Safer Crawley Partnership

We would like to thank everyone who took the time to complete the recent Community Safety consultation. We received 105 responses and whilst we appreciate that these do not represent the population of Crawley as a whole, it does give us an idea regarding what people are concerned about.

The top three issues that people thought the Safer Crawley Partnership (SCP) should be focusing on were:

• Anti-social behaviour (e.g. neighbour nuisance)
• Drugs (e.g. dealing, using and discarded drug paraphernalia)
• Violent crime (e.g. alcohol/drug related assaults, sexual violence)

The top issues highlighted as being a problem in local neighbourhoods included drugs (using and dealing), littering (including drug related litter), driving (risky, anti-social, speeding), environmental crime (illegal waste dumping, fly tipping) and abusive or threatening behaviour.

Here is what we are already doing to tackle the top issues you highlighted to us:

Anti-social behaviour

Anti-social behaviour (ASB) is already a priority for the SCP with a particular focus on youth-related anti-social behaviour. We have funded and continue to fund varied positive activities across the week for young people to engage with. Regular multi-agency meetings also take place to discuss the latest concerns so that interventions can be put in place to deter further ASB.

We also work with our dedicated ASB Team who partner with the police, housing providers and other agencies and departments to find a solution to local issues.

Drug issues

We work in collaboration with Sussex Police to protect the most vulnerable in our communities around drug harm, exploitation and County Lines. We also support the School Pastoral Network to run the annual Safer Schools Event which sees all Year 8 students receive a hard-hitting lived experience presentation from ex-gang members regarding the dangers of getting involved in County Line drug dealing.

Violent crime

Crawley Borough Council works in close partnership with Sussex Police, WSCC, the NHS and other partners to tackle serious violent crime with a particular focus on prevention. As such, the partnership has funded a number of projects which seek to reduce violent crime and increase referrals to the knife intervention project delivered by WSCC and the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust.

Driving (risky, anti-social and speeding)

A Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) has been in place since 2019 to tackle car cruising activity across the whole of Crawley. Any person found in breach of the PSPO could be issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice. If you witness any anti-social driving, you can report it online to Operation Crackdown (opens in new window), Sussex Police Road Policing Unit will then be able to take action on the information you provide.

Finally, over 65% of you did not know how to engage with the SCP, we are working hard to promote the work we are doing and will continue to do this. We will endeavour to do more public engagement this coming year and promote the best way to contact the SCP, whilst also directing residents to the right agencies to report any crime or disorder you may have witnessed or experienced.

To find out more about the Safer Crawley Partnership, visit the Community Safety section (opens in new window) on the Crawley Borough Council website.