Safer Arun Partnership meeting minutes 22 July 2025
Tuesday 22 July 2025 - 2pm
Held via MS Teams
Attendees:
- AB Cllr. Alan Butcher - Chair
- CR Carrie Reynolds - Communities & Wellbeing Manager, Arun DC
- AOK Alex O'Keefe - Community Safety Manger, WSCC
- AC Adrian Carter - Group Manager, WSF&RS
- RW Insp. Ross Wickings - Arun Neighbourhood Policing Team, Sussex Police
- AG Annabelle Goodenough - Regional Manager, Crimestoppers
- NW Nicola Walker - Partnership Manager, Office of the Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner
- KB Kate Belbin - Partnership Manager, West Division, Sussex Police
- CF Cathryn French - Safeguarding Lead, Arun DC
Apologies given:
- WKJ CI Will Keating-Jones - District Commander, Arun and Chichester, Sussex Police
- KBY Kate Bailey - Consultant in Public Health, Public Health, WSCC
- DO Dax O'Connor - Community Safety Manager, Arun DC
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:
Declarations of interest
None declared.
Agenda item 4:
Minutes and matters arising from previous meeting on 29 April 2025
Meeting notes agreed as accurate reflection of the meeting. Actions completed.
Agenda item 5:
Partnership votes following pervious meeting
Following the previous meeting on 29 April, members were issued with a request to vote on a number of items -
- Will your agency participate in the Arun Drug Demand Working Group? Yes - 3 No - 0
- Do you support the proposal of a CSP newsletter? Yes - 2 No - 1
- How often would you want a CSP newsletter to be circulated? Monthly - 0 Quarterly - 1 Twice a year - 1 Annually - 0
- Do you feel that a partnership comms group would be beneficial in driving forward the newsletter? Yes - 2 No - 0
ACTIONS:
- DO to circulate invitations to the drug demand working group.
- It was agreed that a CSP newsletter would be beneficial in promoting the work of the partnership and bring to life for residents the projects and funding, and collaborative funding. Twice a year was proposed and agreed.
- DO to convene a comms group after the summer.
Agenda item 6:
Strategic priority setting (2026-2028)
This item was deferred due to an error with access to the accompanying report.
ACTION:
- DO to resend report and convene a dedicated meeting within the next couple of weeks.
Agenda item 7:
Arun Youth Survey
CF gave an introduction to the 'Your Voice' youth survey commissioned by the CSP and run by the council's community safety team. This was an opportunity to understand the voice of children and young people and hear of their own experiences of being safe or not safe in contextual places. It supports the contextual safeguarding approach.
We received 575 responses which is a really good response rate.
Some of the headline data includes -
61% of respondents said they feel very safe or safe in Arun.
14% of respondents said they feel unsafe or very unsafe.
Marked difference between sense of safety between daytime and after dark.
Adults were seen as both a reason why young people felt unsafe but also were listed as a comfort factor alongside a supportive community.
More than 50% of respondents do not attend youth clubs, but those that do see them as safe spaces.
67% said that their home or house is a safe place for them.
Following on from the survey work, CF and DO have worked with Year 10 and 11 pupils at The Littlehampton Academy to find out more about what makes them feel safe or unsafe in certain areas. This was an amazing experience that gave the children an opportunity to share their narrative. They were invited to RAG places on maps of the town centre and Rosemead Park by using read, amber, and green stickers and then make comments about each location. It was really interesting to hear the different perspectives of boys, girls, and ages. These maps have been shared with a vast range of organisations and stakeholders for feedback and to help identify any actions that could be taken to improve the safety of young people. CF and DO will return to the school after the summer holidays to share this feedback with the pupils who took part.
Through the Peer Group Conference, a request has been put out to do the same in relation to Bognor Regis town centre.
The report and mapping work was received positively by the partnership and recognised as an example of good practice which can be shared with other areas.
AC noted that train stations are mentioned as areas of concern and asked if BTP are actively involved in dealing with ASB and other issues. RW explained that partnership meetings are held between local police and BTP and share problem profiles.
AOK highlighted previous work with the rail network and that echoes some of the survey findings.
ACTION:
- AOK to share final findings report from railway work for comparison and identify any support the CSP can provide.
- KB and AOK to discuss availability of BTP data and information sharing.
- CR to liaise with Crimestoppers to see if any messaging is available for train stations.
- CR to explore any work that can be commissioned for detached youth outreach work specifically around the stations.
Agenda item 8:
Crimestoppers campaign
AG gave overview of plans for Crimestoppers messaging in Arun, to commence on 4 August and run for 8 weeks via social media. Request will be made to all partners to share messaging across their media platforms. Will also be attending emergency service day events in Littlehampton and Bognor Regis to raise awareness of Crimestoppers and encourage reporting.
Fearless training will also be offered to target secondary schools, to include train the trainers sessions for staff. School packs to be provided with various resources. AG to contact the identified schools in October to offer and arrange sessions.
AG asked the partnership whether there were any specific topics they would want messaging to concentrate on for Arun.
Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) was put forward and agreed.
ACTION:
- Partners to share campaign posts via their own platforms.
Agenda item 9:
Partnership funding statement
Unallocated balance of £43,094 as at meeting date endorsed by partners. This includes receipt of PCC grant and allocated funding for various projects -
£44,658 Youth engagement and outreach
£12,500 Safer Schools talks
£ 2,205 Youth diversionary fund
£12,000 Arun Business Crime Reduction Partnership (ringfenced for 2026)
CR gave examples of some of the work being planned in relation to children and young people, including delivering in-school talks by an ex-offender based on choices and consequences that could lead them down the wrong path. Working closely with schools to identify group work with individuals that staff have concerns about behaviour and the risk of criminal exploitation. Agreement that this can be powerful and impactful on young people.
Agenda item 10:
AOB
None raised.
Next Safer Arun Partnership meeting
Tuesday 21 October 2025 - 2pm - MS Teams