Brighton & Hove Community Safety Partnership, updated 2025
The Community Safety Partnership’s overarching duty is to:
This will serve to improve the quality of life for everyone who lives in, works in or visits the city.
The focus is on:
This strategy lays out the Brighton & Hove Community Safety Partnership’s plans for the 3 year period from 2023 to 2026. It is a requirement of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998.
The city is much better placed to tackle crime and disorder if everyone – local 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, to the council’s Corporate Plan, and to measures in the Public Health Outcomes Framework to name a few examples.
The current national context surrounding community safety is characterised by a multifaceted approach, addressing both traditional and emerging threats. While the ‘Beating Crime Plan continues to guide efforts against serious violence and neighbourhood crime, there's an intensified focus on tackling ‘hidden harms’ like domestic abuse, violence against women and girls and online exploitation.
Key priorities include:
Furthermore, the impact of socioeconomic factors, particularly the cost-of-living crisis, is increasingly recognised as a significant driver of community safety concerns.
This necessitates a collaborative, multi-agency approach, with Community Safety Partnerships playing a crucial role in coordinating local strategies and interventions. The need for data-driven strategies, early intervention, and a focus on vulnerable populations remains paramount in shaping effective community safety initiatives.
People with many different characteristics contribute to the makeup of the local population, and crime and disorder issues impact on people differently. According to 2023 ONS population estimates, there are a total of 279,600 people living in the city, up 0.6% (1,600 people) compared with 2022 and and similar to estimates in 2017 (279,500).
Compared with England and the South East, Brighton & Hove has fewer children and older people, and 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 are 2,500 more females than males in the age group 19 to 25 years old, and 2,900 more females aged 75 or more than males.
For the academic year 2022 to 2023 there was a total of 37,905 students enrolled at the University of Sussex and the University of Brighton, a 1% (205 people) increase from 2021 to 2022.
According to statistics from the Higher Education Statistical Agency (HESA), in England, there has been a 3% increase in the number of students over the same period. In Brighton & Hove, 59% of these students were female and 41% male
The city is a popular tourist destination. According to data from Tourism South East, in 2023 around 10.2 million trips were estimated to have been made to the city by day visitors (up 2% on 2022), with over 5.6 million overnight stays (up 7% on 2022)
One in forty residents aged 16 years old or older (5,618 people, 2.4%) have previously served in the UK armed forces. 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.
According to the 2021 census, Brighton & Hove is continuing be 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% or 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.
Brighton & Hove has the highest proportion of residents identifying as lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB+) in England. More than one in ten residents aged 16 or over (10.6%, 25,375 people) identify with an LGB+ sexual orientation. This is three times the percentage found in both the South East (3.1%) and England (3.1%) and the highest seen in any upper tier local authority in England.
At least 2,341 residents (1.0%) in Brighton & Hove identify with a gender different from their sex identified at birth. This is double the percentage seen in the South East (0.5%) and England (0.5%). The proportion of residents aged 16 and over in Brighton & Hove identifying with a gender different from their sex registered at birth (1.0%) is the highest seen outside of London, Luton, Manchester, and Leicester.
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 (Census 2021).
In 2023, 9,345 residents aged 18 to 64 (4.8%) were estimated to have impaired mobility, increasing to 19.0% of people aged over 65. There were an estimated 5,915 people in the city aged over 18 (2.5%) with a learning difficulty.
Our Mental Health & Wellbeing in Brighton & Hove, 2022 report shows Brighton & Hove 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. In the 2024 Health Counts Survey, 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 as of March 2024, both slightly down from the same time in 2023 but both proportionally higher than the South East and England (Department of Education statistics, Children in Need 2024). 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.
The Index of Multiple Deprivation 2019 ranked Brighton & Hove 131st out of 326 of all local authorities in England, slightly more deprived than the England average. 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.
According to the Brighton & Hove Labour Market Profile, there were an estimated 8,400 unemployed people in the city in the twelve months up to September 2024. This represents 4.8% of all those who were economically active, compared to 3.7% in Great Britain and in 3.5% in the South East.
Data from the Low Income Family Tracker (LIFT) shows that as of November 2024, there were 22,891 low-income households in the city with 8,482 children living in them - an increase of almost 300 more low-income households in the city compared with November 2023. Among these low-income households, 5,738 households, with 3,587 children living in them, were living below the poverty line - 130 more households than at the same time the previous year. In addition, 2,456 households in the city were estimated to have a cash shortfall and 664 were in food poverty.
One in 20 (5.0%) of the city’s 16–17-year-olds (257 young people) were not in education, training or employment (NEET or not known), in the three months ending February 2024, slightly lower than the average for the South East (6.8%) and England (5.4%0 (NEET and participation Local Authority scorecard)
Brighton & Hove had 121,401 homes at the time of the 2021 Census, with an average household size of 2.2 occupants. This compares 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 rent privately. This is significantly higher than both the South East (19%) and England (20%) and is 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 seen in the South East (66%) and England (61%).
The cost of housing in the city remains a problem. The Street Outreach Service found 785 people sleeping rough in 2023 to 2024, down from 927 in 2022 to 2023, but reflective of a longer-term increase in rough sleeping seen over the last five years. The number of people found to be sleeping rough in the 9-month period from April to December 2024 continued to decrease, reflecting 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 2022 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.
There were 29,078 crimes recorded by the police in Brighton & Hove in 2023 to 2024. This is slightly higher than 28,578 in 2022 to 2023 and approaching the long-term peak of 29,393 recorded in 2019 to 2020, pre-Covid.
Historically, recorded crimes had risen steadily from around 21,600 in 2013 to 2014 to around 26,900 in 2018 to 2019.
Figure 1 shows the proportion of different crime groups making up total crime in 2023 to 2024.
Of total crime:
The line graph in Figure 2 shows the long-term trend in total police recorded crime.
From 2013 to 2014, total police recorded crimes increased year by year until 2019 to 2020, a long-term peak. COVID-related restrictions put in place during 2020 to 2021 contributed to an approximately 16% drop in total crimes recorded. Following the removal of restrictions, recorded crimes increased by 11.9% in 2021 to 2022, 3.8% in 2022 to 2023 and 1.7% in 2023 to 2024. 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 propensity to report which vary significantly by crime type.
Prior to 2019 to 2020, ASB incidents had showed a long-term decline since at least 2007 to 2008 - where more than 22,000 incidents had been recorded – down to less than 7,300 in 2019 to 2020.
A sharp increase in incidents took place in 2020 to 2021 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 to 2022 and then to 4,316 in 2022 to 2023, a long-term low.
In 2023 to 2024 there were 4,870 ASB incidents recorded by Sussex Police in the city, 13% greater than in 2022 to 2023. This trend has continued in the first six months of 2024 to 2025.
The increase seen from 2014 to 2015 onwards is influenced by the Sussex Police response to the national HMIC inspection programme on data integrity which was undertaken during 2013 to 2014 aimed at improving police recording practices.
This work had an impact on the recording of violent and sexual offences in particular. From recorded crime data it is therefore difficult to understand the underlying trend in crimes actually taking place with any certainty.
A subsequent HMIC inspection in 2016 on data recording by Sussex Police found that improvements have been made, while further areas for improvement have also been identified.
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 centre 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 atparticular 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 to 2023 in Brighton & Hove, the latest data available.
31% of the adults and 35% of the young people perpetrating crime in this period went on to reoffend in the following 12 months, higher rates than across the South East (23% and 33% respectively) and England & Wales as a whole (26% and 32% respectively).
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.
Measures of alcohol sales and consumption are higher than England, the South East, and also higher than the average of our matched authorities.
Estimates based on modelling from 2016/17 show that, compared with the South East and with England, the proportion of the resident population using opiates or crack cocaine is higher. Information taken from GOV.UK, Opiate and crack cocaine use: prevalence estimates by local area.
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 2023 to 2024, when survey respondents were asked what crimes they felt a high level of worry about:
Women continue to show to worry more than men, as do people from Asian/Asian British or Black/Black British ethnic groups, 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
Locally, the Health Counts 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. Information taken from the Home Office report - The economic and social costs of crime.
Estimated average costs of each crime that takes place include:
Costs are generally higher if they relate to commercial crimes.
There have been a number of national and international developments affecting the landscape in which our work to reduce crime and disorder is set.
Nationally, the Crime in England & Wales report showed that patterns of crime were substantially affected by COVID-19 and associated restrictions.
During periods of national lockdown there were decreases in many types of police recorded crime, but fraud and computer misuse offences increased substantially during that time.
Since restrictions were lifted following the third national lockdown in early 2021, police recorded crime data found that certain offence types were returning to or exceeding the levels seen before the pandemic, for example violence and sexual offences, while theft and robbery remained at a lower level.
National police statistics highlight that between September 2023 and September 2024, there was an increase in:
Injury-violence (-5%) and criminal damage & arson (-7%) crimes had decreased.
Nationally, shoplifting offences rose by 23% compared with the previous year; this is the highest figure seen since current recording practices began in 2003
The Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) highlighted no statistically significant change in major crimes groups in the year ending September 2024, except for the aforementioned increase in fraud, which is above pre-Covid levels nationally.
Financial pressures and hardship have become more acute in 2023, made more difficult by steeply rising living costs arising from the war in Ukraine and other factors. This is compounding the negative impact on mental health experienced during Covid.
Read the Centre for Mental Health's report on Covid-19 and the nation's mental health.
Read the UK Parliament report on the connection between Cost of Living and mental health.
The cost of housing in Brighton & Hove remains an additional pressure, making access to suitable housing for those on lower incomes very difficult. Inadequate housing may contribute to pressures on those at risk of offending.
The financial pressures on statutory services are increasing. Creative ideas which lead to new ways of working effectively, but which cost less or are cost neutral, continue to be needed.
The threat of terrorism remains present nationally. Since 2019 the threat level has fluctuated between ‘substantial’ meaning that an attack is likely and ‘severe’ meaning an attack is highly likely. It was raised to ‘severe’ in November 2021 but was reduced once again to ‘substantial’ in February 2022 and remains at this level a time of writing.
Our plans for the three year period from April 2023 to March 2026 are informed by the Brighton & Hove Strategic Assessment of Crime and Community Safety 2022.
This looks at the crime and community safety picture in the city. It considered the nature and scale of problems, trends, the impact on communities and individuals, and so on. This has informed the setting of our priorities, and the plans for how to progress these.
The work for the 2022 Strategic Assessment has been carried out jointly by officers with lead responsibility for each priority area and analysts in the council’s Public Health Intelligence Team.
The strategic assessment was refreshed over the winter of 2023 to 2024 and identifies the same strategic priority areas as set out below.
The priorities in this strategy focus on areas where working in partnership is fundamental to achieving progress. It prioritises work where added value is achieved by working in partnership.
There are five priority areas in this strategy:
These are chosen to reflect both national and local priorities, and have a particular focus on areas where the impact on victims is high.
Budgets of public organisations have been reducing and budgets remain tight. Difficult decisions need to be made about whether to allocate scarce resources to prevention work or to responding to the impact of crimes and supporting victims after they have occurred.
Without investment in prevention work, there is the risk that significant problems will be stored up for the future.
Partnership resources are currently supporting an experienced and skilled workforce. Withdrawing financial support for the work they carry out risks resulting in a break in continuity of services which will take considerable effort to re-establish.
The impact that we are aiming to achieve through our partnership work is laid out at the beginning of each priority area in this strategy.
Action plans are drawn up for each of our priority areas to lay out specific planned work and to assign responsibility for taking forward. Progress will be monitored through thematic steering groups or forums. The Community Safety Partnership Board will also keep progress under review at a more strategic level.
Individual measures of crime and community safety are rarely able to describe the complete picture of underlying problems and do not allow us to fully understand the effectiveness of our work. Our approach to this is to monitor groups of performance indicators for each priority area which together contribute to the overall picture.
The data also needs to be carefully interpreted to avoid drawing misplaced conclusions.
There are a number of 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.
These partners have their own plans/strategies and may work across wider geographical areas. In some areas of our partnership’s work projects operate in conjunction with Community Safety Partnerships in East and West Sussex.
Mentioned below are some important areas of work which are managed by our partners and not described in detail in this strategy document.
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 Youth Justice Plan was integrated within the Complex Adolescent Strategy 2020 to 2023. The YJB (Youth Justice Board) have now been more prescriptive in the requirements and template for the Youth Justice Plan, which has meant the combination does not work as well.
The Adolescent Strategic Management Board therefore made the decision to have an overarching Complex Adolescent Strategy for 2023 to 2026, with the annual Youth Justice plan sitting below this. The priorities for the Complex Adolescent Strategy are as follows:
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 Safeguarding Children Partnership (BHSCP) 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 to 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 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 CDP is in the process of developing a strategy, elements of which will align with this strategy, in particular relating to breaking the drugs supply chain, safeguarding, and the night-time economy.
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 Police and Court 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.
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, modern slavery and human trafficking. The cost to society of serious and organised crime is estimated at many billions of pounds a year.
Information from taken from the Home Office Research Report 73 (2013), Understanding organised crime: Estimating the scale and the social and economic costs.
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. ESFRS 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 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 is a member of the Sussex Safer Roads Partnership.
The 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 Environmental Services (formerly known as CityClean) include:
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.
We want:
Serious violence, or the threat of violence, can have a significant negative impact on individuals, communities and the city as a whole. It can undermine how safe people feel and their wellbeing.
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 are amongst the offences that incur the highest costs on the city, in terms of their impact on both individuals and services, such as police and healthcare.
Crimes involving exploitation often involve the criminal exploitation of children, young people and vulnerable adults on a physical, sexual or financial basis. This is of significant concern both nationally and locally.
In recognition of the links between drug supply, criminal exploitation, modern slavery and human trafficking, these crime types have been absorbed into a wider exploitation agenda.
In 2023 to 2024 there were 2,907 police recorded violent crimes with injury in the city. This is 5.4% more than in the previous year and was followed by a further 0.8% increase in the six months to September 2024, with a greater peak in offences in July and August 2024. These figures have reached those seen in 2019 to 2020, pre-Covid. Injury violence has strong links with the night-time economy.
There were 281 serious violence crimes recorded in the city in 2023 to 2024, 18% more than the previous year. Recorded serious violence crimes in the first six months of 2024 to 2025 were 3.8% lower than in the same period in 2023 to 2024, but still higher across the late spring and summer months than in 2022 to 2023.
In 2023 to 2024 there were 362 robberies recorded in Brighton & Hove, a 21% increase on the 299 offences recorded the previous year and including double the recorded number of robberies (34) against businesses in the city.
The number of police recorded knife/sharp instrument crimes in the city decreased to 114 in 2023 to 2024 from 154 in 2022 to 2023 and 190 in 2021/22. However, the six months to September 2024 saw 112 further such crimes recorded, compared with 62 in the six months to September 2023. In 2023/24 there were 135 assault-related attendances at A&Es in the city due to stabbing/cutting, 6% more than in 2022 to 2023.
There were 411 weapons possession offences recorded in 2023 to 2024, an 11% increase, and nearing the long-term peak seen in 2019 to 2020. In the first six months to September 2024, 255 offences were recorded, a 32% increase compared with the previous year.
There is a rising trend in drug-related deaths in Brighton & Hove. In 2023 to 2024 the police recorded 366 drug trafficking offences in the city.
There are many factors which make someone vulnerable to exploitation, with more than one factor present increasing the risk. These include poor mental health, substance misuse, poverty or debt, school exclusion, experience of coercion or abuse, isolation and homelessness.
Gangs establish a local base typically by taking over the homes of vulnerable adults by force or coercion, a practice known as cuckooing. They then use the premises to deal drugs from and recruit local children and vulnerable adults as drugs runners. In the month of November 2024 there were 5 cuckooing cases discussed in the city’s Partnership Operation Cuckoo meeting, indicative of a general decrease in the number of properties discussed throughout 2023 to 2024 and 2024 to 2025. There were 50 modern slavery offences recorded by the police in 2023 to 2024, more than double the 24 recorded in 2022 to 2023.
Recorded drug offences have risen sharply, reflecting local concerns of 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.
Violent offences increased in comparison to the previous year, and although 2023 to 2024 saw a reduction in weapon offences, these have risen in the first half of 2024 to 2025. Violence and the possession and use of weapons continues to present a challenge to the city. However, the overall reduction in hospital attendances as a result of violence may be an indicator that the partnership approach to serious violence is having a positive impact on the most harmful incidents.
Over recent years there has been an increase in groups of children and young people that have become associated with urban street gangs and engaged in serious crimes and disorder, often involving the threat or use of knives and other weapons. Local intelligence suggests that some of these young people may be being criminally exploited and are associated with drug dealing and organised shoplifting/theft within the city.
There is an increasing awareness among partnership services and their equivalents in East and West Sussex, of the cross-county border nature of youth crime and exploitation. Children and young people are known to be travelling across the region, and engaging in a range of activities, including ASB and shoplifting, as well as drug supply.
Work will continue within the Brighton & Hove Violence Reduction Partnership executive and subgroups to ensure that local interventions are targeted to address exploitation, serious violence and drug harm.
We will work within the Brighton & Hove and Sussex Violence Reduction Partnerships to develop our response to the Serious Violence Duty, ensure compliance and embed the duty within existing governance structures.
Operation Cuckoo will continue to develop responses to vulnerable adults who have experienced exploitation and coercion to criminal activity, such a drug supply (including County Lines).
Using ASB tools and powers, Brighton & Hove City Council will seek to disrupt perpetrators of exploitation, serious violence and drug-related activity, safeguard vulnerable people, and prevent victimisation of individuals and communities.
Brighton & Hove City Council 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. To this end, in the absence of specialist services, we will continue to work with services across the city to enhance the support on offer to victims of exploitation, modern slavery and human trafficking.
We will work within local partnerships to further our understanding of the additional vulnerability to exploitation of those with Multiple Complex Needs and develop approaches that are better able meet these needs.
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.
Brighton & Hove City Council 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 the emergence of 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.
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.
We want to:
Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) continues to a considered a national threat by Police, cross Government departments and by the 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 to 2028 and three-year action plan and the creation of a new oversight board to oversee its delivery has been agreed at Cabinet. The strategy has four priorities, these are:
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.
A three-year action plan has been established to guide implementation of the strategy, 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 - 11% of all police recorded crime in 2023 to 2024 had a domestic abuse flag. Whilst domestic abuse remains an under-reported crime, and many offences will never be reported to the police, Sussex Police recorded 5,130 domestic abuse crimes and incidents in Brighton & Hove in 2023 to 2024, 0.7% less than in 2022 to 2023. There were a further 2,700 crimes and incidents recorded in the first six months of 2024 to 2025, 2.1% more than at the same time the previous year.
In June 2023 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, where multiple offences were previously recorded.
The Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) attempts to more accurately quantify the proportion of people nationally who have experienced domestic or sexual abuse. Results of the CSEW in 2023 to 2024 suggest that 3.0% of all men and 6.6% of all women aged over 16 nationally experienced some form of domestic abuse in 2023 to 2024. Using 2023 ONS mid-year population estimates, this would equate to 8,077 women and 3,492 men being victims of domestic abuse in Brighton & Hove in the last year. In addition, it is estimated that 4,174 women and 929 men aged over 16 in Brighton & Hove were a victim of any sexual assault in the last year.
There were 1,209 police recorded sexual offences in the city, 4.1% less than the previous year. This includes 469 rape or attempted rape offences, 7.3% more than the 437 offences in 2022/23. In the first six months of 2024 to 2025, 643 sexual offences were recorded, a 5.1% increase compared with the previous year. Rape or attempted rape offences however decreased by 14% in the same period.
The numbers of individuals presenting at support services continue to increase. The number of cases discussed at the Brighton & Hove Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC) rose by 2.6% to 825 cases discussed in 2023 to 2024. The first six months of 2024 to 2025 did, conversely, see an 11% reduction on the same period in 2023 to 2024. This represents 68 cases per 10,000 adult female population, significantly higher than the national average. Compared with national rates, disabled, LGBT, and Black and Racially Minoritised survivors are overrepresented in Brighton & Hove MARAC data.
Feedback from partners continues to highlight the fear many survivors of VAWG have of either not being believed or of not seeing appropriate justice being key barriers reporting or help seeking. This is an issue for survivors of all genders and more so for those with intersecting protected characteristics.
The level of VAWG continues to rise nationally and this is reflected in local data.
Locally, the trend for high risk repeat referrals to MARAC has continued to follow the trend seen in 2023 to 2024, with a continued reduction in repeat cases. However, the volume of referrals to MARAC has continued to rise. This highlights there is an ongoing need to address domestic abuse and all forms of VAWG at an earlier stage than high risk. Therefore, prioritising prevent is a key aim of the new VAWG/DA/SV strategy.
In November 2024, the council published its first Domestic Homicide Review (DHR) since 2016. 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. Since July 2024, BHCC have received three notifications for DARDRs.
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Our aim
An increase in reporting and trust and confidence in statutory services, and a reduction in hate incidents and crimes, and the harm caused to individuals and communities
We want to make sure that:
Those harmed by incidents and crimes where people are targeted because of a disability, their ethnicity or race, religion or faith, sexual orientation or transgender identity tell us that it has a significant effect on their quality of life, wellbeing and feelings of safety.
People harmed by hate crimes are often more emotionally impacted than persons harmed by other types of crime.
It is acknowledged that many hate incidents and crimes go unreported. Reasons for not reporting include not knowing what a hate incident or crime is, not knowing where are how to report, a lack of trust in statutory authorities and a belief that nothing will be done.
In Brighton & Hove in 2023 to 2024, Sussex Police recorded 606 racist hate crimes and incidents (down 6%), 305 hate incidents and crimes motivated by perceived sexuality (down 8%), 68 motivated by disability (down 21%), and 90 motivated by gender identity (up 8%).
There were 119 religiously motivated hate crimes and incidents in the city in 2023 to 2024, nearly twice as many as in the previous year. This included a substantial increase in recorded cases in the months of October and November 2023 following the beginning of the Israel/Palestine conflict on 7 October 2023. Whilst the number of cases recorded have reduced since, they remain higher than before the beginning of the conflict.
Compared with other years, 2023 to 2024 showed a less pronounced seasonal pattern in the number of hate crimes and incidents recorded across motivating factors like race and sexuality, where public events and increased time outdoors in the summer months would otherwise influence prevalence. In the first six months of 2024 to 2025 all forms of hate crimes and incidents excluding disability saw substantial increases (19% or more) compared with the same period in 2023 to 2024.
Despite the relative decreases in 2023 to 2024 across some hate crime and incident types, there has been a longer-term increase in recorded crimes and incidents motivated by race, sexuality and gender identity. The sharpest increases in hate crime were seen across the city between 2013 to 2014 and 2016 to 2017, coinciding with general improvements made to the recording of crimes by police.
It also remains important to remember only a portion of all hate incidents and crimes that happen are ever reported to the police; the Crime Survey for England & Wales found that in the three years ending March 2020, only 47% of hate incidents (all types combined) came to the attention of the police.
Offensive graffiti data collated by Brighton & Hove City Council’s City Environment Team showed 100 reported instances of explicitly offensive graffiti in 2023 to 2024, and a further 56 instances between April and September 2024. There was a notable increase in the first six months of 2024 to 2025 in faith or religiously based offensive graffiti.
The Community Safety Casework Team received 79 reports of hate incidents in 2023 to 2024 - somewhat fewer than the 92 recorded by the team in the previous year – and a further 36 in the first six months of 2024 to 2025, considerably fewer than by the same time in 2023 to 2024. Whilst low in overall number, the service has continued to see an increase in the number of incidents motivated by gender identity in the last two years.
Both nationally and locally there has been a considerable increase in the number of Police recorded hate crimes motivated by gender identity in recent years. In England and Wales there has been an 88% increase in police recorded transgender hate crimes between 2019 to 2020 and 2023 to 2024, whilst Brighton and Hove has experienced a 97% increase in hate crime motivated by gender identity in the same time period (77 offences in 2023 to 2024 compared with 39 in 2019/20).
The current situation in Israel and Gaza is impacting community cohesion locally and has led to an increase in reported Hate Incidents, though many of these reports are anecdotal. The increasing divergence between ‘official’ number of reports and community intelligence is said to be undermining confidence in statutory agencies.
Continued divisive narratives, especially online, is impacting community cohesion and increasing the risk of associated Hate Incidents and disorder, as witnessed in the aftermath of the attacks in Southport in July 2024. We received reports of Hate Incidents in the city which those persons reporting believed to be because of or influenced by the reported national civic unrest linked to anti-migrant protests.
The previous UK Government abandoned its pledge to ban conversion therapy practices. In July 2024, the current UK Government announced its commitment to publishing a draft Bill to ban conversion therapy
Parents reported that local negative focus and misinformation during the consultation on the Trans Incluson Schools Toolkit negatively impacted on their young TNBI people and their own families, as well as local support groups such as AllSorts and Trans Pride.
Since the last strategic assessment BHCC funding for three third party reporting centres has been removed due to the local authority having to find considerable budget savings.
BHCC Housing recently consulted on and reviewed their Hate Incidents Policy,
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.
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 new Community Cohesion Team will 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.
BHCC will continue to implement its graffiti reduction strategy, prioritising the removal of offensive graffiti.
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.
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
We want to make sure that:
Prevent is a statutory duty and requires ‘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. In a step change in terrorist threat, five terrorist incidents took place in the UK in 2017, and the terrorism threat level was twice raised to ‘Critical’, meaning an attack is imminent. Since 2017, twelve further terrorist incidents have occurred, three of those in 2020, two in 2021, and one annually in the last three years.
Additionally, forty-three terrorist plots have been successfully disrupted by the police and security agencies in the UK since March 2017 (twenty international terrorism plots, thirteen extreme right-wing plots, two left, anarchist or single-issue terrorism plots, some targeted public figures, events, and iconic sites, some trying to acquire firearms and explosives).
Two organisations were proscribed in the UK in 2024:
‘Hizb-ut-Tahrir’ was proscribed following an assessment that it was concerned in terrorism (reportedly glorified Hamas attack in Israel).
The threat from Extreme-Right Wing Terrorism is growing and evolving, particularly through the radicalisation of increasingly younger individuals from dangerous online content. In response, the ‘Terrorgram collective’ was the first online transnational extreme-right network to be proscribed. ‘Terrorgram collective’ produced and disseminated violent propaganda and instructional material with the aim of radicalising readers and encouraging individuals to commit acts of terrorism.
The number of terrorism arrests has increased, with higher number of arrests for minors and women than previous years. The threat level was increased following the two terrorist incidents occurring in the UK within a month in 2021 and has remained at ‘Substantial’ – meaning ‘an attack is likely’ since February 2022. Northern Ireland related terrorism remains a serious threat, particularly in Northern Ireland itself.
Currently, several macro factors could likely impact, increasing demand, complexities, and likely to drive people into extremism and terrorism: 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, threats emanating from hostile states, increased communication, and the ever-expanding data environment.
The five terrorist attacks which took place across the UK in 2017 are estimated to have cost up to £172 million in direct costs. Separate analysis by RAND Europe estimates potential indirect impacts on GDP of up to £3.4 billion in the year of the 2017 attacks.
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. The most damaging impact is seen in ‘normalisation’ of these discourses and an associated reduction in challenges/ oppositional voices. 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. It takes a whole society approach to effectively tackle terrorism. Partnership between communities, statutory, and voluntary services is crucial in countering terrorism and building resilience.
The updated threat and risk 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 who may be inspired by the rhetoric of groups or causes across all extremist perspectives to carry out attacks) with online pathway remains significant.
Since 2017, most attacks in the UK were carried by self-initiated terrorists, making the terrorist threat less predictable, harder to detect, and investigate. In some incidents, modern technologies, such as 3D printing, evading detection and disruption through use of encryption and alternative communication methods are exploited, and attacks livestreamed to increase its impact, and advance their ‘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 to their causes. Potential young extremists have adopted a pick-and-mix approach to extremism, blending different forms of racism, misogyny and homophobia, gaining access to a wide variety of harmful and extreme content that would have previously been inaccessible.
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. In 2024, two of the previous failed terrorist plots saw successful prosecution, and increase in sentence, respectively. 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 was noted.
We now need to manage a diverse spread of 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. 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. They pose potential threat by engendering distrust in their audiences and encourage violence towards the government when establishments themselves are increasingly the focus of conspiracies. This hostility towards the government (policies, officials, and institutions) can in some instances translate into violence.
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.
The government review to ensure that the UK’s strategies and systems to prevent radicalisation are functioning effectively and address the full range of threats, identified initial actions to ‘strengthen Prevent’ programme. This includes reviewing Prevent thresholds, Prevent referrals, referrals of people with neurodivergence, and expand the range of interventions under ‘Channel’. An ‘Independent Prevent Commissioner’ will review the programme’s effectiveness, its quality, and identify gaps to improve performance and standards.
Due to increase in minors investigated for terrorism offences, ‘Youth Diversion Orders’ will be introduced. This risk management tool is to be sought through the court to intervene early and can impose proportionate and necessary conditions, such as, engagement with Prevent interventions or restrictions on online activity. ‘Routes To Intervention’, a new national project, starting on 27 January 2025 will extend the support from Channel to those eligible recipients who are also the subject of an overt counter terrorism investigation concurrently.
Recent national learning has arisen from two individuals who were repeatedly referred to Prevent, and these referrals were closed, one of whom was then involved in a terrorist attack (Forbury Gardens, Reading, June 2020), and the other in serious violence (Southport incident, July 2024) respectively.
The learning from these cases relates to key decision points within the Prevent pathway and has direct implications for Prevent practice in terms of the assessment of:
In each instance, it was found that there was premature exit from Prevent process due to assessments that over-emphasised mental health difficulties, and absence of ideology respectively, to the detriment of other susceptibilities, not assessing the entirety of risk picture, and cumulative risks, including risks posed by the individuals.
An Interim Prevent Commissioner was appointed on 21 January 2025 to conduct a thorough review of the Prevent history in the case of Southport perpetrator to identify what changes are needed to make sure serious cases are not missed, particularly where there is unclear ideology.
The Independent Review of Prevent recommended increased transparency, trust, and confidence in Prevent. The National ‘Standards and Compliance Unit’, an independent non-statutory body, was launched in February 2024 to enable accessible route for people to complaint online or raise concerns about Prevent delivery. 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.
International and national incidents continue to have local impact. The cumulative impact of the various international (Israel/ Palestine, Kashmir, Syria) and national incidents have given rise to a narrative where communities worry about increased Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, and anti-migrant views.
Following the Hamas attack and the Israel/ Palestine violence, significant increases continue to be reported in both anti-Semitic and Islamophobic incidents in the UK, significantly impacting communities. Different extremist groups continue to exploit Israel/ Palestine violence to amplify grievances and this may increase exposure to narratives that can be used to radcalise.
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 example, the Worcestershire attack in a hotel that previously accommodated asylum seekers, 2024, and Dover migrant processing centre, 2022).
Violent disorder was seen in parts of the UK in summer 2024 as extremist actors exploited the Southport tragedy through ‘online’ ‘disinformation’ about the identity of the perpetrator to promote anti-migrant and anti-Muslim sentiments, threatening and encouraging ‘direct/ violent action’. The extreme-right actors exploited the issues to promote their core conspiracy of ‘Great Replacement’, distrust in establishment, and social grievance narratives mobilising ‘freedom of speech’, and ‘White victimisation’.
The purposive inaccurate framing of immigration as entirely ‘Muslim’, and ‘immigrants/ Muslim’ as a ‘threat’’ is a long-standing tactic of ‘cultural nationalism’ strand of extreme-right.
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. Israel/ Palestine violence has significantly re-energised AQ/ Daesh propaganda, strategic communications and campaigns, including calls to violence. Extreme-right has also used the Israel/ Palestine violence for their goals. Further risks associated with the exploitation of anti-migrant narratives includes hate incidents/ crimes (e.g. spike post violent disorder), public disorder, violent incidents with protests and counter protests, and community tensions. The anti-asylum activities are often used as bridge to ‘normies’ or people who would stand apart from the overtly racial activities of the extreme-right and further enables creation of localised support base.
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 work has been delivered in the city since 2009 in partnership with our communities. The city was identified as a Prevent priority area and supported by the Home Office with dedicated posts and projects to mitigate strategic risks from April 2015 until March 2022. The city is no longer a Prevent priority area and Prevent delivery is funded from mainstream budget. Reduction in resources and budgetary pressures across partners presents challenges to sustain best practice.
We will continue to build on our existing best practice in coordinating and delivering Prevent locally, our successful engagement and partnership with diverse communities and partners to improve confidence, and mainstream Prevent work. Our annual Prevent action plan is responsive to emerging risks and trends and our delivery will be flexible, and risk based. The action plan will be amended annually in line with the strategic risks outlined in the counter terrorism local profile and the Brighton & Hove Prevent Risk Assessment.
The Prevent landscape has been changing rapidly in the last couple of years, with much national learning, and planned Prevent programme reviews. We will continue to reflect the national changes and align local delivery appropriately. We will continue to learn from the national best practice and focus on improving effectiveness and impact of Prevent delivery.
Work to re-energise structures to engage and work in partnership with our diverse communities to create shared understanding on Prevent through effective dialogue, deliver the new trainings, embed Channel Changes, work to reduce permissive environment, and disruption of radicalising influences will continue to be focused on.
The Prevent Strategy and Prevent Duty support other existing freedoms and rights and are promoted within the context of Equality Duty. The positive duties of freedom of speech and academic freedom in the educational sector are upheld and positively supported by the Prevent Duty.
Since inception, local Prevent delivery has adopted an anti-racist approach and the Prevent Action Plan continues to be guided by the principles of proportionality, flexibility, and inclusivity. Empowered individuals and communities are at the heart of effective Prevent delivery. Prevent delivery reaffirms its commitment to anti-racist and empowering approach to sustain trust of our communities. 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 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:
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 (LAT) exist across the city and these 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. LATs meet together via the LAT Forum where issues of common concern can be discussed and ideas shared.
The Community Safety Partnership links with the democratic process through the Tourism, Equalities, Communities and Culture Committee. 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 delivery.