Kieran Mullan, MP for the Bexhill and Battle constituency, recently met with Chief Inspector Simon Yates, the Hastings and Rother District Commander for Sussex Police to discuss issues raised with him by local residents and businesses.
Since being elected, Kieran has been busy meeting with local stakeholders, businesses and residents right across the constituency to hear their concerns and priorities. With regards to crime, shop-lifting, drug dealing and speeding have been the key issues which are regularly raised with him, so these were top of the agenda for the meeting with the District Commander.
Kieran and Simon discussed latest initiatives from Sussex Police to cut down on business crime and bring offenders to justice. They agreed to work collaboratively to help tackle these issues.
Following the meeting Kieran said:
“It was good to meet with Chief Inspector Simon Yates from Sussex Police recently.
“As a former volunteer policeman and someone who has campaigned for an improved criminal justice system that puts victims first, ensuring I work closely with Sussex Police is important to me. My plan is to meet regularly to discuss some of the common concerns I hear about – this time speeding, anti-social behaviour, drug dealing and shoplifting. I want to ensure they know what issues you are raising with me.
“CI Yates and I will be agreeing plans of action that help turn words into actions. This time we agreed a joint focus to encourage retailers to report shoplifting with a commitment to arrest and charge whenever the evidence allows. This should work in conjunction with the newly formed Business Crime Partnership (BCP) for Rother District DISC system (a secure app for information-sharing and reporting business crime and anti-social behaviour) which is about to be launched. We also agreed to identify some further locations for possible Community Speedwatch initiatives. Even the most well-resourced police can’t be everywhere all at once and sadly worrying speeding is widespread. I would encourage anyone who is concerned by this to think about volunteering to help if they want to help make their local roads safer.”
For further information on Community Speedwatch https://sussexsaferroads.gov.uk/safer-speed/community-involvement/community-speedwatch/
In photo: Kieran Mullan MP talking to CI Simon Yates, Sussex Police, Hastings and Rother District Commander