Lines drug dealing.
Increase in reports of assaults against retail staff
New figures from the Home Office show a significant increase in the number of assaults and threats committed against the wholesale and retail sector.
New figures from the Home Office show a significant increase in the number of assaults and threats committed against the wholesale and retail sectors.
The figures, which formed part of the 2017 Commerical Victimisation Survey, show the number of reported incidents has risen to 1,433 incidents per 1,000 premises in 2017 - more than double the number reported in 2016 [524 incidents per 1,000 premises].
On the whole the report found that shoplifting, assaults and threats were at the highest level since 2012 with shoplifting accounting for 63% of all crimes against the retail sector.
In 2012 the median cost of shoplifting per victim was £237, in 2017 the cost was £500.
Furthermore the survey shows that around 50% of businesses that were consulted did not report all incidents of shop theft to the police. The Brighton and Hove Business Crime Reduction Partnership thinks these figures are significantly understated; in Brighton only around 24% of incidents reported to the BCRP are also reported to the police.
To read the report in full click here.
