Littlehampton 'doesn't feel safe' amid heightened crime and anti-social behaviour in town centre

This newspaper has been told that people are fearful to walk down the streets, even during the day.

It has been claimed the problem has worsened since the Covid pandemic and there is no deterrent with no obvious police presence or wardens readily available to deal with incidents.

One anonymous social media report read: “I got attacked outside Lidl supermarket Littlehampton by a group of teenagers. One of them hit me with a stick in the stomach for no reason at all. When I challenged him why he hit me he just walked off laughing then his friends started mouthing off at me."

Another added: “I don't feel comfortable walking through the town once the shops have shut, but not always just youngsters."

Inspector Ross Wickings, of the Arun and Chichester Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “We are aware of concerns in relation to crime and anti-social behaviour in Littlehampton, and we recognise the impact this can have on local residents and businesses.

“Working with partners including retailers, schools, local authorities, youth groups and the community, our ultimate aim is to ensure the public are safe – and feel safe.”

Arun District Council added that its community safety team is ‘aware of reports’ of anti-social behaviour in Littlehampton town centre and is working with partners and relevant agencies to ‘address these issues’.

A spokesperson added: “We encourage people to report all incidents of anti-social behaviour that they witness either to Sussex Police or to our ASB team via [email protected] so that appropriate investigations and action can be taken.”

Former retail security guard Stephen Kent, who has lived in Littlehampton for around 20 years, said the problem has ‘definitely got a lot worse’ – ‘especially through and since Covid’.

He added: "I work in security industry after my wife said to me, at 57, I want you to stop retail.

"I don't want you tumbling down stairs with thieves anymore. That's what it was like. The situation of shoplifting was getting really bad.

“I'm ex-forces and this was before security officers really did have their hands tied. Now all they can do is stand there.

"It's the same as PCSOs. They have no power. You might get the odd officer walk through Littlehampton town on the rare occasion. When I was there first, they used to have a dedicated copper and we would always see them. He was there all the time.

“They have business wardens who cover a wide range of areas, all over West Sussex, not just Littlehampton. There is no one dedicated in Littlehampton to be there all the time, to respond. We had several officers in different shops before and we could back each other up.

“We were tackling people in the street. We had such a success rate that shoplifting dropped in the town as a whole. We drove them out.

“We need to have dedicated people back, who will be recognised all the time, recorded on radios and monitored by the police.”

Dominic Meakins, a local businessman and father, said street drinking and anti-social behaviour in the town is ‘intimidating’, adding: “It doesn't feel safe. My family live here and my children have to go through town to go to places and it doesn't feel safe for them to do so.

"The authorities actually have a duty of care to people like us who want to use the high street. We can't, because we feel we can't, certainly not at night."What we're seeing is, of course, businesses leaving the high street. Shoplifting is becoming more prevalent amongst the businesses. We need businesses on the high street to attract people.

"I don't feel my 18-year-old daughter is safe when she gets a bus into town. It's a shame because it's a good town. I live here and I want it to be better.

"We've got great facilities. The beach is amazing. We've got lots of investment there. It’s just these little things that make it unsavoury, unfortunately.”

Another local ‘born and bred’ Littlehampton resident – who asked to remain anonymous – said ‘everybody is sick’ of anti-social behaviour and criminal activity.

"I spent three hours down in town and couldn’t believe what I witnessed,” he said.

"As a good father and caring member of the community, I’m naturally worried for the safety of my son and everyone else’s sons and daughters. Somebody is going to snap one day and do something about it themselves if the police don’t.”

Inspector Wickings explained how the police will attempt to tackle the issues.

“Our local neighbourhood policing team, based at Littlehampton Police Station, is made up of a number of police officers and PCSOs who routinely engage with the community and respond to incidents, supported by their divisional response colleagues,” he said.

"In addition to this, we will soon be launching Operation Sonar – an initiative dedicated to understanding the challenges faced by the local community, working with them and partners to find sustainable and long-term solutions.

“We are also involved in the Littlehampton Town Centre Action Group, which seeks to support the local community and address some of the challenges faced by them.

“While Littlehampton is a predominantly safe place to live, work and visit, we are under no illusions that crime and disorder does happen on occasions, and we continue to work together to address these issues.

“This includes utilising policing powers such as dispersal orders, carrying out routine patrols of the town and ‘hotspot’ areas, and taking robust action against offenders.”

The inspector said officers ‘work closely’ with retailers to address offences such as shoplifting and burglary, and Sussex Police continues to be ‘the only force in the country’ to use the One Touch Reporting system – which enables businesses to use existing software to ‘efficiently record a crime and alert police’.

He added: “We urge the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to us. You can report it online or via 101, or in an emergency, dial 999.”

More on this to follow.