Nusrat Ghani, MP for Wealden, continues supporting Wealden residents impacted by rural crime and has recently convened a meeting with representatives of Sussex Police to get an update on the ongoing action to prevent and tackle rural crime in north Wealden.
The meeting was attended by Sussex Police’s new Wealden District Commander, Wealden District Neighbourhood Policing Team Inspector, and Lead of the Rural Crime Team, as well as representatives of the Withyham and Blackham Watch.
During the meeting, Nusrat raised individual cases of constituents, farmers, and local businesses who had reached out to share their concerns regarding crime. She was pleased to learn that although criminal activity in the area has decreased overall, the close multi-agency cross-border response and increased police presence in the area is ongoing and there are plans in place for joint operations with Kent Police over the winter. Last year, similar operations and increased police patrol activity in the area led to positive results and multiple arrests.
Nusrat also welcomed that following sustained campaigning from the community, additional security equipment was installed in Blackham village last year, funded jointly by contributions from local residents, the Parish Council, Sussex Police and the Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner's office.
Nusrat Ghani said: “We are extremely lucky that Wealden is a safe place to live with consistently low levels of crime, but I’m aware that rural crime incidents remain an area of concern especially for residents in the north of the constituency near the Kent border. I continue to be in regular contact with Sussex Police to discuss individual cases and I’m pleased that there is a positive relationship between the police force and both Withyham and Blackham Watch. I appreciate that winter months are usually of most concern, and I was pleased to meet with the new Wealden District Commander, Wealden Neighbourhood Policing Team Inspector and Rural Crime Lead to get an update on the ongoing multi-agency efforts. I’m hugely grateful for their hard work and commitment to ensuring that they have visible presence locally and for the multiple arrests that have been made last year. Some great progress is being made, but I am not being complacent on this matter and I will continue working with Sussex Police and putting forward a case for additional resources for Wealden.”
