Street light dimming will increase crime

Further to the correspondence in last week’s Observer about street lighting and the exercise being undertaken by the town council’s Services Committee, I do not know if Cllr Mrs Kiloh would consider it “evidence based” but Juliet Gardner, a social historian, in her report about London in the Blitz, 1939-1945 War, found that crime in London increased by 57 per cent during the blackout.

Furthermore the senior police officer at the town’s annual assembly made an emphatic statement that it was the view of the police force that street lighting deterred burglars.

I suggest the costs already identified by the committee of altering the timing of street lights might be better spent, in exploring with East Sussex County Council, bringing the lighting standards of Battle roads up to county council standards on the basis that the county council take over responsibility for them – unless of course the county council also have plans to plunge areas into darkness!

J E Goldsworthy

Glengorse, Battle