New call goes out in Horsham for return to 'proper community policing'

It follows revelations that four out of five burglaries in Sussex now go unsolved.

Home Office statistics reveal that 4,093 burglaries went unsolved across Sussex in the year ending June 2023.

Horsham Lib Dems say that government cuts have left local forces overstretched and unable to focus on crimes such as burglaries.

Nationally, they say, this includes taking over 4,500 Police Community Support Officers off the streets since 2015 and assigning just 12 per cent of officers to neighbourhood policing teams.

The Lib Dems are now calling for a new ‘Burglary Response Guarantee’ under which all domestic burglaries would be attended by the police and properly investigated.

A spokesperson said: “This would be accompanied by a return to proper community policing, where officers are visible, trusted and focused on tackling neighbourhood crime.”

And Horsham Lib Dem spokesman John Milne said: “Everyone deserves to feel safe in their homes. We need to believe that if we are unlucky enough to be burgled, the criminal will swiftly face justice. But that’s not the way it is in Sussex.”

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He added: “It’s a shame our communities have to pay the price. The Liberal Democrats will keep fighting to restore proper community policing and implement our Burglary Response Guarantee. People deserve better than this shameful burglar bailout.”