Hello

I promised that we would take shop theft seriously in Sussex so I am delighted that, for the first time ever, electronic tagging technology is now being used to address persistent shoplifting.

Operation STOP (Shop Theft Offender Pilot) takes direct aim at prolific shoplifters, using electronic tags to deter repeat offending. This groundbreaking project is already delivering real results in East Sussex, where it is currently being trialled.

Sussex Police has secured two Criminal Behaviour Orders (CBOs), including electronic tagging conditions, following shop theft convictions. The CBOs include exclusion zones around the locations of the offences (Co-op stores in Eastbourne and Hastings). The offenders are banned from entering these areas and each of them must wear an electronic tag for 12 months. Their movements will be closely monitored and any breaches of the tag will be acted on swiftly.

As the national PCC lead for business and retail crime, I know the real impact shop theft has on local businesses and communities. Deterrents need to be more effective and punishments must be meaningful. Operation STOP is a proactive step forward in achieving this. These early court outcomes in Sussex set a strong precedent for national action to follow.

This week I've spoken to several national and local media outlets to share these successes. You can read more about this pioneering project in the news section on my website and I look forward to keeping you updated on its progress. 

The first film in my new 'Sussex Snapshots' video series is now live, spotlighting positive results in Worthing town centre over the summer months: a 36% reduction in anti-social behaviour reports and a 22% drop in total crime reports (from August 2024 to July 2025).

This reduction is supported by Sussex Police's ongoing efforts to encourage reporting, specifically around anti-social behaviour and shoplifting, through the national Safer Summer Streets initiative. You can read more about this in my Friday Force Focus below.

Scrutinising Sussex Police Performance

Yesterday I held my monthly Performance & Accountability Meeting (PAM) with the Chief Constable and Deputy Chief Constable scrutinising Sussex Police’s performance across key areas including tackling hate crime, taking action on burglaries and the Force's progress against the findings of a national joint inspection report on the police response to stalking.

Reports of hate crime have increased by 9% in Sussex (from 1 April 2024 - 31 March 2025) - an additional 362 hate crimes. I asked the Deputy Chief Constable if this increase could be attributed to a particular strand of hate crime i.e. race; religion; disability; sexual orientation and transgender. He explained that hate crime is typically underreported so the increase in reports can be viewed favourably - as more under represented groups are coming forward to report these crimes to Sussex Police.

The Deputy Chief Constable also highlighted that worldwide tensions can play out on our streets and Sussex Police has seen an increase in antisemitic and Islamophobic hate crime. However, the largest increase has been in hate crime reports relating to sexual orientation, particularly in Brighton. We also discussed the recording of sex-based hate crimes and I was disappointed to hear that the Home Office has stopped collecting data on this. However, I am pleased that Sussex Police continues to record these hate crimes, including misogyny.

The Force's detection rate for hate crime currently sits at 16% (a 5% increase on the detection rate for the previous year) and it works closely with Victim Support and other specialist services to engage victims of hate crime throughout the criminal justice process.

My PAMs are about transparency and trust. I ask the questions that matter most to residents - about crime, community safety and accountability. You can watch them live (the next one is on Thursday 20 November at 13:00) and view recordings and transcripts from each meeting on my webcasting portal.

Katy Bourne OBE
Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner