Over 100,000 anti-social behaviour incidents go unattended in Sussex in just four years

The Liberal Democrats have accused the Government of “losing control”, as 103,163 incidents of anti-social behaviour in Sussex go completely unattended by the police in just 4 years.

There were 14,645 unattended incidents in 2022 alone - accounting for 68% of all reports made. That means Sussex is worse than the national average of 63%.

All figures were obtained by the Liberal Democrats through Freedom of Information requests to all police forces, to which 38 responded.

The shocking new data comes as the Conservative Government looks set to break its trademark promise to recruit 20,000 extra police officers.  Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) numbers have also plummeted under the Conservative Party’s watch, with the number of active PCSOs falling by an average of 33% in England and Wales since 2015.

Ahead of May’s local elections, the Liberal Democrats are calling for a return to proper community policing - where officers are visible, trusted and able to focus on preventing and solving crimes.

Commenting on the figures, Horsham Liberal Democrat Spokesperson John Milne said:

“Anti-social behaviour is a growing problem which makes a big impact on people’s lives. With so many incidents not receiving any response at all, it’s no wonder local residents are concerned.

 “Our communities deserve to feel safe walking down their own streets. Instead of more empty promises, it’s time for the Government to finally commit to proper community policing - where offices are visible, trusted, and able to tackle neighbourhood crime.”