Arun crime prevention

Members of Arun District Council’s Housing and Wellbeing Committee questioned whether crime prevention projects were having a demonstrable impact on crime and residents’ safety.

The Safer Arun Partnership works to tackle antisocial behaviour, improve feelings of safety and reduce serious violence. 

Councillors were told that an action plan setting out how progress would be measured, which organisations would be responsible for delivering individual actions and how results would be reported, is still being developed.

A review on the Arun Business Crime Reduction Partnership, which operates in Bognor Regis and Littlehampton town centres, showed that reports of crime and antisocial behaviour had increased, with 486 reports in 2024, 498 in 2025 and 618 so far in 2026.

A presentation given at the meeting showed Community Protection Officers carried out 474 hours of patrols between February and July 2026, alongside 121 interventions relating to antisocial behaviour. 

The data also showed, between April 2025 and March 2026, that 59 of perpetrators were adults and another 42 were under the age of 18.

The presentation stated that 52 children from the Arun district had been referred to Young Futures Prevention Panels, with a reported 33% reduction in offending and 43% reduction in violent crime among those receiving support.

The Safer Arun Partnership’s £30,000 Community Safety Grant Fund has supported projects including youth outreach, skateboarding and boxing activities, promenade lighting and education on sextortion.

The grant fund has also supported safeguarding and domestic abuse services, including £2,500 for My Sisters’ House, which provides first-response domestic abuse support and £2,500 to Grandad’s Front Room, a community drop-in and knife amnesty scheme.

Some councillors questioned whether some of the funded initiatives were making a practical difference.

During the discussion Councillor Shaun Gunner questioned the £1,500 investment into Rustington in Bloom, which was intended to support improvements to the area, including graffiti removal and work with local residents.

He asked whether antisocial behaviour in Rustington had increased or decreased as a result. Council officers said they would need to examine the data after the meeting.

Cllr Gunner said: “I understand it is a statutory requirement to have a Safer Arun Partnership but there is no evidence here that it’s making Arun safer at all.”

He added: “We’re spending all this money, and we don’t appear to be making any real practical difference.”

Councillor Carol Birch said: “There’s no doubt by reaching out to the community in all these different ways that are relatively low cost. I’m sure it does have an impact on the people that are engaged with it and with the society that these activities are taking part in.”

The partnership also faces uncertainty over future funding, with the Office of the Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner warning that community safety funding levels cannot be guaranteed due to wider budget pressures. Partners are instead looking at alternative sources of funding.

The committee accepted and approved the progress report at its meeting on Thursday, 8 October. 

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