Community Safety and Crime Reduction Strategy
2026 – 2029
Community Safety and Crime Reduction Strategy
2026 – 2029
Contents
Brighton & Hove and the people in the city
Identifying and progressing priorities
Serious violence, drugs and exploitation
Domestic abuse, sexual violence and violence against women and girls (VAWG)
Prevent (counter terrorism and extremism)
Devolution & Local Government Reorganisation
Appendix 1. Learning Recommendations from Delivery of the 2023-26 Strategy
Appendix 2. About the Partnership
If you would like to provide any feedback on this document, you can do so by email to: community.safety@brighton-hove.gov.uk
The Brighton & Hove Community Safety Partnership is committed to making the city a safer, more inclusive place for everyone who lives in, works in, or visits Brighton & Hove. Our overarching duty is to:
· Reduce crime and disorder
· Improve community safety
· Reduce re-offending
By focusing on these aims, we seek to enhance the quality of life across our diverse communities. Our approach centres on the following principles:
· Taking early action to prevent crime and disorder
· Tackling the issues that have the greatest impact on people’s lives
· Reducing the fear of crime and meeting the needs of victims
· Building and sustaining community cohesion
· Improving trust and confidence
This strategy sets out our plans for the period 2026 - 2029. It is produced in line with the requirements of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 and reflects our shared commitment to partnership working, evidence-led action, continuous improvement, transparency and accountability.
In shaping the 2026–2029 Community Safety Strategy, the partnership has undertaken a thorough review of progress achieved under the previous strategy (2023–2026). This earlier period was marked by significant challenges, including the ongoing recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, the cost-of-living crisis, and heightened community cohesion pressures influenced by national and global events.
The link between poverty, inequality, and community safety is both profound and inseparable. These challenges place significant demands on partnerships and resources, while minority and disadvantaged communities often bear a disproportionate impact. Areas experiencing higher levels of deprivation are more vulnerable to crime, exploitation, and social harm. Addressing these inequalities is essential to creating safer, stronger neighbourhoods where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.
These pressures have tested the resilience of our services and communities, reinforcing the need for strong partnership working, adaptability, and a renewed commitment to prevention and inclusion.
Partnership Strengths: Multi-agency collaboration remains a cornerstone, enabling coordinated responses to complex issues such as serious violence, exploitation, hate crime, Prevent, and VAWG. The partnership has shown resilience in adapting to new threats, including legislative changes and the cost-of-living crisis. Strong partnership with our residents and diverse communities enabled us to better understand and effectively respond to the shifting context and emerging threats.
Resource Constraints and Innovation: Persistent funding and capacity pressures have limited the ability to scale early intervention and prevention work, despite rising demand. This has required greater innovation, including the use of harm-led approaches, targeted enforcement, and creative use of community assets. However, further innovation is needed, particularly in response to gaps in after-school provision, mentoring, and contextual safeguarding for young people.
Community Cohesion and Engagement: National and international events have had significant local impacts, highlighting the need for rapid, visible partnership responses and robust community engagement. The impact on community perceptions, and inter- community relations have led to increased demands on statutory partners and managing competing priorities within shifting dynamics. The loss of third-party reporting capacity for hate incidents has exposed gaps in support for marginalised communities, underlining the importance of trust, survivor voice, and lived experience in shaping responses.
Data, Evidence, and Knowledge Gaps: Improved use of data and intelligence has supported targeted interventions, but there is scope for more real-time, cross-partner data sharing and evaluation. Gaps remain in understanding the prevalence and motivations for knife carrying, cuckooing, and sexual exploitation, as well as under-reporting across all thematic areas. Meaningfully capturing information from communities and the Third Sector to inform partnership response can be challenging.
Adaptability and System Learning: The partnership has demonstrated adaptability, but further agility is needed as governance structures evolve. Learning from safeguarding reviews, Domestic Abuse Related Death Reviews (DARDRs), statutory and independent reviews, and lived experience must be systematically embedded to drive continuous improvement.
A number of recommendations for the new 2026 – 29 Strategy have been identified and are provided in Appendix 1
The city is much better placed to tackle crime and disorder if everyone – residents and businesses, community and voluntary groups, and city services – work together in a coordinated way. The local authority, police, health, probation and fire services are statutory partners under the 1998 Act. However, in practice, the Community Safety Partnership works across a much wider range of partners at different levels and on different topics to work out what needs doing, and who can help.
As well as the impact on individuals and communities, the negative effects of crime and disorder increase demand on public services. Working in partnership and adopting a ‘whole system approach’ is essential. Our work contributes to, and overlaps with, the Police & Crime Commissioner’s Police and Crime Plan[1], to the council’s Corporate Plan[2], to the Combating Drugs Partnership work, as well as to measures in the Public Health Outcomes Framework to name a few examples.
The national landscape for community safety is evolving rapidly, shaped by a convergence of social, economic, political, and technological pressures. While the government’s Beating Crime Plan continues to guide efforts to reduce serious violence, neighbourhood crime, and anti-social behaviour, there is an increasing emphasis on addressing “hidden harms” such as domestic abuse, violence against women and girls (VAWG), online exploitation, and hate crime.
However, the context in which local partnerships operate is becoming significantly more complex. The following national and structural developments are reshaping the environment for community safety:
Rising Extremism and Community Tensions: Persistent extremist agitation-both online and offline-is fuelling division and undermining community cohesion. The amplification of harmful narratives, often linked to international and national events disinformation, and conspiracy theories, is contributing to a rise in hate incidents and polarisation. Local authorities are increasingly required to respond to the consequences of global and national events playing out in local communities.
Complex and Intersecting Needs: Communities are facing overlapping challenges including poverty and disadvantage, mental ill-health, housing insecurity, substance misuse, and digital exclusion. These intersecting ‘compound’ needs require integrated, trauma-informed, and culturally competent responses across statutory and voluntary services. There is a clear recognition of differential impact on individuals, and that the impact will differ on individuals with multiple and intersecting identities, often referred to as intersectionality.
Cumulative Systemic Pressures: Years of austerity, rising demand, and workforce pressures have created a fragmented service landscape. This is eroding resilience across statutory and community sectors, making it harder to deliver early intervention and sustain long-term prevention work.
Cost of Living Crisis: The ongoing cost of living crisis is deepening vulnerabilities. Financial stress, food and fuel insecurity, and reduced access to essential services are increasing the risk of exploitation, offending, and victimisation-particularly among those already marginalised.
Political Volatility and Policy Shifts: Rapidly evolving national and international political developments are having a direct impact on local cohesion. Certain communities are disproportionately affected by changes in asylum, migration, and equalities policy, contributing to a sense of fear and exclusion.
Health System Reorganisation: The transition to neighbourhood-based models within Integrated Care Systems (ICS) presents both opportunities and uncertainties. These changes affect how community health and place-based safety initiatives are delivered, with implications for access, coordination, and equity.
Local Government Reorganisation (LGR): LGR introduces uncertainty around population profiles, service boundaries, and governance structures. Misalignment between new administrative boundaries and existing service footprints risks creating gaps in provision and confusion for residents.
Devolution and Mayoral Governance: The introduction of a regional mayor and devolution of powers will reshape the governance and funding landscape for community safety. While this presents opportunities for strategic alignment, it also brings uncertainty around priorities, accountability, and local influence.
Social Media and Misinformation: The rapid growth of social media has transformed how individuals and communities communicate, but it has also introduced significant risks to cohesion and safety. They engender distrust in their audience towards the government and mainstream media; the lack of trust effectively limits the capacity and impact of countering disinformation and misinformation. Platforms designed to connect people have become fertile ground for misinformation, polarisation, and harmful narratives. False or misleading content spreads at speed, often amplified by algorithms that prioritise engagement over accuracy. Hate speech and conspiracy theories circulating online disproportionately impact visibly minoritised groups, including Muslim and Jewish communities, and exacerbate vulnerabilities for the disabled, migrants, women and LGBTQ+ individuals. The result is a growing climate of intimidation and insecurity, where online hostility translates into offline abuse and violence.
The Community Safety Strategy does not operate in isolation; it is embedded within a network of local and national policies that collectively shape safer, fairer communities. This strategy both supports and is supported by complementary frameworks, ensuring alignment and coherence across priorities.
Key linked policies and strategies include:
· Brighton & Hove Anti-Racism Strategy – driving systemic change to eliminate racial inequality and discrimination.
· National Policing Plan – setting standards for enforcement, prevention, and community engagement.
· Financial Inclusion and Anti-Debt Initiatives – reducing economic vulnerability that often correlates with crime and exploitation.
· Mental Health and Addiction Recovery Plans – addressing underlying factors that contribute to offending and victimisation.
· National and local Violence Against Women and Girls Strategies – safeguarding vulnerable groups and promoting gender equality.
· Common Ground - the Local Government Associations guidance on building more cohesive communities.
These connections are critical to achieving the objectives of the Community Safety Strategy. While this document acknowledges these interdependencies, detailed exploration sits within the respective strategies to maintain clarity of purpose and statutory focus. Further details are provided later in the document.
The Recent Supreme Court ruling on sex and the Equality Act may require changes to how agencies assess risk, deliver services, and evidence decision‑making. These developments bring potential resource pressures as services adapt their policies and processes to remain compliant with the evolving legal landscape. Agencies will need to update practice promptly while balancing community expectations, the requirements of the Equality Act and maintaining strong safeguarding standards.
The forthcoming Crime and Policing Bill 2025, currently progressing through Parliament, is set to reshape the legal landscape for community safety. It introduces new offences such as child criminal exploitation, coerced internal concealment, and cuckooing, each carrying significant custodial penalties. The Bill also strengthens police powers to tackle anti-social behaviour, knife crime, and retail violence, including the creation of Respect Orders and enhanced enforcement mechanisms.
The Government’s new Freedom from Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy (2025–2028) introduces a strengthened national framework for preventing and responding to VAWG, with a major focus on early intervention, whole‑of‑system accountability, and improving outcomes for victims. It places new expectations on local areas to embed trauma‑informed practice, expand multi‑agency risk management, and improve consistency in responding to high‑harm perpetrators. These national commitments will require local partnerships to ensure their governance, training, and data‑sharing arrangements are aligned with the strengthened statutory focus on VAWG.
These changes will require local partnerships to review enforcement protocols, safeguarding frameworks, and multi-agency coordination to ensure compliance and effective implementation.
The information in the next two sections has been taken from the Strategic Assessment of Crime and Community Safety 2025. To request a copy, please contact community.safety@brighton-hove.gov.uk
People with many different characteristics contribute to the makeup of the local population; crime and disorder issues will also impact on people differently.
According to the 2024 ONS mid-year population estimates, there are a total of 283,870 people living in the city, up 1.0% (2,735 people) compared with 2023 and 7,416 more (up 2.7%) compared with mid-2021.
Compared with England and the South East, Brighton & Hove has fewer young children or older people, but more younger adults, particularly those aged 19 to 30 years old. Contributing to people in this age group are those who come to the city to study. Within the city there were 3,080 more females than males in the age group 18 to 25 years old, and 2,850 more females than males aged 75 years and over.
For the academic year 2023/24, a total 35,885 students were enrolled at the University of Sussex and the University of Brighton, 5.3% fewer (2,020 people) than in the previous year. This compared with a 0.6% overall decrease in enrolled students across England. In Brighton & Hove, 58% of these students were female and 42% male[3].
The city is a popular tourist destination. In 2023, the latest year for which data is available, around 10.2 million trips were estimated to have been made to the city by day visitors (up 2% on 2022), with 5.6 million overnight stays (up 7.0% on 2022)[4].
According to the 2021 Census, Brighton & Hove is continuing to become a more ethnically diverse city. While the overall number of residents had only increased by 1% between the 2011 and 2021 Censuses, the number of Black and Racially Minoritised residents had increased by 35%, representing 18,921 people. More than a quarter of residents (26%, 72,272 people) were Black and Racially Minoritised under the definition used by Brighton and Hove City Council, which is, all ethnic groups apart from White UK/British. The city continues to be a destination for people born outside of the UK, with one in five residents living in Brighton (20%, 54,343 people) born outside the UK as of the 2021 Census, higher than both the South East (16%) and England (17%).
Brighton & Hove also had the highest proportion of residents identifying as lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB+) in England at the time of the 2021 Census. More than one in ten residents aged 16 or over (10.7%, 25,247 people) identified with an LGB+ sexual orientation. This is three times the percentage found in both the South East (3.1%) and England (3.2%) and the highest seen in any upper tier local authority in England. In the 2024 Health Counts survey completed in the city, 28% of residents identified with an LGBQ+ identity[5],[6], using a slightly different question to that in the 2021 Census.
At least 2,341 residents (1.0%) in Brighton & Hove identified with a gender different from their sex registered at birth in the 2021 Census[7], around double the proportion in the South East (0.47%) and England (0.55%). The proportion of residents aged 16 and over in Brighton & Hove identifying with a gender different from their sex registered at birth (1.0%) was in the highest 25 of local authorities in England and Wales.
One in forty residents aged 16 years old or older (5,618 people, 2.4%) have previously served in the UK armed forces[8]. This is significantly lower than in the South East (4.2%) and England (3.8%). Among the 5,618 veterans, 3,948 were in the regular UK armed forces, 1,423 in the reserves and 246 in both the regular and reserve armed forces.
Brighton & Hove residents are significantly more likely to be disabled than people living in the South East and England. At the time of the 2021 Census, nearly one in five residents (19%, 51,797 people) report that their day-to-day activities are ‘limited a little’ or ‘limited a lot’ by health problems. In the 2024 Health Counts survey5, 37% of adults reported that their day-to-day activities were limited by a long-term physical or mental health condition or illness.
In 2025, 9,780 residents aged 18 to 64 (5.0%) were estimated to have impaired mobility, increasing to 18.6% of people aged over 65. There were an estimated 5,828 people in the city aged over 18 (2.5%) with a learning difficulty[9].
Brighton & Hove also has significant mental health needs. The proportion of adults with common mental disorders (such as anxiety or depression) are estimated to be 1 in 5 in the city, which is higher than the England estimate of 1 in 6 and considered an underestimate[10]. In the 2024 Health Counts Survey6, 24% of respondents reported low levels of happiness, and 38% reported high levels of anxiety.
Brighton & Hove had 1,991 Children in Need and 262 children who were the subject of a Child Protection Plan[11] as of March 2024, both slightly down from the same time in 2023 but both proportionally higher than the South East and England[12]. National evidence shows that people who have been looked after as children are more likely to be unemployed, be involved in crime and be identified as having a substance misuse problem[13].
The Index of Multiple Deprivation[14] (IMD) 2025 ranked Brighton & Hove the 96th most deprived upper tier local authority in England (out of 153). Average IMD rank scores show that Brighton and Hove has lower levels of overall deprivation compared to England, but higher levels compared to the South East. The level of deprivation varies widely across the city - with some of the most deprived areas in the east and central parts of the city. Smaller areas of deprivation are also found in the west of the city. Looking at only the crime domain, the IMD shows that Brighton & Hove has higher levels of crime deprivation than both England and the South East.
There were an estimated 8,000 unemployed people in the city in the twelve months up to March 2025. This represented 4.7% of all those who were economically active[15] compared to 3.9% in Great Britain and in 3.3% in the South East[16].
Around one in 15 (6.7%) of the city’s 16–17-year-olds (382 young people) were not in education, training or employment (NEET) or their status was not known, in the three months ending March 2025 - slightly lower than the average for the South East (7.0%) but higher than for England (5.6%)[17].
Data from the Low Income Family Tracker (LIFT)[18] shows that as of September 2025, there were 22,360 low-income households in the city with 8,527 children living in them. Of these low-income households, 5,939 households - with 3,720 children living in them - were below the poverty line. This is an increase of 201 households living below the poverty line in the city compared with November 2024. In addition, 2,215 households in the city were estimated to have a cash shortfall and 553 households were in food poverty.
Brighton & Hove had 121,401 homes at the time of the 2021 Census, with an average household size of 2.2 occupants. This compared with 2.4 in the South East and in England.
The city has fewer owner occupiers and more people renting from private landlords than the average for the South East and England as a whole. A third of households (33%, 39,684 households) in the city rented privately at that time. This is significantly higher than both the South East (19%) and England (20%) and was the highest proportion in England outside of London and the Isles of Scilly. Meanwhile, homeownership in Brighton & Hove is falling; just over a half of households in the city (51%) own their own home, significantly lower than in the South East (66%) and England (61%).
The personal and societal cost of homelessness remains a profound problem in the city. The Street Outreach Service found 716 people sleeping rough in 2024/25, down from 785 the previous year and 927 in 2022/23, but reflective of a longer-term issue of rough sleeping seen in the last five years. The reduction seen here reflects targeted work across the city to reduce the number of individuals rough sleeping.
We need to remain aware that not all the people in the city will feature in the various statistics at our disposal, nor come to the attention of services. This ‘invisible’ or unidentified population may be among the most vulnerable to crime and community safety issues and extra focus is needed in order to provide help to these groups.
The Equality Act 2010 requires that public sector bodies consider and take account of how the lives of people with protected characteristics are impacted by their work. Our Strategic Assessment in 2025 reported on how different people are affected by crime and safety issues. The process of determining our priorities and actions takes these findings into account.
Figure 1. Total police recorded crime, 2012/13 – 2024/25
From 2013/14, total police recorded crimes increased year by year until 2019/20, a long-term peak. Covid-related restrictions put in place during 2020/21 contributed to an approximately 16% drop in total crimes recorded. Following the removal of restrictions, recorded crimes increased by 11.9% in 2021/22, 3.8% in 2022/23, 1.7% in 2023/24 and 4.2% in 2024/25. It remains important to note that, as well as underlying changes in crimes taking place, crime trends are influenced by recording practices, changes in definitions, and changing propensity to report which vary significantly by crime type.[19]
Figure 2. Total police recorded crime breakdown, 2024/25
Prior to 2019/20, Anti-social behaviour (ASB) incidents had showed a long-term decline since at least 2007/08 - where more than 22,000 incidents had been recorded – down to less than 7,300 in 2019/20. A sharp increase in ASB incidents took place in 2020/21 as police responded to incidents involving people contravening government Covid-related restrictions or new neighbourly disputes, resulting in nearly 13,500 incidents recorded. Following the lifting of restrictions throughout 2021, recorded incidents fell to around 8,300 incidents in 2021/22 and 4,316 in 2022/23. In 2023/24 there were 4,870 ASB incidents recorded by Sussex Police in the city, 13% greater than in 2022/23, increasing a further 10% to 5,365 in 2024/25.
More information on recorded crimes and incidents is provided in the Strategic Assessment.
The retail and leisure area in the city centre is also the geographical hotspot for much of the city’s crime and disorder.
Seasonal patterns often coincide with the peak visitor season when there are more people in the city to both perpetrate and be victims of crime, and when people tend to spend more time outdoors. Certain crimes are more likely to take place at particular times of day, for example violence occurs more frequently on Friday and Saturday nights, linking with the night-time economy.
There were 1,745 offenders (1,690 adults and 55 young people) in the financial year 2022/23 in Brighton & Hove, the latest full year available[20]. Of these, 31% of the adults and 35% of the young people perpetrating crime in this period went on to reoffend in the following 12 months, and adult reoffending rates in the city were higher than the South East (23%) and England & Wales (26%). On average, juvenile reoffenders in the city had carried out 5.16 offences each, while adult reoffenders had carried out 4.73 reoffences each - both figures greater than in the previous year.
Violent crime is frequently associated with alcohol misuse, and habitual drug use can be a driver for acquisitive crimes[21].
Measures of alcohol sales[22] and consumption[23] in the latest statistics were higher in the city than in England, the South East and higher than the average of our matched authorities.
Latest estimates based on modelling from 2019/20 show that, compared with the South East and with England, the proportion of the city’s resident population using opiates or crack cocaine remains significantly higher.[24]
It is necessary to remain aware that crimes may be hidden from sight. Criminal behaviour continues to evolve while pressures on victims to remain silent can persist. Organised crime groups can widen the geography of both perpetrators and victims in areas such as child sexual abuse, drug dealing and human trafficking. Partnerships play an important role in addressing these issues.
National research found that in 2024/25, 8% of survey respondents reported feeling a high level of worry about violent crime, 8% about burglary, 17% about fraud, and 7% of car owners had a high level of worry about car crime. Women continue to report greater worry than men, as do people from Mixed, Asian/Asian British or Black/Black British ethnicities, people who work in manual routine occupations or who are long-term unemployed due to illness, disabled people and people having already been a recent victim of crime[25].
Locally, the Health Counts[26] survey conducted in Brighton & Hove in 2024 asked how safe residents felt walking alone in their local area within approximately 15 minutes from their home, both during the day and at night. During the day, 96% of respondents report feeling safe in their local area, however at night this dropped to 65%. Younger adults, those aged 85 years and older, females, trans, non-binary or intersex respondents, LGBQ+ respondents, Gypsy Roma or Irish Traveller respondents, as well as people with experience of the care system, and those who are housed in temporary or emergency accommodation were all significantly more likely to feel unsafe walking alone in their local area at night, compared with respondents as a whole.
Disabled respondents were also more likely to feel unsafe in their local area at night. This difference was particularly marked amongst some groups, such as those with a speech and language issues, those with a developmental condition, those who had a visible difference with a disabling and/or discriminatory impact, as well as those with a learning disability.
There were also geographical differences in feelings of safety across the city. People who live in the most deprived areas of the city are significantly more likely to report feeling very or a bit unsafe walking alone in their local area at night compared with all respondents. Those living in Moulsecoomb & Bevendean, Queen’s Park, Kemptown, and Whitehawk & Marina wards were all significantly more likely to feel unsafe walking alone in their local area both during the day and at night, compared with respondents as a whole.
The financial impact of crime is significant. Estimated costs of crime have been provided by the Home Office and cover, for example, physical/emotional harm, lost output, value of property stolen/damaged, and the cost of health, police, and other public services in response to crime.[27]
The average cost of each crime that takes place is estimated at:
· £14,100 for a violent crime with injury/£5,900 without injury
· £5,900 for a domestic burglary
· £10,300 for a theft of a vehicle/£870 for a theft from a vehicle
· £8,400 for arson/£1,400 for other criminal damage
· £39,400 for rape and £6,500 for other sexual offences
Costs are generally higher if they relate to crimes against businesses.
The context in which we work to reduce crime and disorder continues to be shaped by a range of national and international developments. The following themes reflect the most significant pressures and changes currently influencing community safety in Brighton & Hove.
The cost of living crisis continues to have a profound impact on residents across Brighton & Hove. Financial hardship and poverty have intensified since 2023, driven by inflation, energy costs, and the ongoing effects of the war in Ukraine. These pressures are compounding the challenges that emerged during the Covid-19 pandemic, with many individuals and families now facing more complex and entrenched needs.
Communities are reporting increased levels of stress, isolation, and vulnerability, particularly among those already experiencing disadvantage. The rising cost of housing in the city remains a significant barrier to stability, especially for those on lower incomes. Inadequate or insecure housing can contribute to a range of issues, including increased risk of offending, exploitation, and poor health outcomes.
The voluntary and community sector continues to play a vital role in supporting residents, but demand for services is growing. There is a need for continued innovation and collaboration to ensure that services remain accessible and responsive, particularly for those most affected by poverty, inequality, trauma, and exclusion.
National police statistics highlight that, between the year ending March 2024 and the year ending March 2025, police recorded fraud and computer misuse (up 2%), drugs trafficking/supply (up 28%) and sexual offences (up 11%) had all increased, while robbery (down 3%), knife and sharp implement-related crimes (down 1%), violence with injury (down 7%) had decreased[28].
The Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) highlighted a significant increase in people reporting being victims of fraud in the year ending March 2025, primarily due to increases in consumer/retail fraud and bank/credit account fraud.
The capacity of statutory and voluntary partners to meet rising and increasingly complex needs is under significant strain. Years of reduced funding for public services have left many organisations operating with limited resources, even as demand continues to grow.
Community safety partners - including the police, local authority, health services, and the voluntary sector - are working within a context of constrained budgets and heightened expectations. The complexity of need, particularly among individuals facing overlapping vulnerabilities such as mental health challenges, substance misuse, and housing instability, demands coordinated, multi-agency responses that are difficult to sustain at scale.
While the city benefits from a strong foundation of partnership working, the system is under pressure. Sustained investment in prevention, early intervention, and trauma-informed practice is critical to prevent escalation, protect public trust, and maintain community safety.
Community cohesion remains a key priority for Brighton & Hove. The city is proud of its diversity and its status as a City of Sanctuary and an anti‑racist city, but recent events have highlighted how fragile social trust can be in the face of national and global tensions. The terror attack on a synagogue in Manchester and the arson attack on a mosque in Peacehaven have had a ripple effect locally, heightening fear and anxiety among Jewish and Muslim communities. These incidents have unfolded alongside a wider rise in online misinformation, national increases in hate crime, and growing activity from far‑right groups.
Locally, reports of hate incidents and community tensions have increased, including concerns about the politicisation of national symbols and the impact of divisive narratives circulating online. These developments underline the need for clear and visible leadership, coordinated partnership action, and a renewed commitment to promoting inclusion, challenging hate, and supporting those affected by discrimination and harassment.
The national threat level remains at ‘substantial’, meaning an attack is likely. This reinforces the importance of continued vigilance and strong partnership working to safeguard communities and uphold the city’s values of tolerance, respect and safety.
Community cohesion underpins every aspect of community safety in Brighton & Hove. Global conflict, national political rhetoric, and the amplification of harmful online narratives directly affect trust, feelings of safety, and relationships between communities. Strengthening cohesion is therefore essential to preventing escalation, reducing harm and supporting the wellbeing of those most affected by these pressures.
The Partnership will continue to work closely with residents, faith groups, schools, community organisations, and the One Voice Partnership to promote dialogue, reduce tensions and challenge misinformation. Visible leadership, shared messaging and coordinated community reassurance will remain central to maintaining safety, confidence and social resilience across the city.
The landscape of local governance is also shifting. The proposed devolution deal for the region is expected to transfer new powers and resources to a directly elected mayor in the coming years. This includes potential implications for community safety, with responsibilities for crime reduction, policing oversight, and public health likely to be shaped at a regional level.
At the same time, discussions around local government reorganisation (LGR) raise questions about how services will be delivered across new and potentially non-coterminous boundaries. Brighton & Hove’s unique geography, population density, and community needs must be carefully considered in any future governance arrangements.
There is a risk that changes to boundaries or governance structures could disrupt existing partnerships or dilute the city’s ability to respond to local priorities. It will be essential to ensure that any new arrangements protect the integrity of local services, maintain accountability, and reflect the diversity and complexity of our communities.
The proposed Crime and Policing Bill introduces a number of significant changes that will shape the future of community safety and local enforcement powers in the city. While the Bill is still progressing through Parliament, its provisions signal a shift in the national approach to crime prevention, policing, and public order.
Key elements of the Bill include:
· Expanded powers for police and local authorities to manage protests, including new offences for obstruction of highways, serious annoyance, and interference with infrastructure. Police will be empowered to set conditions on protests such as noise limits, routes, and timings.
· New offences related to serious violence prevention, including child criminal exploitation, coerced internal concealment, and cuckooing. These are designed to strengthen safeguarding and early intervention efforts.
· Introduction of Respect Orders to replace existing civil injunctions for persistent antisocial behaviour, alongside enhanced police powers to tackle ASB, including stop and search without suspicion in designated areas.
· Stricter knife crime measures, such as age verification for online sales, powers to seize bladed articles from private property, and personal liability for platform managers failing to remove illegal content.
· Retail crime protections, including a new offence of assaulting retail workers and the repeal of Section 176 of the 2014 Act, restoring police response to low-value shop theft.
· Greater emphasis on data sharing between agencies, particularly in support of the proposed Serious Violence Duty, which would place a legal requirement on specified authorities-including the council, police, health, and education bodies-to collaborate in preventing and reducing serious violence.
· Victim support enhancements, including stronger victim impact statements and expanded post-sentence supervision.
For Brighton & Hove, the implications of the Bill are wide-ranging. The city has a strong tradition of protest and civic activism, and any changes to the regulation of public demonstrations will need to be carefully managed to uphold both public safety and the right to peaceful protest.
The Serious Violence Duty aligns with existing partnership work but may require additional coordination, data infrastructure, and resourcing to meet new statutory obligations. This includes adapting multi-agency safeguarding frameworks and ensuring robust data-sharing protocols across services.
The Bill also intersects with our existing priorities around serious violence, exploitation, and community cohesion. It reinforces the need for a whole-system approach to prevention, early intervention, and safeguarding-particularly for young people and those at risk of harm. Local authorities will need to update enforcement protocols, train frontline staff, and prepare for increased operational pressures, including sentence inflation and prison overcrowding.
Finally, the Bill’s overlap with local government reorganisation and devolution-including the anticipated mayoral authority-means councils must ensure community safety responsibilities are clearly defined and not diluted by boundary change
This strategy has been informed by a refreshed Strategic Assessment of Crime and Community Safety, completed in 2025. The assessment draws on the latest data and feedback from across the partnership, providing a comprehensive picture of crime, safety, and community wellbeing in Brighton & Hove. This has informed the setting of our priorities, and the plans for how to progress these. Ongoing and dynamic feedback from our communities through delivering workstreams and strategic leads is included currently, with further consultations in train.
Following this review, we have agreed to retain the existing five strategic priority areas. However, each has been thoroughly updated and revitalised to reflect the current context, emerging trends, and recent policy developments-including the national focus on community cohesion, the implications of the Crime and Policing Bill, Devolution and the Local Government Reorganisation.
The priorities in this strategy focus on areas where partnership working is essential to achieving meaningful progress. They reflect both national and local priorities and are particularly focused on areas where the impact on victims is high and where collaborative action adds the greatest value.
The five strategic priority areas for 2023–2026 are:
· Serious violence, drugs, and exploitation
· Domestic abuse, sexual violence, and violence against women and girls (VAWG)
· Anti-social behaviour
· Hate incidents and crimes
· Prevent (Preventing terrorism and extremism)
Public sector budgets remain under significant pressure, and difficult decisions continue to be made about how to allocate limited resources. The tension between investing in prevention and responding to harm after it occurs remains a central challenge.
Without sustained investment in prevention, there is a risk that long-term problems will escalate, placing further strain on services and communities. Partnership resources currently support a skilled and experienced workforce. Any reduction in financial support risks disrupting continuity and undermining the progress made to date - rebuilding this capacity would require significant time and effort.
Given the continuing pressures on public sector budgets and increasing complexity of need, the Partnership will adopt a clearer prioritisation framework to focus limited resources on areas of highest harm and vulnerability. This approach will incorporate risk‑based decision‑making, transparency about what can be delivered, and open communication with communities and partners about resource allocation. Where pressures may impact service delivery, we will work collectively to identify mitigations and advocate for sustained investment in prevention.
Each priority area in this strategy sets out the outcomes we aim to achieve through coordinated partnership action. Detailed action plans will be developed for each theme, outlining specific activities, delivery responsibilities and timescales. Progress will be monitored through the relevant thematic steering groups, with overall strategic oversight provided by the Community Safety Partnership Board.
We recognise that no single crime or safety indicator can fully capture the complexity of the issues facing our communities. For this reason, we will use a balanced suite of performance measures for each priority area, combining quantitative data, qualitative insight, and community feedback to build a more rounded understanding of impact. This will enable us to identify emerging risks earlier, understand what is working, and ensure our responses remain evidence‑based and proportionate.
All data will be interpreted with care, acknowledging limitations in reporting, recording practices, and under‑representation of some communities. Our aim is to ensure that decision‑making is driven by high‑quality evidence and reflects the lived experiences of those most affected by harm.
Clear and consistent communication with residents is essential to maintaining trust, reducing fear of crime, and countering misinformation. The Partnership will strengthen coordinated public messaging across all priority areas - including serious violence, ASB, VAWG, hate incidents and Prevent - to ensure communities receive accurate information about risks, available support and partnership action. Targeted reassurance campaigns will be used to support communities disproportionately affected by harm or by narratives that increase fear or vulnerability.
There are several statutory agencies whose core business is to tackle crime – the police, youth offending service, courts, probation and prison services are some significant ones. The work of other agencies, for example schools, health and social services, is also key to reducing the ‘drivers’ of crime.
The Community Safety Strategy does not operate in isolation; it is embedded within a network of local and national policies that collectively shape safer, fairer communities. This strategy both supports and is supported by complementary frameworks, ensuring alignment and coherence across priorities. Key policies and strategies are summarised below. These connections are critical to achieving the objectives of the Community Safety Strategy. While this document acknowledges these interdependencies, detailed exploration sits within the respective strategies to maintain clarity of purpose and statutory focus.
The City Council’s Corporate Plan sets out the overarching priorities for Brighton & Hove, including a commitment to creating a safe, healthy, and inclusive city. Community safety and cohesion are embedded within this vision, recognising that reducing crime and anti-social behaviour is fundamental to improving quality of life and supporting economic and social wellbeing. The Corporate Plan emphasises partnership working, prevention, and early intervention-aligning closely with the objectives of this strategy. By integrating community safety into broader goals such as housing, health, and sustainability, the plan ensures that tackling crime and its drivers is part of a holistic approach to building resilient communities.
The Council’s Fair and Inclusive Plan underpins efforts to address inequality and promote equity across all services. This includes tackling disproportionality in the criminal justice system and ensuring that interventions are accessible and culturally competent.
Brighton & Hove City Council’s commitment to becoming an anti-racist city, formalised through its Anti-Racism Strategy 2023–2028, underpins the principles of the Community Safety Strategy by embedding equity and inclusion into all aspects of public safety. The anti-racist strategy focuses on three pillars: community engagement, data-driven accountability, and policy reform, ensuring that the voices and experiences of Black and racially minoritised communities shape decision-making. This aligns directly with the Community Safety Strategy’s objectives to tackle hate incidents, build trust, and create safer neighbourhoods through collaborative approaches with residents and partners.
Brighton & Hove’s work with young people who are engaged in criminal behaviour is part of the council’s Adolescent Service. The Service also provides support and safeguarding tailored to adolescents and those transitioning to adulthood, including multi-agency work to address risk connected with exploitation.
The priorities for the Complex Adolescent Strategy are as follows:
· To continue to embed Contextual Safeguarding practice to best meet the needs of these children;
· Increase participation and the voice of the child; and
· To continue the anti-racist journey and address issues of disproportionality.
This work is overseen by the Adolescent Strategic Management Board
The city’s multi-agency Safeguarding Adults Board works across agencies to raise awareness and promote the welfare of vulnerable adults and enable people to live safe and secure lives.
The Brighton & Hove Safeguarding Children Partnership co-ordinates work by all agencies and individuals to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people.
The A Fairer Brighton & Hove – disadvantage strategy framework 2022-25 lays out how the city can identify, respond to, and support the needs of families at risk of disadvantage, especially those who have been affected by the cost-of-living increase.
The Adult Learning Disability Strategy 2021-26 highlights personal safety, online safety and hate crime as areas for attention in the Relationships, Friendships and Feeling Safe workstream.
The ten-year national Drugs Strategy has the aim of ‘cutting crime and saving lives’ through breaking the supply chain, treatment and recovery and reducing the demand for drugs. The purpose of the Combating Drugs Partnership (CDP) is to bring together local partners including in enforcement, treatment, recovery, and prevention to provide oversight and direction to the development and delivery of a combating drugs strategy and delivery plan for Brighton & Hove. The Strategy has the following priorities:
· Provide safe, supportive, and stigma-free access to treatment and recovery services for people experiencing harms from drugs and or alcohol
· Reduce the supply of illegal drugs into our city
· Help address the primary causes of drug and alcohol use
There is a regional strategic plan on IOM, and national operational guidance for the management of adult offenders to reduce reoffending adhered to locally. This sets out how police, probation, courts, prisons, health, local authorities, and others can support the needs of offenders.
There is a joint police Surrey and Sussex Cyber Crime Unit which focuses on crimes which are enabled or perpetrated using communication technologies and the internet.
Many offenders have needs around mental health, often compounded by alcohol and/or drugs misuse. The Liaison and Diversion Scheme is a scheme whereby people who are arrested or held in custody are assessed for needs around mental health, alcohol, or substance misuse, and can be referred to treatment services.
The Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy 2020-2025 has priorities under the headings of prevention, interventions, and sustainability and is currently being updated.
The licensing of private landlords includes clauses to manage anti-social behaviour.
Sussex Police take the lead on tackling serious and organised crime which impacts across communities and is associated with, for example, drugs, fraud, acquisitive crime, child sexual exploitation and abuse, County Lines, modern slavery and human trafficking. The cost to society of serious and organised crime is estimated at many billions of pounds a year.[29]
The design and management of public spaces play a crucial role in preventing crime and supporting community confidence. The Partnership will strengthen collaboration with planning, regeneration, licensing and environmental services to embed Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) principles in local development and neighbourhood planning. This includes improving lighting, reducing blind spots, enhancing walking routes, and ensuring new developments consider safety from the outset.
Core business of ESFRS is to reduce the risk of and harm from fires in people’s homes and in communities. They work closely with partners, including housing providers, and local communities to provide awareness and education on fire safety in the home and fit smoke alarms where appropriate.
ESFRS works in the context of a mixed and ageing housing stock, an ageing population and vulnerabilities of some residents, overlapping with key populations of interest in the wider community safety context and have a commitment working in partnership around safeguarding. ESFRS have an offer of home safety visits by Safe and Well advisors, which is included in the resilience planning processes for cuckoo victims. As well as potential for target hardening to reduce future risk to the property and therefore the victim, the Safe and Well advisors are trained in identifying a wide range of health and wellbeing needs and can give general advice or refer to a range of partners to help people get the support they need.
Regulatory services and other teams within the local authority, for example, environmental health, may help to address issues such as noise-related anti-social behaviour.
The police and council licensing teams and other responsible authorities under the Licensing Act have a responsibility to ensure the licensed premises operate in such a way that they do not cause public nuisance or compromise public safety.
The council’s long term Local Transport Plan includes goals to create streets and neighbourhoods that are safe and welcoming for people to move around and use socially.
Brighton & Hove City Council’s Planning Department oversees the development of the city’s infrastructure. The City Plan includes crime and safety as one of the considerations in development plans.
As part of its work to maintain a clean city environment, services provided by City Clean include tackling graffiti, removing hazardous waste such as drug litter, and enforcement action around discarded waste.
Our aim: There is less harm caused to individuals and communities in our city due to serious violence, knife crime, organised crime, drugs and exploitation.
· A stronger preventative approach to serious violence and exploitation and a decrease in drug-gang related activity through the better use of all available data.
· Fewer people harmed by serious violence and preventing vulnerable people from becoming involved with organised crime networks.
· A thriving night-time economy free from drug and alcohol-related violence.
· Safeguard vulnerable children and adults who are being exploited and provide a safe pathway out of exploitation or involvement with organised crime networks.
· All parts of the community to be free of the fear of violence, drugs and exploitation, to be able to recognise of all forms of exploitation, drug harm and serious violent crime and to have confidence to report it.
Serious violence, or the threat of violence, can have a significant negative impact on individuals and communities. It can undermine wellbeing and feelings of safety. The fear of violence and drug related crime deters residents and visitors from engaging with the city’s leisure and commercial services, limiting people’s lives and posing further economic costs to the city. Violent crimes with injury incur some of the highest costs on the city, impacting both the individuals and services, such as police and healthcare.
The exploitation of children, young people and vulnerable adults on a criminal, sexual or financial basis is of significant concern both nationally and locally, and has broader impacts on the community through violence, drug supply, acquisitive crime and anti-social behaviour.
There were 292 serious violence crimes recorded in the city in 2024/25, a 4% yearly increase which followed an 18% increase the previous year.
In 2024/25 there were 333 robberies recorded in Brighton & Hove, 8% fewer than the previous year; business / community robberies (52 in 2024/25) continue to increase in the city.
There were 217 knife/sharp instrument crimes in the city in 2024/25; following a steady decrease since 2019/20 (326 crimes), this represented a 90% increase on the 113 recorded the previous year. There were 474 weapons possession offences recorded in 2024/25, 15% more than in the previous year and continuing yearly increases since 2020/21 (328 crimes).
Drug-related deaths in the city continue to be higher than the rate for England; while figures in 2023 and 2024 suggest small numerical decreases, this disparity in per-capita rates continues to grow.
Recorded drug possession and drug trafficking and supply offences continue to increase. This reflects local concerns around public space drug dealing but may in part be attributable to partnership work with accommodation providers in the city to ensure that instances of potential drug possession are reported to police.
In 2024/25, Sussex Police recorded 441 drug trafficking and supply offences in the city, 20% more than the previous year and a long-term peak.
There are many factors which make a person vulnerable to exploitation; people with more than one factor present significantly increases their risk. These include poor mental health, substance misuse, poverty or debt, school exclusion, experience of coercion or abuse, isolation and homelessness.
Cuckooing takes place where criminal networks establish a local base, typically by taking over the homes of vulnerable adults by force or coercion. They then use this premises to deal drugs from and recruit local children and vulnerable adults as drugs runners.
There were 27 modern slavery offences recorded by the police in 2024/25, significantly fewer than in 2023/24 but similar in number to the two previous years.
In 2024/25, 39% of violence with injury offences occurred in a public/open space, with a further 39% taking place in a dwelling and 10% in a hospitality venue. One in four (25%) of all police-recorded violence with injury offences also had a flag for domestic abuse.
The city’s hotspot for violence with injury offences occurring outside of the home is in the city centre, with an elevated number of offences also extending away from the city along main arterial routes. Locations are often closely linked to the night-time economy, with clusters of offences in areas with a high number of licensed premises.
For violence with injury offences that were committed outside of the home, two-thirds (67%) of victims were male; two-thirds (66%) of all victims were recorded as residents of the city. The age group most likely to be victims of injury violence outside the home was 10 to 19 for females and 20 to 29 for males.
Among people attending Accident and Emergency in the city due to assault in 2024/25, 73% were male, while the most common age-group were (for both sexes) between the ages of 20 and 25. Around 65% of A&E assault patients were recorded as residents of the city; 44% of attendances were recorded between 10pm and 4am, indicative of activity in the night-time economy.
Victims of personal robbery were overwhelmingly male (83%), with the rate of victimisation highest amongst the 10-19 age group (2.6 per 1,000 pop), and over twice the rate seen in any subsequent age group.
For drug trafficking and supply crimes recorded in 2024/25, 96% of offenders were males between the ages of 20 and 29. The hotspot for all drug offences was located in the city centre, with a hotspot that is more dispersed and covering a wider city-centre area than seen previously.
When a potential victim of trafficking is identified, a referral is made to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM). In 2024/25, Sussex Police were the first responder for 74 referrals, fewer than the 89 in 2023/24 but similar in number to the two previous years. Brighton & Hove City Council made 25 referrals to the NRM in 2024/25 (4 adults, 21 children), fewer than the 33 in 2023/24 but more than in other years.
In a context of increasing magnitude and complexity and needs across the city and reduced or static resources, it’s important to target partnership efforts on the areas and issues of the highest concern and where services can have the greatest impact. Using data and the pooling of resources and local knowledge, work must be prioritised to deliver better outcomes.
There is further work to be done to understand the role and impact of social media on drug supply and youth violence, both in schools and beyond. Social media also affects perceptions of safety in society at large, and there is scope for better coordinated communications across the partnership to provide reassurance and counter-narratives to potentially inaccurate information, whilst being honest and realistic about the challenges these issues present to the city.
Over the lifetime of the 2023-26 strategy there has been improvements in the capacity of the partnership to identify children and young people at risk of involvement with drugs and serious violence, and to intervene at an earlier stage to prevent greater harm. There is still more than can be done in this area and the upcoming Young Futures Prevention Panels provides an opportunity to target a demographic currently underserved by existing local arrangements, and to bring a broader range of services into the multiagency approach.
The previous delivery plan has also influenced the city’s approach to licensed premises, with the upcoming licensing policy anticipated to impose greater safety obligations on premises, especially with regard to the night-time economy, to reduce potential harm.
Work will continue through the Brighton & Hove Violence Reduction Partnership and Combatting Drugs Partnership to ensure that local interventions are targeted to address exploitation, serious violence and drug harm.
Support work led by the city council focused on prevention including work to reduce inequality, poverty and Multiple Complex Needs.
Children and young people remain a core focus of our partnership work, especially those at risk of violence, exploitation, school exclusion or social isolation. The Partnership will seek to strengthen collaboration with education settings, youth services and safeguarding leads to improve early identification, ensure timely support, and embed trauma‑informed, contextual safeguarding approaches across the system.
We will continue to develop the partnership response to Cuckooing, identifying and supporting vulnerable adults who have experienced exploitation and coercion to criminal activity, such as drug supply (including County Lines).
Developing our use of tools and powers to disrupt perpetrators of exploitation, serious violence and drug-related activity, to safeguard vulnerable people, and prevent victimisation of individuals and communities.
We will continue to develop, promote and embed a contextual approach to safeguarding across internal and external partners (including the local Safeguarding Adults Board and Safeguarding Children Partnership), to prevent both children and adults becoming vulnerable to all forms of exploitation and violence, and provide support and effective routes out to those who may already be involved.
We will work to improve capacity and better reporting across the partnership to identify and support victims of exploitation and ensure consistent reporting under the Modern Slavery Act (2015).
We will continue to use multiagency fora such as the Partnership Tactical Tasking and Coordination Group (PTTCG) and Joint Action Group (JAG) to identify and respond to areas of concern and ensure that the relevant local partners participate in identifying emerging issues and work together to deliver solutions. We will work with partners, including police, licensing and the business community, to address the risks of violence in the night-time economy.
Data gathering across the Violence Reduction Partnership will be developed further, with analysis aimed at improving understanding of needs and potential hotspots of vulnerability, and to better identify and form responses to racial and cultural inequalities across the city. We will seek to improve data collection and analysis in key areas including knife carrying, cuckooing, and sexual exploitation.
We will address the fear of violent crime in the city by further developing communications to the community, highlighting the challenges, promoting successes and encouraging further community involvement in developing and delivering responses.
We will work with local partners to develop our structural response to Urban Street Gangs within the city. We will seek to understand the location specific factors that drive crime and ASB in identified hotspots and use intelligence and engagement from across the partnership to address the risks both to and from the individuals involved and identify and disrupt those that seek to exploit them.
Digital platforms increasingly shape how individuals are targeted, exploited, or harmed. The Partnership will expand its focus on online harms - including online misogyny, image‑based abuse, fraud, extremist content, youth exposure to violence, and the role of social media in escalating conflict or fear. We will strengthen training for professionals, develop partnership protocols with schools, and increase community awareness of online risks and reporting routes.
Delivery will be aligned with the new Crime and Policing Bill. Actions will include:
· Review and update multi-agency safeguarding protocols to meet and deliver on new statutory requirements.
· Train staff on new offences (e.g., child criminal exploitation, coerced internal concealment, cuckooing) and expanded police powers.
· Communicate changes to frontline teams and affected communities.
Delivery will be reviewed and adapted in line with any changes to governance structures resulting from devolution or local government reorganisation. Partnership protocols will be updated to ensure continuity of multi-agency working across new boundaries, and data-sharing agreements will be refreshed to maintain compliance and effectiveness.
Our aim: Work in partnership to tackle domestic abuse, sexual violence and violence against women and girls (VAWG) to reduce the harm to individuals and communities
· Prevention of domestic abuse, sexual violence and VAWG by working in partnership.
· Provide support for survivors/victims.
· Hold perpetrators to account.
Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) continues to a considered a national threat by Police, cross Government departments and by the new national VAWG sector. The government has acknowledged the need to improve how society responds to VAWG and has declared its mission “to halve VAWG in a decade.” Brighton & Hove City Council’s new Preventing and Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence Strategy 2025-2028 [30] and its three-year action plan [31]and the creation of a new oversight board to oversee its delivery has been agreed at Cabinet. The strategy has four priorities, these are:
· Strengthening the coordinated response.
· Prioritising prevention.
· Supporting survivors.
· Building an accountable community and changing perpetrator behaviour.
The strategy was informed by a series of consultation and engagement events with the public, key stakeholders, and victims and survivors of VAWG/DA/SV [32]. A three-year action plan has been established to guide implementation of the strategy [33], with a series of actions for each of the strategic priorities and this provides our framework for preventing and tackling VAWG/DA/SV locally.
Domestic abuse is a prolific crime in the city - 10% of all police recorded crimes in 2024/25 had a domestic abuse crime flag. While all forms of domestic abuse remain under-reported to police, 5,035 domestic abuse crimes and incidents (3,068 crimes and 1,967 incidents) were recorded in 2024/25. This was 1.9% fewer than in the previous year, continuing a decreasing trend since 2019/20. In June 2023, significant changes were made to the way in which domestic abuse crimes and incidents were recorded by police nationwide. This is likely to have contributed to fewer crimes being recorded by the police since then[34].
In 2024/25 there were also 1,289 sexual offences recorded by police – 6.6% greater than in the previous year - of which 460 were rape offences. Sexual offences continue to be associated with the night-time economy, with higher numbers of offences recorded on Friday & Saturday nights, as well as during the week towards the end of schooldays.
The Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) in 2024/25 estimated that 9.1% of women and 6.5% of men across England and Wales had experienced some form of domestic abuse during the year ending March 2025[35]. Using mid-2024 population estimates, in Brighton & Hove this would equate to 11,425 women and 7,668 men in the city who had experienced domestic abuse in the last year. Using the same methodology, it is estimated that 3,766 women and 826 men in the city over 16 had experienced some form of sexual assault in 2024/25.
In 2024/25 there were 2,014 stalking and harassment offences – including the crimes of control/coercive behaviour and threatening communications - recorded in the city.
Violence against Women and Girls is an often under-reported crime type and feedback from partners continues to highlight that fear of not being believed or of not seeing timely, appropriate justice are key barriers to reporting or help seeking. This is an issue for survivors of all genders and more so for those with intersecting protected characteristics.
Of all police recorded domestic abuse offences in 2024/25, 68% of victims were female, while the most common age group for victims was aged between 30 and 39. Seventy-nine percent of recorded perpetrators were male, and 40% of domestic abuse offences had a perpetrator who was an ex-partner of the victim.
For police recorded sexual offences, 78% of victims were female, and the most common age group for victims was between 10 and 19 years. Ninety-five percent of recorded perpetrators were male, and 41% of sexual offences had a perpetrator who was stranger to the victim, 30% were committed by an acquaintance and 10% were committed by an ex-partner. Eighteen percent of sexual offences were flagged as domestic abuse.
The Health Counts survey6 in 2024 found that over one in five respondents (21%) reported that they were very or fairly worried about being sexually assaulted or raped. This was significantly higher for females than males (35% compared with 7%), as well as for respondents from younger age groups; from mixed / multiple ethnic groups, or who described their ethnicity as ‘Other’; who are Trans, non-binary or intersex (TNBI); LGBQ+; disabled; live in temporary / emergency accommodation, as well as respondents who live in the most deprived areas of the city.
Whilst the number of cases discussed at the Brighton & Hove Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC) decreased by 11% to 732 in 2024/25, the rate of cases per population remained significantly higher than the UK average (78 cases per 10,000 adult female population, compared with 48 per 10,000). The proportion of repeat cases has decreased in recent years (38% in 2024/25). For every case discussed at MARAC in 2024/25 there were an average of 1.2 children in the household.
In November 2024, the council published its first Domestic Homicide Review (DHR) since 2016[36]. With the introduction of Domestic Abuse Related Death Reviews (DARDRs) which have superseded DHRs, the Community Safety Partnership are now required to review DA-related deaths by suicide where there has been a history of DA. During 2025, the Community Safety Partnership has commissioned 6 DARDRs. Of these, three are suicide related deaths. This is a significant emerging trend which will inform how we develop our local response to VAWG. It is aligned to the health inequalities associated with the experience of VAWG which is known to impact on mental wellbeing across a life course. DA is now part of the Councils suicide prevention workstream.
Drawing on the successes and lessons learned from the previous VAWG Strategy and the Community Safety Strategy, we have co-produced and agreed a new Preventing and Tackling VAWG/DA/SV Strategy for the city. This process has enabled us to identify four key cross-cutting themes that shape this section of the draft Community Safety Strategy for VAWG and underpin our future actions.
Key Priorities Identified Through Consultation
· Safety in public spaces – We will work with local businesses, licensing authorities, and non-frontline staff to create safer environments throughout the day and night. This includes revising the Licensing Policy, engaging sectors such as hospitality and tattoo parlours, and supporting initiatives that reduce harassment and violence in public spaces and extend our reach by working with the Business Growth Team.
· Mental health support for those affected by VAWG – We will strengthen trauma-informed pathways and ensure survivors have access to timely, culturally sensitive mental health services. This includes closer integration between specialist VAWG services and mainstream provision, alongside multi-agency training to improve identification and referral. We welcome the firm directives and funding for the health sector in the governments Freedom from Violence Abuse Strategy 2025-2028 and planned revision of the NICE Guidelines which support Health to undertake its crucial role in the prevention of VAWG.
· Equalities and Inclusion. We will continue to ensure that all those affected by VAWG are provided with an appriptite response and work to improve the system response via our Community of Practice.
· Effective communications to raise awareness and improve understanding – We will deliver targeted campaigns, PSHE education initiatives, and community engagement activities to challenge harmful attitudes and promote available support. Communications will be clear, consistent, and inclusive, ensuring survivors and partners are informed about changes in statutory duties and local services.
· Encouraging disclosures to the police – We will build trust and confidence in reporting by improving victim support pathways, training officers in trauma-informed practice, and working with community organisations to address barriers to disclosure. This will include updating impact statement procedures and ensuring survivors understand their rights under the Domestic Abuse Act and Crime and Policing Bill provisions.
The updated VAWG Strategy and these priorities have informed the draft actions within the Community Safety Plan. By embedding these themes across all areas of delivery, we ensure that the complex and nuanced nature of VAWG, DA, and SV is fully reflected in both frontline practice and strategic planning.
Our new governance structure and membership under the new VAWG/DA/SV Board will continue to work in partnership with statutory and voluntary sector partners to deliver the aims of the Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy
Continue to share the learning from our recent DHR to improve how Treatment Services identify young people using abusive behaviour in their relationships and train frontline staff to be confident to identify the harm caused by DA.
We will continue to work with partners to improve the VAWG/DA/SV response to those affected by multiple disadvantage including those who have been exploited in cuckooing situations. This will facilitate effective partnership working, make best use of resources, and ensure multi-agency support and response pathways work efficiently
Continue to monitor the local implementation of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 via coordination of the services that provide support in safe accommodation.
We welcome the governments Freedom from Violence and Abuse Strategy and its commitment to a “whole of society “approach and treating VAWG as a national emergency. In addition, its commitment to tackling misogyny, supporting all survivors, and firm stand on making perpetrators accountable and will ensure we align our local response by supporting our partners in Health and Education to achieve its ambition for those service areas
With regard to the Crime and Policing Bill, the provisions on victim support and expanded post-sentence supervision will be incorporated into partnership responses for survivors of domestic and sexual violence. Specific actions will include
o Update victim support pathways and impact statement procedures.
o Provide training on new legal obligations for safeguarding and perpetrator management.
o Ensure communications to survivors and partners reflect changes in statutory duties.
o We will conduct a mapping exercise of all services.
o We will continue to offer multi-agency training to provide staff with appropriate training and resources to identify VAWG and signpost appropriately
o We will continue to work with communities including young people in education to ensure that everyone is provided with awareness raising materials and support if required.
o We will continue to work with local businesses to improve safety in public spaces throughout the day and night including Tattoo Parlours
Work in partnership to prevent VAWG
o We will ensure the learning and recommendations from the DARDRs are shared and implemented by setting up a DARDR Oversight Board with key partners to effect change and monitor progress.
o We will work with the Community Safety Partnership to deliver VAWG/DA/SV awareness via activities and communications aimed at younger people and, where appropriate, incorporate into Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education.
o We will develop our relationship with local businesses and work with the Business Growth Board to disseminate information to support those working locally to access safety and support.
o Continue to work with Licensing to revise the Licensing Policy and, where practicable, to combat sexual harassment
o Continue to work with the pan-Sussex Domestic Abuse Board and Sexual Violence Board on pan-Sussex initiatives
o We will invite Sussex Police to our local training and Community of Practice to ensure a shared understanding of VAWG and local recourses and responses.
o We will continue to enable colocation of VAWG/DA/SV specialists in places where they are more accessible to those that require their services.
o Develop an improved dataset for improved insights to understand local needs and improve service delivery
o We will continue to commission support services for those affected by VAWG across risk levels
o Ensure that high quality trauma-informed service pathways providing coordinated and accessible interventions and support are available.
o Ensure that the voice of survivors/victims of is central to service development
o The Partnership will expand its focus on online harms - including online misogyny, image‑based abuse and the role of social media in escalating conflict or fear. We will strengthen training for professionals, develop partnership protocols with schools, and increase community awareness of online risks and reporting routes.
o Continue to develop the MARAC in line with national best practice
o Continue to work with national and regional partners to develop the Pan Sussex Reciprocal Housing Arrangements
o Continue to support VAWG/DA/SV provider services to work together collaboratively to tackle VAWG/DA/SV and to ensure there are clear routes to safety for all survivors.
o The partnership will ensure that statutory responsibilities for safeguarding and victim support are maintained and strengthened under any new governance arrangements associated with devolution and Local Government Reorganisation. Cross-boundary working groups will be established if required, and oversight mechanisms will be aligned with new regional structures.
Hold perpetrators to account
o Strengthen the criminal and civil justice response to perpetrators and develop sustainable effective interventions and preventative programmes to change perpetrator behaviour.
o We will continue to challenge the attitudes that underpin VAWG /DA/SV via sharing targeted campaigns
o Continue to support and monitor the Sussex Specialist Domestic Abuse Court
o Continue to work with Sussex Police to deliver and review MATAC (Multi Agency Tasking and Coordination)
o We will develop an enhanced response to disrupt perpetrators who are known to MARAC
Our aim: Anti-social behaviour (ASB) is reduced and causes less harm to individuals, businesses and communities, and trust and confidence in the community response by those impacted by ASB is increased
Definition:
Anti-social behaviour is:
(a) conduct that causes, or is likely to cause, harassment, alarm or distress to any person
or
(b) conduct capable of causing nuisance or annoyance to a person in relation to that person’s occupation of residential premises
· Reported anti-social behaviour (ASB) is assessed and responded to appropriately and consistently, making best use of resources.
· Harm caused by ASB to our most vulnerable residents and ASB in vulnerable geographical locations is reduced.
· ASB committed by priority and repeat perpetrators is reduced, making best use of tools and powers available.
· ASB, risk and harm associated with the street community and unauthorised encampments is reduced using supportive interventions and, where necessary, enforcement.
· Youth ASB is identified and addressed at the earliest opportunity using supportive interventions and diversionary activities, and enforcement where necessary.
Successes are communicated to key partners and communities while encouraging and supporting people to report ASB to appropriate services.
ASB causes significant harm to communities and has a negative impact on people’s lives and feelings of wellbeing in their homes and places of work, as well as in public places.
The Community Safety Partnership has a responsibility to do all that it reasonably can to reduce the harm caused by ASB.
In 2024/25 there were 5,365 police recorded ASB incidents in the city, 10% greater than in 2023/24. This continues a steady increase in recorded ASB since 2022/23 but remains lower than the longer-term average, including the peak recorded in 2020/21 associated with the Covid-19 pandemic. Across England and Wales, by comparison, police recorded ASB decreased by around 1%, while the proportion of people reporting having personally experienced or witnessed anti-social behaviour in their local area remained similar[37].
In 2024/25, 44% of police recorded ASB incidents in the city were recorded as ‘rowdy nuisance – inconsiderate’, 22% were ‘rowdy nuisance – neighbour’ related, and 13% as ‘vehicle related nuisance’. In 2024/25 there were 2,342 police recorded criminal damage and arson offences in the city, continuing a gradual decrease since 2019/20. Criminal damage against dwellings increased by 6% while criminal damage against businesses decreased by 4%. The number of reports of ASB received by Brighton & Hove City Council’s Community Safety Casework Team decreased by 22% to 327 incidents in 2024/25, from which 54% were referred to other services and 39% resolved by the team itself. In 2024/25 there were 76 reports to the Community Safety Casework Team of ASB related to the street community, a significant reduction on the number recorded in the previous year (118 reported incidents).
Incidents of ASB recorded by the local authority’s Housing team in 2024/25 increased by 16% to 785 incidents, with verbal abuse, harassment and/or intimidation, domestic violence/abuse and noise the most common complaints.
There were 1,486 recorded instances of fly-tipping recorded by the council’s City Environment Team in 2024/25, similar in number to the previous year.
Of the city’s council housing tenants in 2025, those involved in ASB (as victims and/or perpetrators) are more likely to be living alone, living in a flat, aged under 18, disabled and/or from the LGBTQ+ community.
The most frequent hotspots for police recorded ASB incidents are primarily located in the city centre and include New Road, St. James’s Street, Queens Road, Western Road, and West Street. Data from the Community Safety Casework Team showed that between April 2023 to March 2025, Kemptown and Regency wards have had the greatest number of incidents recorded by the team, followed by Preston Park, Central Hove and Queen’s Park.
The city’s Business Crime Reduction Partnership (BCRP) recorded that more ASB relating to children and young people takes place in the summer months, while aggressive begging and reports of repeated nuisance individuals also affect businesses throughout the year. The BCRP report that in places like fast food areas and queues, there were more reports of ASB escalating into physical violence.
Over the course of the 2023-26 strategy there was a strengthening in partnership working to address ASB and a reduction in blockers to multi-agency working (e.g. GDPR challenges to information sharing). There was also a reduction in silo working with better and more timely sharing of community intelligence across partner (e.g. engagement with schools and businesses). This earlier intelligence and information sharing providing for earlier intervention and preventing the further escalation of complex issues. It also allowed for greater involvement of partner agencies, meaning ASB enforcement wasn’t not solely police led. Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) positive engagement with the community to build trust and confidence.
That said, there is still work to be done to more quickly identify and engage with children involved in ASB. There can also be delayed recognition, so addressing, of the risk and vulnerability among these children. There is also an issue in the delayed consequences for perpetrators, resulting to in greater ASB/deterioration in situations for the community, but this is in partly due to criminal justice processes which are beyond the control of BHCC and partners.
The local authority and police will continue to co-ordinate strategic work to tackle ASB across the city together with our key partners. We will monitor any government communication regarding their crime and disorder priorities and action accordingly.
The ASB, Crime and Policing Act 2014 introduced powers which we will continue to make full use of where appropriate and necessary to do so. We will also use restorative practice and mediation where appropriate to reduce harm and will implement the Home Office guidance that we must “put victims first”.
The monthly Joint Action Group will agree and review Community Safety Partnership operational priorities and ensure that available resources are appropriately deployed in our highest harm areas.
We will ensure that work undertaken to address ASB associated with public place drug use is aligned with the new Drug and Alcohol strategy.
We will align our enforcement activity in relation to those with multiple compound needs with the work of the council’s Multiple Compound Needs programme integration between enforcement activity and the holistic support offer to those with multiple compound needs.
We will support work led by the city council focused on prevention including work to reduce inequality, poverty and compound needs.
Partnership work to address the harm caused by ASB associated with the street community, tented encampments and occupied vehicles will continue, as will work to intervene early in youth ASB and stop the young people involved causing serious harm and becoming prolific offenders.
The Partnership will deepen engagement with hospitality, retail, tourism, transport and other business sectors to improve reporting, strengthen intelligence sharing, and coordinate responses to ASB, violence and hate incidents. We will work with business networks to reduce harm linked to the night‑time economy and ensure staff have clear routes to support and guidance.
We will strengthen our approach to both one-off and persistent ASB incidents by prioritising hotspot areas and proactively managing displacement risks.
The multi-agency ASB Task force will continue its work to address and reduce ASB on Council estates, and BHCC will continue to implement its graffiti reduction strategy, targeting repeat offenders.
We will review learning and recommendations from the ongoing ASB Housing Scrutiny Task and Finish group.
The monthly Hate and ASB Risk Assessment Conference (HASBRAC) will manage the harm caused to victims of ASB and address the behaviour of priority and repeat perpetrators. Perpetrators will be offered supportive interventions to address their behaviour, and enforcement will be used when necessary.
The Community Safety Team will continue to provide advice, guidance and training to a wide range of professionals, for example, social workers, local social housing and supported accommodation providers, on best practice in addressing ASB and reducing harm.
Work with partners, whether from the community, voluntary or statutory sector is central to our effectiveness. This includes keeping in close communication with elected members and residents through Local Action Teams and residents’ and community groups, feeding back successes and building trust and confidence in statutory services.
The Crime and Policing Bill will introduce Respect Orders and enhanced enforcement mechanisms to tackle persistent anti-social behaviour, alongside expanded police powers. Partnership actions will include:
· Train staff and raise community awareness on new Respect Orders and stop-and-search powers.
· Review enforcement protocols and ASB case management processes.
· Inform the public and partners about changes to ASB enforcement.
In response to Devolution and Local Government Reorganisation ASB response teams will work closely with the new regional authorities to ensure both the needs of the city are met and the delivery of consistent standards and approaches. Local intelligence-sharing and operational coordination will be maintained through joint action groups, regardless of changes to administrative boundaries.
Our aim: An increase in reporting and trust and confidence in statutory services response, and a reduction in hate incidents and crimes and the harm they cause to individuals and communities
· Trust and confidence in local services is increased so that individuals and communities feel confident in reporting to and engaging with those services.
· Persons impacted by or concerned about hate incidents understand the definition of hate incidents or crimes, know how to report them and have a range of reporting options.
· Reported hate incidents and crimes are assessed and responded to appropriately and consistently, making best use of resources
· Ensure that the harm caused by hate incidents and crimes to our most vulnerable residents and in identified high impact geographical locations is reduced.
· Hate Incidents and crimes committed by priority and repeat perpetrators are reduced, making best use of tools and powers available.
· Progress is communicated to key partners and communities.
Those harmed by incidents and crimes where people are targeted, for example, of a disability, their ethnicity or race, religion or faith, sexual orientation, sex or gender identity tell us that it has a significant impact on their quality of life, wellbeing and feelings of safety. People harmed by hate crimes are often more emotionally affectedaffected than persons harmed by other types of crime.
Many hate incidents and crimes go unreported due to one or numerous factors including not being confident knowing what a hate incident or crime is, not knowing where or how to report one, a lack of trust in authorities to act or a belief that victim(s) will not see justice. This has been exacerbated by the pressures on community cohesion caused by a number of factors, including concerns around migration and the campaign to fly St. George’s flags from lampposts and other structures in public spaces, the Supreme Court Ruling on the definition of sex and the Israel - Gaza Palestine violence. Rarely in recent history has community cohesion faced as many simultaneous and severe challenges.
Recent feedback from the city’s One Voice Partnership has provided powerful first-hand accounts of these challenges, identifying antisemitism, Islamophobia, transphobia, and misogyny as key issues affecting many residents. Against this backdrop, the city’s equality commitments and its work to become an anti-racism city and the implementation of its associated delivery plan remains a critical component in ensuring the effective delivery of the Community Safety Strategy.
Across most forms of police-recorded hate crime and incident a seasonal pattern can be observed, particularly for hate crimes motivated by race and sexuality during the summer months where public events like Pride take place. For forms of hate crime and incident motivated by disability or religion, this seasonal pattern became less pronounced over 2023/24 and 2024/25.
Offensive graffiti data collated by Brighton & Hove City Council’s City Environment Team showed 116 reported instances of explicitly offensive graffiti in 2024/25 – likely a significant underestimate of its true extent in the city – of which anti-faith, generally offensive imagery, political and racist graffiti were the most common types.
The Community Safety Casework Team received 52 reports of hate incidents in 2024/25, fewer than in 2022/23 (92 reports) and 2023/24 (79 reports). This had been driven by a decrease in recorded incidents relating to hate motivated by race – the most commonly recorded form of hate incident – whilst those motivated by sexual orientation and gender identity have both increased in the first six months of 2025/26.
The hotspots for police recorded hate crimes motivated by both race and sexuality in 2024/25 were in the city-centre, in an area including part of North Laine, the south lanes, as well as Old Steine and part of Kemptown. Repeat locations for hate crimes motivated by religion or belief in 2024/25 were often linked to protest locations in the city.
Analysis of hate crime data in the city highlighted that public/open spaces were the most common location type for hate crimes motivated by race, religion, sexual orientation and gender identity. Hate crime motivated by sexual orientation showed some association with the night-time economy with peaks on Saturday night and Sunday morning and Sunday evening. No clear patterns were seen in racist offences, though peaks in offences were seen around the end of each school day.
Males were recorded as victims in 72% of hate crimes motivated by sexual orientation, 68% of racist offences and 51% of religiously motivated hate crimes[38]. When examining relationships to a victim, 79% of hate crimes were committed by a stranger in those motivated by religion, 75% of racist hate crimes and 74% of gender identity-motivated hate crimes. Disability motivated hate crimes, contrastingly, were more likely than other types of hate crime to be perpetrated by an acquaintance (53%).
The current situation in Israel and Gaza is impacting community cohesion locally and has led to an increase in reported hate incidents. Of police recorded hate crimes motivated by religion or belief in 2024/25, 66% were recorded as anti-Jewish and 20% as Islamophobic. Growing concern over national migration management-alongside the St George’s flag campaign, the Supreme Court ruling on the definition of sex, and the terrorist attack on Israel followed by the conflict in Gaza-is placing significant strain on community cohesion. These tensions are heightening the risk of hate incidents and public disorder, as demonstrated by the terrorist attack at the Manchester Synagogue on 2 October 2025 and, closer to home, the arson attack on Peacehaven Mosque on 4 October. The challenges to cohesion are both substantial and immediate. Despite severe resource constraints, our response must be robust, proportionate to the threat, and grounded in resilience and unity.
Following a move away from With the withdrawal of funding for
Third Party Reporting Centres (as
result of acute budgetary constraints) we have become
more dependent on hate crime reporting to the Police to monitor
both the volume and nature of hate crime and incidents. The higher
threshold at which an incident constitutes a crime means that the
volume of recorded hate crime will always be lower than the volume
of hate incidents occurring. As such there is a consensus that the
loss of Third Party Reporting Centres may well have resulted in an
under reporting, so under appreciation both of the volume and
nature of hate incidents occurring across the city. There is a
specific concern that the fear of hate incidents experienced by
TNBI groups is under reported and insufficiently recognised.
This is a gap in provision that will
need to be addressed if the city is to fully address the issue of
hate crime and incidents[AG1] .
It’s also important to recognise that as a resort or destination city Brighton & Hove attracts significant numbers of visitors from outside of the city, some of whom will perpetrate hate crime or incidents. Crime reporting data suggests that 20-30% of those committing hate crimes motivated by the sexual orientation or race of their victim reside outside of Brighton & Hove, so activity to address these behaviours needs to be outward as well as inward of the city looking.
The local authority and police will continue to co-ordinate strategic work to tackle Hate Crimes and Incidents across the city together with our key partners.
We will increase awareness of what a hate incident or crime is and how and where to report them. BHCC will seek alternative ways of promoting third party reporting.
We will further promote the reporting of hate incidents by promoting a better understanding of what constitutes a hate incident and recognition that an incident doesn’t have to cross the threshold of becoming a crime to be usefully and legitimately reported.
The monthly Joint Action Group will agree and review Community Safety Partnership operational priorities and ensure that available resources are appropriately deployed in our highest harm areas.
The monthly Hate and ASB Risk Assessment Conference (HASBRAC) will manage the harm caused to victims of Hate Incidents and address the behaviour of priority and repeat perpetrators. Perpetrators will be offered supportive interventions to address their behaviour, and enforcement will be used when necessary.
The ASB, Crime and Policing Act 2014 introduced powers which we will continue to make full use of where appropriate and necessary to do so. We will also use restorative practice and mediation where appropriate to reduce harm and will implement the Home Office guidance that we must “put victims first”.
We will continue to monitor relevant intelligence and community tensions given national and internation conflict and coordinate a necessary partnership response.
The Community Cohesion Team will continue to provide advice, guidance and training to a wide range of professionals, for example, social workers, local social housing and supported accommodation providers, on best practice in addressing Hate Incidents, supporting victims and reducing harm, and will continue focused work to strengthen links between diverse communities.
The Partnership will expand its focus on online harms - including online misogyny, image‑based abuse, youth exposure to violence, and the role of social media in escalating conflict or fear. We will strengthen training for professionals, develop partnership protocols with schools, and increase community awareness of online risks and reporting routes.
The Community Safety Partnership will seek to better engage with Businesses to promote inclusion and cohesion by better identifying and challenging hate incidents, especially those perpetrated by non-resident visitors to the city.
Support and deliver the One Voice Partnership ensuring lived experience informs decision-making and shapes responses to challenges such as antisemitism, Islamophobia, transphobia, and misogyny.
Implement the Fair and Inclusive Action Plan, driving better outcomes for key groups, including women and TNBI (Trans, Non-Binary, and Intersex people), through targeted actions and measurable progress.
Deliver the Anti-Racism Strategy and embed anti-racist principles across the city’s policies and practices to strengthen community cohesion and equality.
BHCC will continue to implement its graffiti reduction strategy, prioritising the removal of offensive graffiti.
As part of the anticipated changes to Stop and Search powers under the Crime and Policing Bill, work will be undertaken to deepen understanding and enhance current approaches.
Working with partners, whether from the community, voluntary or statutory sector, including safeguarding agencies, is central to our work. This will include keeping in close communication with elected members, residents and community groups, feeding back successes and building trust and confidence in statutory services.
The Partnership will deepen engagement with hospitality, retail, tourism, transport and other business sectors to improve reporting, strengthen intelligence sharing, and coordinate responses to hate incidents. We will work with business networks to reduce harm linked to the night‑time economy and ensure staff have clear routes to support and guidance.
Above and beyond this BHCC will, with its partners, seek opportunities to actively rebuild cohesion and trust across communities to repair the fractures caused by recent pressures and challenges.
With regard to the Crime and Policing Bill, the strengthened powers to address hate crime and public disorder will be embedded in partnership delivery, ensuring robust response and compliance. Specific actions will include:
· Update hate crime response protocols and reporting mechanisms.
· Train staff on new offences and enforcement powers.
· Communicate changes to community groups and statutory partners.
Hate crime monitoring and response will be embedded within any new governance frameworks related to devolution and Local Government reorganisation, with clear lines of accountability and reporting. Community engagement structures will be reviewed to ensure representation and support for all communities across new boundaries.
Our aim: Individuals, institutions and communities are resilient to all forms of terrorism and extremism; harm is reduced, and people have higher levels of trust and confidence in Prevent
· Terrorisms and extremisms are better understood, and frontline staff, partners and communities are better equipped to challenge them.
· Individuals susceptible to being drawn into terrorism and extremism are identified at an early stage and supported to reduce risk.
· Individuals at risk of re-engaging in terrorism related activities are identified and supported to reduce risks and rehabilitation.
· Key sectors and institutions are better able to manage risks, and work in partnership to reduce permissive spaces, to disrupt radicalising influences (including those who promote it).
· Improved compliance with the Prevent Duty is achieved.
· Community cohesion is supported, and our communities have better resilience to the challenges posed by international, national, and local critical incidents, better manage, and reduce the risk of harm caused to individuals and communities.
Prevent is a statutory duty requiring ‘specified authorities’ ‘to have due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism’. The Channel Duty requires susceptible individuals to be identified early and supported before they become involved in criminal terrorist-related activity.
Terrorism remains one of the most direct and immediate risks to the UK’s national security. Terrorist threat is varied and enduring, becoming more complex in the UK. The terrorism threat level remained at ‘Substantial’ since February 2022, meaning ‘an attack is likely’. Since March 2017, eighteen terrorist incidents have occurred in the UK, including one annually for the last four years. The most recent in October 2025 targeted a synagogue in Manchester, on the holiest days for Jewish communities. Since March 2017, eighteen terrorist incidents have occurred in the UK, one annually in the last four years, the most recent in October 2025 targeting a synagogue in Manchester, on the holiest days for Jewish communities.
Additionally, since 2020, nineteen terrorist plots have been successfully disrupted by the police and security agencies, with over 800 live counter terrorism investigations. Three organisations were proscribed in 2025, alongside an increase in arrests for proscription offenses nationally. Threats from hostile States have increased rapidly.
The threat from Extreme-Right Wing Terrorism is growing and evolving, particularly through the radicalisation of increasingly younger individuals from dangerous online content. The Counter Terrorism Internet Referral Unit received over 11,000 referrals in 2024. Arrests for terrorism offences have increased, with higher number of minors and women. This increase in reflected in Prevent referrals too.
Currently, several macro factors could likely impact, increasing demand, complexities, and likely to drive people into extremism and terrorism: growing multipolarity and intensifying strategic competition between states-and with nonstate actors-for political, military, economic, and technological power; geopolitics (e.g. Russia/ Ukraine war, Israel/ Palestine violence), global uncertainty (cost of living issues, economic downturn, rise of far right in Europe), climate change, migration, instability and conflict with more frequent humanitarian disasters, threats emanating from hostile states, increased communication, and the ever-expanding data environment.
Terrorist attacks not only cause loss of life and economic damage, but they also fuel community tensions, damage public confidence, and community cohesion. International and national incidents impact on inter-community relations locally. ‘Normalisation’ of extremist discourses and an associated reduction in challenges to these narratives is the most damaging impact. Unless the ideologies and the ideologue are challenged and recruitment to these groups stopped, the cycle of violence, criminality, and hate incidents will continue with significant resource implications across partners and significant impact on communities.
All of this combines to paint a picture of a sustained and high tempo threat with significant impact. Effectively tackling terrorism requires a whole society approach.Partnership between communities, statutory, and voluntary services is crucial to counter terrorism and build resilience.
The updated threat picture continues to identify Al-Qaida or Daesh and affiliated ideologies as the primary threat to the UK, extreme-right-wing terrorism drives the remainder of the domestic threat. Threat from self-initiated terrorism (individual/s inspired by groups or causes across various extremist perspectives to carry out attacks) with online pathway remains significant.
Most recent attacks were carried out by self-initiated terrorists, making the threat less predictable and harder to detect. Modern technologies, such as 3D printing, encrypted and alternative communication to evade detection and disruption, and livestreaming attacks were used to expand reach, intensify impact, and advance terrorist ‘agenda’.
Accessing violent, hateful, and terrorist content online can play a significant role in drawing susceptible users into terrorism. Increased risks are noted from accessing online materials, forums and influencers, social media, online and gaming platforms from across the spectrum of extremisms and ideologies. Online forums and communities not only provide an environment where it is possible to consume ideology, but they also provide materials or practical enablers of terrorist activity, create networks of like-minded peers, create an ‘echo-chamber’, and facilitate offline interactions. Individuals may move from being a consumer of online content to disseminating and producing online content and radicalise others. The movement from online activity and spaces to offline activity/ attack planning and harm to public safety may also result.
A growing number of minors use internet to support, plan, or undertake terrorist activities and recruit others, blending different forms of racism, misogyny and homophobia, enabled by the extensive online availability of harmful and extreme content.
In the current threat landscape, explicit affiliation with any specific terrorist organisation, and fixed ideological alignment are diminishing. Adherence by terrorists to specific ideologies is in many cases less structured and coherent than in the past, reflecting in part the wide range of material available online from which individuals or small groups may draw. People may view both extreme right wing and AQ/ Daesh extremist instructional material, along with other elements of online hatred, conspiracy theories, and disinformation. Counter-terrorism efforts increasingly encounter a range of personal and ideological motivations to violence, where a traditional terrorist narrative may only be part of a much more complex picture.
Local threats continue to arise from self-initiated terrorists, extreme right-wing terrorism, online influences, online risks of radicalisation including gaming, and Al-Qaida/ Daesh and affiliated or inspired terrorism. Trends noted above were reflected locally. Extreme right-wing groups/ influencers are likely to continue to exploit the issue of local asylum provision, migration, and LGBTQI issues to promote grievances, increase support, and gain purchase in the city.
The risk of support for proscribed organisation in the international context has been evident with three arrests in the city. The impact of terrorism arrests, investigations, and releases on the city communities need to be managed to ensure continued resilience.
Risk diversification is evident in the narratives and beliefs that may be used to motivate and support terrorist violence, including conspiracy theories, anti-establishment narratives, targeting of political leaders/ public servants, concerns related to misogyny, INCEL, and fascination with violence. The city has a high level of single issues groups, with high level of protest activities that causes community tensions, reinforces certain grievances, and provides exposure to certain narratives. Prevent referrals and cases adopted onto Channel have a susceptibility to being drawn into terrorism.
Conspiracy theories can act as gateways to radicalised thinking and sometimes violence, fostering distrust in democratic institutions and encouraging hostility towards government. People’s relationships with authority, trust and institutions are likely to remain salient in future. The increasing sophistication and scale of disinformation operations presents real challenges for democratic states, increasing the risk of terrorism, inciting violence between groups with pre-existing tensions, and posing longer term risks for public trust.
Prevent has faced significant scrutiny following widely reported failures. The government introduced policy and operational reforms, alongside comprehensive programme reviews, to ensure the UK’s systems for preventing radicalisation are effective and address the full spectrum of threats.
Prevent Learning Reviews[39] (PLR) of two high-profile attacks - the murder of a Member of Parliament in 2021 and Southport attack in 2024 - were undertaken as both the perpetrators had been referred by their schools to Prevent years before the attacks. The PLRs revealed systemic weaknesses in risk assessment and case management, prompting significant reforms to strengthen multi-agency coordination and follow-through.
Inquests into the Forbury Gardens attack and death of Rhianan Rudd[40] identified further national learning. These findings have direct implications for Prevent practice and underscore the need for robust, consistent processes to safeguard individuals and reduce terrorism risk.
1) The assessment of referrals entering the Prevent system and for the adoption of Channel cases.
2) Risk assessment of Prevent susceptibilities and associated terrorism risk for people with multiple and complex needs (such as those presenting mental health issues, unclear or no ideology, neurodivergence).
3) Support for complex needs, safeguarding opportunities, and policy gaps.
Key findings included: premature closure of referrals from Prevent process due to an over-emphasis on either the absence of ideology or mental health difficulties, to the detriment of other risk factors. Improvements needed in mental health care and support outcomes and missed opportunities for onward referrals.
Nationally, reforms to the Prevent programme included a review of Prevent thresholds and case management, the introduction of a Prevent Assessment Framework in September 2024 to provide a more tailored, consistent, and professional-judgement-driven tool for assessing individuals at risk of radicalisation.
The Clinical Consultancy Service was introduced with the aim of improving health outcomes for individuals already subject to Counter Terrorism Policing interventions. ‘Routes To Intervention’ (January 2025) extended Channel support concurrently to those subjected to counter terrorism investigation. A national evaluation of Channel to assess its effectiveness and widening support to include practical mentoring are in place.
In January 2025, Lord David Anderson KC was appointed as the Interim Prevent Commissioner to further examine measures taken to address the failings identified in the PLR, and systems review[41]. His recommendations included improvements in information sharing, engagement, enhanced response to online risks, and increased transparency. He also advised that ‘violence‑fascinated individuals’, displaying high-risk behaviours without clear ideological alignment, should continue to be supported within Prevent, and proposed consideration of embedding Prevent within wider safeguarding and violence reduction structures.
Local efforts to sustain a shared understanding of Prevent with our communities and partners to increase transparency, trust and confidence, and improved communication on Prevent needs to continue.
The role of online disinformation and misinformation in promoting violence was highlighted in the racist, anti-migrant, and anti-Muslim violence that exploited the Southport tragedy. Violence against migrant communities in Ballymena (June 2025) and recent demonstrations outside hotels accommodating asylum seekers (July 2025) similarly exploited ‘protecting White children and women’ tropes by presenting the migrants as a ‘threat’ within the context of ‘othering’. Terrorist and extremist continue to exploit issues related to migration/ asylum-seekers in the UK. Recent terrorist attacks were motivated by anti-migrant narratives (for instance, Worcestershire and Dover attacks). Further risks associated with the exploitation of anti-migrant narratives includes hate incidents/ crimes (for example, spike post Southport), public disorder, violent incidents with protests and counter protests, and community tensions.
Recent arson attack targeting Peacehaven mosque (October 2025) has heightened concerns about Islamophobia, with some suggesting that mainstream visibility of nationalist and extreme right campaigns helped normalise or embolden anti-Muslim behaviour in local contexts.
International and national incidents continue to have local impact. The cumulative impact of the various international (Israel/ Palestine, Kashmir, Syria) and national incidents has given rise to a narrative where communities worry about increased Islamophobia, antisemitism, and anti-migrant views. Following the Hamas attack and the Israel/ Palestine violence, significant increases continue to be reported in both antisemitic and Islamophobic incidents in the UK, significantly impacting communities.
Extremist of various persuasions exploit topical concerns to expand their reach into communities, promote grievances, raise their profile, raise funds, radicalise, and recruit especially within the context of the ‘victimisation narrative’ they boosted.
The divisive narratives and activities require increased engagement with communities to understand concerns, reassure, prevent escalation, and mitigate risks. ‘Reducing permissive environment’, requires partnership approach to limit the potential harm and influence of radicalisers and the impact of extremist narratives and content they use to draw people into terrorism.
Prevent delivery in the city since 2009 has been embedded through strong partnership with our communities. The city is no longer a Prevent priority area and delivery now relies on mainstream budgets. The reduction in resources, combined with wider budgetary pressures across partners presents challenges to sustaining best practice.
The cumulative impact of reduced resources and a sustained rise in demand on public services is stretching partnership capacity to respond to an already complex issue, with client groups increasingly presenting with complex, multiple or compound needs. Factors such as cost-of-living crisis, economic downturn, and increasingly complex client needs, whilst driving demand are also likely to disproportionately impact on minority and disadvantaged communities.
The current landscape of devolution, mayoral elections, and local government reorganisation introduces further uncertainty about resources, the future location of Prevent and Community Safety functions, geographical coverage, both in terms of risk assessment, partnership and community engagement. This uncertainty underscores the need to revisit and redevelop consensus, our shared narrative on Prevent with partners and communities. We will prioritise proactive engagement with stakeholders to reaffirm consensus on Prevent and adapt our strategy to evolving political and organisational contexts, ensuring that delivery remains impactful and inclusive.
We will also invest in community engagement and trust-building to ensure that Prevent remains inclusive, transparent, and resilient in the face of evolving challenges.
Previous delivery has evidenced that success requires:
· Shared consensus on Prevent between partners and communities,
· Strategic commitment to Prevent mission and approach, including anti-racist, transparent practices, and being accountable,
· Regular effective engagement with our communities that has effective reach and depth, engenders partnership and empowerment,
· Continual effort by the council as place makers/ shapers to improve trust and confidence of our staff and communities, and
· Leveraging national learning locally to improve outcomes and impact for individuals and the city.
Our strengths in partnership working, involvement and partnership with communities, threat & risk assessment, and delivery coordination will be further enhanced by implementing national learning, including:
· Improved referral assessment to prevent premature closure.
· Holistic risk assessment considering overlapping and cumulative risks, including those from non-ideological drivers and posed by the individuals.
· Strengthened support pathways for individuals with complex and compound needs to improve outcomes: in mental health, continuity of care, to identified safeguarding and contextual risks. Improved signposting and onward referrals to support following exit from Channel support.
· Strengthened practice, support, and outcome through multi-agency coordination and better integration between Prevent, safeguarding, and criminal justice processes.
· Embedding trauma-informed, safeguarding-led approaches.
· Improved training and guidance to equip professional and communities to recognise and respond to Prevent concerns, including online radicalisation and creating digital resilience.
· Reducing permissive environments through partnership and shared resources.
We will be better equipped to address the evolving threat landscape, reduce harm, and build resilience across our communities.
Prevent delivery will continue to reflect the national changes and align local delivery appropriately to improve effectiveness and impact. Prevent delivery will be aligned with regional and local governance changes, ensuring strong engagement with communities and partners.
We will continue to build on our existing best practice in coordinating Prevent delivery locally, our successful engagement and partnership with diverse communities and partners to improve trust and confidence, and further mainstream Prevent work.
Our annual Prevent action plan remains flexible, and risk based, amended annually in line with the counter terrorism local profile and the Brighton & Hove Prevent Risk Assessment.
Work will continue to support individuals from being drawn into or supporting terrorism, improve partners capacity to understand risk of terrorism and respond to reduce those risks in the city.
We will reinvigorate partnership structures to work with our diverse communities (for example, One Voice Partnership) to create shared understanding on Prevent, deliver trainings, embed changes to Channel, reduce permissive environment, and disrupt radicalising influences.
We will assess the impact of critical incidents on community cohesion and coordinate partnership responses to reduce its impact and reassure communities.
Prevent Strategy supports positive duties of freedom of speech and academic freedom and is promoted within the context of Equality Duty.
The Partnership will expand its focus on online harms - extremist content and the role of social media in escalating conflict or fear. We will strengthen training for professionals, develop partnership protocols with schools, and increase community awareness of online risks and reporting routes.
Prevent delivery has adopted an anti-racist, inclusive, and empowering approach since inception, and we reaffirm this commitment. Prevent is aligned with the council’s commitments to be a City of Sanctuary and the ‘Anti-racism strategy’.
Empowered individuals and communities are at the heart of effective Prevent delivery. We will continue to ensure democratic oversight and scrutiny of the Prevent work. Through improved partnership work and communications of Prevent work and its impact, we will improve trust and confidence amongst partners and communities.
The proposed devolution deal and local government reorganisation present significant opportunities and challenges for community safety in Brighton & Hove. The transfer of powers to a directly elected mayor and the potential redrawing of administrative boundaries will reshape the governance, funding, and delivery landscape for crime reduction, public safety, and partnership working.
· Safeguard the integrity and effectiveness of local community safety delivery during and after governance changes.
· Ensure continuity of statutory duties, partnership working, and service provision across new boundaries.
· Maintain local accountability, representation, and responsiveness to community needs.
Governance Alignment: Existing partnership structures and delivery arrangements will be mapped against proposed new boundaries and governance frameworks. Transitional working groups will be established to oversee the adaptation of protocols, data-sharing agreements, and operational plans. It will be a priority to ensure that Brighton & Hove’s diverse communities are represented in any new regional boards or decision-making bodies.
Service Continuity: Contingency plans will be developed to mitigate risks of service disruption during transition periods. Clear lines of accountability for statutory duties, safeguarding, and enforcement will be maintained throughout, and partnership agreements will be reviewed and updated to reflect new governance arrangements.
Resource Management: A comprehensive resource impact assessment will be conducted to identify risks and opportunities arising from changes in funding, staffing, and service boundaries. The partnership will advocate for sustained investment in prevention, early intervention, and partnership capacity within new regional funding frameworks. Resource allocation and service demand will be monitored through a partnership dashboard, with regular reporting to the Community Safety Partnership Board.
Community Engagement: Changes will be communicated clearly and proactively to residents, businesses, and community groups. Community voices will be actively sought and reflected in new governance structures, and local engagement mechanisms such as Local Action Teams and community forums will be maintained and strengthened.
Policy and Legislative Compliance: All delivery plans and protocols will be reviewed to ensure compliance with new statutory duties arising from the Crime and Policing Bill and other relevant legislation. Training and guidance will be provided to staff and partners on new legal requirements and operational changes.
Monitoring and Review:
· Establish a dedicated oversight group to monitor the impact of devolution and reorganisation on community safety delivery.
· Report progress, risks, and mitigation actions to the Community Safety Partnership Board and regional governance bodies.
· Review and update this strategy section annually, or as required by changes in the governance landscape.
Effective monitoring and evaluation are essential to ensure the successful delivery of the Community Safety Strategy and to support continuous improvement in response to emerging challenges, resource pressures, and governance changes. Our approach to monitoring and evaluation is grounded in the council’s learning framework, supporting our ambition to be a learning partnership that is connected, confident, innovative, inclusive, and psychologically safe.
Connected Monitoring: Progress will be reviewed quarterly by the Community Safety Partnership Board and its sub-groups, ensuring all directorates, services, and partners are aligned and working collaboratively towards shared objectives. Staff at all levels will be empowered to contribute insights, with decisions made as close to the front line as possible.
Confident and Agile Evaluation: We will foster a culture of continuous improvement, where learning from experience-including mistakes-is valued. The annual Strategic Assessment update process will provide a structured opportunity to reflect, adapt, and grow, using feedback from partners, communities, and staff to inform future priorities and delivery. Digital tools and dashboards will be used to support confident decision-making and transparency
Innovation and Creativity: Monitoring will be data-driven and experimental, making space to test new approaches and reflect on what works. We will embrace new technologies and analytical methods to improve efficiency and respond to complexity, ensuring our evaluation processes remain forward-looking and impactful.
Diversity and Inclusion: Evaluation will actively seek input from a diverse range of voices, ensuring our monitoring reflects the experiences and needs of all communities and staff. Engagement mechanisms such as Local Action Teams and community forums will be maintained and strengthened, and feedback will be used to drive inclusive growth and leadership
Health and Psychological Safety: We will maintain a trust-based environment where staff and partners feel safe to share honest feedback and challenge assumptions. Monitoring will include regular partnership health checks, focusing on wellbeing, resilience, and resource capacity, with findings used to support a healthy and sustainable workforce.
Responsive Review: In response to devolution and local government reorganisation, the strategy will be subject to further extensive review, ensuring governance alignment, service continuity, and community engagement remain robust. All delivery areas will regularly review protocols and partnership agreements to ensure compliance with statutory duties, including those arising from the Crime and Policing Bill and other relevant legislation. Training and communications will be updated to reflect new requirements.
A number of recommendations for the new 2026 – 29 Strategy have been identified and are provided below:
Embed the Learning Framework: Ensure the strategy and its delivery reflect the council’s learning principles-being connected, confident, innovative, inclusive, and psychologically safe. This includes empowering staff, valuing learning from mistakes, and fostering creativity and diversity. Practical actions include:
· Encouraging cross-service collaboration and shared learning forums
· Supporting staff to test new approaches and reflect on outcomes
· Promoting psychological safety so staff and partners can challenge assumptions and share honest feedback
Strengthen Resource and Capacity Monitoring: Introduce a partnership dashboard and regular health checks to monitor resources, staffing, and demand. Use this intelligence to inform decision-making and advocate for sustained investment. Address identified gaps in after-school provision, mentoring, and contextual safeguarding.
Enhance Data-Driven Practice: Invest in systems and skills for real-time data sharing and analysis across partners. Use evidence to inform priorities, measure impact, and adapt interventions quickly. Prioritise closing knowledge gaps on knife carrying, cuckooing, sexual exploitation, and under-reporting.
Deepen Community Engagement and Survivor Voice: Maintain and strengthen mechanisms for community feedback and participation, ensuring diverse voices-including those with lived experience-shape strategy and delivery. Innovate new pathways for reporting, particularly for hate incidents and in the night-time economy. Ensure survivor and community voice is central to learning and improvement.
Plan for Governance Change: Develop contingency plans and transitional working groups to ensure service continuity and partnership effectiveness through devolution and local government reorganisation. Map partnership structures, establish transitional groups, and ensure community representation in new governance arrangements.
Ensure Legislative Compliance and System Learning: Regularly review protocols and provide training to ensure compliance with new statutory duties, including those arising from the Crime and Policing Bill, Domestic Abuse Act, and other relevant legislation. Systematically embed learning from safeguarding reviews, DARDRs, and lived experience into practice.
Continuous Improvement: Use quarterly monitoring and annual strategy assessments to drive ongoing learning and improvement, adapting to emerging risks and opportunities. The strategy will be subject to further extensive review in response to devolution and local government reorganisation.
The Crime and Disorder Act 1998 specifies that community safety strategies must be delivered by Community Safety Partnerships. The ‘responsible authorities’ who are required by legislation to participate in our Community Safety Partnership are the local authority, police, probation, health, and fire and rescue services. However, many other partners from the statutory, community/voluntary and business sectors, including the Police and Crime Commissioner are fully involved in the Partnership’s work. Local residents also play a key role.
The Community Safety Partnership Board has overall responsibility for the work of the Partnership, while the individual priority areas within this strategy are supported by multi-agency working groups made up of specialists in the relevant area. In some areas there are also dedicated staff to drive forward the work. The Prevent Board is an extension of the Community Safety Partnership to fulfil statutory requirements through effective co-ordination of activities which meet strategic objectives of the Prevent Strategy and Prevent Duty.
Local Action Teams exist across the city and are an important part of the Partnership. LATs involve residents, local businesses and agencies working together and they provide a key route through which community safety issues for local neighbourhoods are taken forward.
Integrated working with the Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner is being achieved through having regard to each other’s priorities and providing reciprocal support for deliver.
[3] Higher Education Statistical Agency (HESA), Where do HE students study? | HESA
[4] Tourism South East; Economic Impact of Tourism - Brighton and Hove Report 2023
[6] Health Counts is a health and wellbeing survey of Brighton and Hove adult residents conducted around once a decade. There were 16,729 respondents, results were weighted for age, gender and deprivation to account for differences in response rate. The survey was conducted by researchers at the University of Brighton, in collaboration with Brighton & Hove Medical School, NHS Sussex, Healthwatch Brighton & Hove, Brighton & Hove Federation and Brighton & Hove City Council Public Health Intelligence team. It was funded by the Public Health Department at Brighton & Hove City Council.
[7] Office for National Statistics webpage - Gender identity statistics for England and Wales, Census 2021.
[8] Office for National Statistics webpage - Census 2021 output: previously served in the UK Armed Forces.
[9] Projecting Older People Population Information System and Projecting Adult Needs and Service Information.
[11] Department for Education; Child Protection Plan statistics, Explore Education Statistics Service.
[13] NICE web report - Costing report: promoting the quality of life of looked after children and young people - PDF.
[15] Economically active refers to those who are either employed or who are unemployed according to the above definition.
[18] LIFT data is produced using council data on Housing Benefit claimants and DWP data relating to Universal Credit-Council Tax Reduction claimants in the city. These are combined with data on council tax arrears, Housing Benefit overpayments and rent arrears (where BHCC is landlord). This information for each individual household is then calculated against average spend by particular household type. The result is a snapshot of financial vulnerability for each of these households in the city and doesn’t include all low income, benefit recipient households.
[19] The increase seen from 2014/15 onwards was influenced in part by the Sussex Police response to His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabularies inspection program on data integrity, undertaken during 2013/14. This work had an impact on the recording of violent and sexual offences in particular. A subsequent HMIC inspection in 2016 on data recording by Sussex Police found that improvements have been made, while further areas for improvement were identified.
[20] As annual figures were produced by aggregating the four preceding 3-monthly cohorts recorded by the Ministry of Justice, there may be some double-counting of offenders.
[25] ONS webpage - Annual supplementary tables for Crime in England and Wales using the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW).
[27] Home Office Research Paper - The economic and social costs of crime, 2018. Based on costs in 2015/16.
[28] Office for National Statistics (ONS) webpage - Crime in England and Wales. The ONS note that statistics on police recorded sexual offences are not a good indicator of trends over time, due to improvements in recording practices and increased reporting by victims in recent years.
[29] Home Office Research Report, 2013: Understanding organised crime: Estimating the scale and the social and economic costs - PDF.
[30] Brighton & Hove City Council: Preventing and Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence Strategy 2025-2028 - PDF.
[35] Office for National Statistics webpage - Crime Survey for England and Wales supplementary tables, year ending March 2025.
[37] Crime in England and Wales: Appendix tables - Office for National Statistics, March 2025 edition.
[38] Sussex Police currently record victim sex and gender in a combined field, and as a result it is not possible to separate sex from gender identity in understanding hate crime data.
[39] Prevent Learning Reviews are undertaken where a terrorist attack or serious violence offence has been committed by someone with prior involvement in the Prevent programme. The Prevent Learning Review was jointly commissioned by the Home Office and Counter Terrorism Police in the immediate aftermath of the Southport attack. Available from: Prevent learning review: Southport attack - GOV.UK and Prevent learning review: Sir David Amess attack - GOV.UK
[40] Inquest into the deaths from Forbury Gardens terrorist incident reported in April 2024 available at: Judge-led inquests - Courts and Tribunals Judiciary. A ‘Prevention of Future Death’ report published in May 2024 and Rhiannon Rudd inquest reported in June 2025, UK teenager who killed herself was ‘highly affected’ by terrorism arrest, inquest finds | UK security and counter-terrorism | The Guardian
[41] Anderson D. Lessons for Prevent [Internet]. 2025 Jul [cited 2025 Aug 18]. Available from: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/lessons-for-prevent
[AG1]Ive taken this out as I thought one of the issues was that it was not used, so putting reporting centres back in may not help