Safer Arun Partnership meeting minutes 21 April 2026

Tuesday 27 January 2026 - 2pm
Held via MS Teams

Attendees:

  • Cllr. Alan Butcher, Chair
  • Carrie Reynolds, Acting Group Head of Wellbeing and Communities (Arun DC)
  • Alex O'Keefe, Community Safety Manager (WSCC)
  • Inspector Ross Wickings (Sussex Police, Arun NPT)
  • Neil Worth, Communities & Business Partnerships Manager (Office of the Sussex PCC)
  • Kate Belbin, Partnerships Manager (Sussex Police)
  • Dax O'Connor, Community Safety Manager (Arun DC)
  • Abigail Lepine, Service Manager (Early Help Service)
  • Rosanne Trussler, Team Leader (Early Help Service)
  • Charlotte Fenton, Senior Probation Officer (Probation Service)
  • Jim MacKay, Group Manager (West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service)
  • Rich Munday, Station Manager (West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service)
  • Annabelle Goodenough, Regional Manager (Crimestoppers)
  • Chloe Jones, Business Crime Reduction Partnership Manager (Arun DC)
  • Magdalena Steel, Partnership Analyst (WSCC)

Apologies given:

  • CI Adam McCaig (Sussex Police, Arun NPT)
  • Charlie Gibbs, Domestic & Sexual Violence and Abuse Lead Officer (WSCC)

These notes are intended to provide an overview of the meeting discussions rather than a full and detailed account. The wider information exchanged is operationally and personally sensitive so is not recorded within these publicly available notes.

Agenda item 1:

Welcome
Chair welcomed all attendees and facilitated introductions.

Agenda item 2:

Apologies
Confirmation of apologies given as set out above.

Agenda item 3:

  • No declarations raised.
  • Chair noted his role as Chair of the Arun BCRP Board for transparency.

Agenda item 4:

  • Minutes of Previous Meeting (27 January 2026)
  • Approved as an accurate record.

Agenda item 5:

Business Crime Reduction Partnership (BCRP) - Update

Presented by: Chloe Jones (Arun BCRP Manager)

Key Points:

  • BCRP covers Littlehampton and Bognor Regis town centres (operational since 2025).
  • DISC reporting platform is embedded and reporting has increased significantly.
  • Outcomes to date include:
    • 18 arrests linked directly to BCRP reporting.
    • Improved intelligence sharing between businesses, police, council services.
  • Strengthening work with:
    • Shripney Road Retail Park (potential radio system).
    • Expansion into Wick parade.
  • Strong emphasis on reporting confidence, engagement, and follow-up with victims.
  • Work ongoing with Sussex-wide and national BCRP forums.

Discussion & Agreed Actions:

  • Rail / Transport Links:
    • Need to improve intelligence-sharing with train operators and BTP.
    • Alex O'Keeffe to link Chloe Jones with rail contacts (e.g. Southern/GTR).
  • Probation Engagement:
    • Agreed to formally link Probation into the BCRP framework.
  • Data & Mapping:
    • Request for visual maps / heat maps of BCRP incidents.
    • Magdalena Steel to support analysis and mapping using BCRP data.
  • Funding:
    • Strong consensus to ring-fence future funding for BCRP, recognising impact.
    • Current funding confirmed until March 2027.

Actions:

  1. Alex O'Keefe to link Chloe Jones with rail contacts.
  2. Dax O'Connor to link Chloe Jones with Charlotte Fenton at Probation.
  3. Magdalena Steel to support production of visual data / heat maps for BCRP analysis.

Agenda item 6:

Presented by: Magdalena Steel

  • Key Findings (Arun):
    • Arun accounts for 20% of county crime; modest increase year-on-year.
    • Overall crime rate per 1,000 population remains stable.
  • Key pressure areas:
    • Violence (particularly domestic abuse related).
    • Antisocial behaviour (notably youth-related nuisance and vehicle-related ASB).
    • Drug-related harm and exploitation of young people.
  • Increases in:
    • Domestic abuse incidents (including MARAC cases).
    • ASB linked to e-bikes, scooters, motorbikes (predominantly youth).
  • Shoplifting figures influenced by changes in Home Office counting rules.
  • Fraud impacts most significant among older residents (75+).

Discussion & Agreed Actions:

  • Contextualising Data:
    • Partners agreed need to better explain why reporting rises (e.g. targeted activity, confidence in systems).
    • CSP to provide narrative/context to support future SIAs.
  • E-bikes / Scooters:
    • Agreed need for proactive comms and education with schools and parents ahead of summer.
    • Early Help Schools Team to support dissemination.
    • County and district partners to coordinate messaging.
  • World Cup & DA Risk:
    • Domestic abuse to be prioritised locally during World Cup period.
    • CrimeStoppers to run Sussex-wide campaign (confirmed).
    • Partners to align comms and assets.

Actions:

  1. Alex O'Keefe to make connections with Annabelle Goodenough to utilise Crimestoppers assets for DA campaign around World Cup activity.
  2. Collective development of comms for schools, families, and young people regarding use and purchase of e-bikes and e-scooters. Early Help to support dissemination.
  3. CSP and agencies to develop narratives around campaigns and targeted work that can be used to support future SIAs.

Agenda item 7:

WSCC Community Safety (Alex O'Keefe)

  • SIA completed; priorities under review.
  • New Chair/Vice Chair appointed to Safer West Sussex Partnership Board.
  • DA, VRP, and drug & alcohol grants confirmed for 2026/27.

Arun DC Community Safety (Carrie Reynolds)

  • PSPO updated, sealed and proportionate.
  • Community Protection Officers operational since January:
    • 197 patrol, 42 PSPO compliance interventions, 21 ASB incidents resolved.
  • Unauthorised encampments now sit within Community Safety Team.

Probation (Charlotte Fenton)

  • Significant sentencing reforms underway:
    • Increased community sentences.
    • Removal of Post-Sentence Supervision (from 11 May).
    • Introduction of early termination for compliant individuals.

Police / OPCC:

  • Operation Stop (tagging prolific shoplifters) expanding countywide.
  • DNA Select kits being scoped for local availability; likely application to SAP for funding.
  • Monthly Op Connect crime focus ongoing.

Agenda item 8:

Presented by: Dax O'Connor

  • Current balance: £63,084 (corrected figure).
  • Community Safety Grant Fund (£15,000) was fully allocated within 5 weeks of opening.
  • Statement and balance noted.

Agenda item 9:

Agreed unanimously:

Ring-Fenced Funding (2026/27):

  1. BCRP Manager contribution: £12,000
  2. Junior Citizen Scheme: £2,500 match funding with Chichester CSP - with private sponsorship sought for additional costs.
  3. Community Safety Grant Fund: £15,000 (repeat scheme)

Funding Bids Approved

9.1 Littlehampton Promenade Lighting

  • £4,770 approved for new power supply to retain festoon lighting.
  • Recognised improvement to safety and perception.

9.2 Bognor Regis Promenade Lighting - In Principle Support

  • In principle support for up to £5,000 (match to Littlehampton).
  • Solar lighting scheme addressing safety concerns, particularly raised by women's running groups.

9.3 Youth Boxing Project (Bognor Regis)

  • £3,110 approved - Pilot delivered by Sid Youth, targeting ASB prevention and engagement.

Actions

  1. Dax O'Connor to note ringfenced funding within budget.
  2. Dax O'Connor to work with event provider to secure sponsorship funding in support of future Junior Citizen event.

Agenda item 10:

Next meeting date:

  • Moved from 28 July to 4 August 2026 (due to clash with Safer West Sussex Partnership).

Welcome:

  • Jim Mackay formally welcomed to the partnership (WSFRS).