Serious youth crime in West Sussex villages: Dozens arrested and multiple banning orders issued

Sussex Police launched Operation Precinct in February ‘in response to a rise in youth crime and anti-social behaviour’ in the Barnham and Yapton areas.

The initiative brings together partners including British Transport Police, Southern Rail, local authorities, schools, and businesses such as Tesco and Co-op.

“Since its launch, 14 arrests have been made and a further seven young people have been interviewed by appointment,” a police spokesperson said.

"A total of three people have been charged and nine people will now be dealt with via out-of-court disposals managed by the Youth Offending Team.

“Four Community Protection Warnings (CPWs) have been issued, which gives the offender a set of conditions they must adhere to. If they breach the warning, it can escalate to a Community Protection Notice obtained through the courts.”

The latest police statement comes after a Section 34 dispersal order was authorised on Sunday (March 31) following an ‘incident of disorder’ at Barnham Railway Station on Saturday (March 30) – in which members of the public, including security staff, and officers were assaulted.

A spokesperson said: “Four girls aged 13, 14, 15 and 16, who are not local to the area, were arrested on suspicion of offences including assaulting an emergency worker and possession of cannabis.

"They have all been bailed with conditions to prevent them travelling to Barnham. This investigation is now being progressed by British Transport Police.”

The police said an investigation is also underway into reported thefts from the Co-op store in The Square, Barnham, on Monday (April 1).

Police said they were first contacted by a member of the public around 9.40pm after a video of the incident was posted online.

The spokesperson added: “Officers attended the Co-op to establish what had been stolen and to gather information and evidence, and further enquiries are now ongoing.”

Working in partnership with the Co-op, nine people have been banned from entering the store ‘following reports of stealing’ – with five more people in the process of being banned, police said.

A public meeting will be held alongside local partners at 6pm tonight (Thursday, April 4) at Barnham Community Hall to understand and discuss the concerns facing the local community.

Detective Sergeant Lou Baileff said: “Barnham is a small and tight-knit community and we understand the impact this recent spate of behaviour is having on those who live, work and visit the village.

“We have taken steps to address this behaviour already, using a combination of enforcement and engagement activity, and this work will continue with the support of our partner agencies.

“We are using the full range of policing powers available to us such as Community Protection Warnings and dispersal orders to help prevent crime, and officers carrying out proactive and dedicated patrols to ensure a high visibility presence in the area providing a deterrent to criminals and reassurance to the community.

“In recent days, we have seen a rise of offences related to people travelling into the village from areas elsewhere in Sussex. We are working closely with British Transport Police to manage this and there are rail enforcement officers deployed to Barnham Railway Station six evenings a week to prevent and deter crime.

“I really encourage the public to report anti-social behaviour and any criminal activity to us. We need to know what is happening, where and when. We need to tackle this head on and we will have the resources to do so.”

Anyone with information or relevant footage is asked to not share it online ‘to protect the integrity of the investigation’, but to provide it to police online quoting serial 1171 of 01/04.

Members of the public are also urged to report a crime to police at the earliest opportunity – dial 999 if it’s an emergency or if the crime is taking place at that time, otherwise report online or call 101.