'The silence is deafening'- Sussex Police come under fire after spate of anti-social behaviour in Bognor Regis

“The silence has been deafening,” was the damning assessment made by Julian Lindsell, director of the Royal Garden Hotel, following an attempted break-in on April 16.

Julian Lindsell, who has run the assisted-living facility since 1991, said he reported the break-in to the police soon after it took place. Despite convincing CCTV footage which clearly showed a number of individuals kicking and throwing stones at the Princess Avenue care home’s front door, Mr Lindsell said he has not heard back.

"We rang 101 at the time, and then followed it up a few days later once we had more details. And then I reached out on Friday to tell them I put our CCTV footage out on social media. It came back with four or five names repeatedly, and I asked if they were interested. The silence has been deafening.’

"We’ve had a really hard couple of years. We’ve been looking after patients, and we’ve had three or four outbreaks over the years, some of which have included deaths and that’s just horrific. So, when vandals like this want to cause damage for its own sake, you want to start asking questions.”

Sussex Police has been contacted for comment.

The attempted break-in was just one part of a spate of anti-social behaviour which took place throughout Bognor Regis and North Bersted.

Writing in a Facebook post, the Bognor Regis Sailing Cub described the ‘mindless vandalism’ its facilities suffered at the hands of ‘four youngsters who were out past their bedtime’ over the same weekend.

Similar incidents have been reported in North Bersted. Vandals smashed a window at Royals Fish and Chips on April 14 and, on the same night, attempted to break into Town Flowers, on Chichester Road.

Debbie Langley, a staff member at Royals Fish and Chips, said the violence has had a profound effect on struggling local businesses.

"We’re just going to have to pay for it,” she said. “If we claim on insurance, our premium will go up,” she said.

"When you consider that the fish prices are sky-high at the moment, and the cost of everything is going up, we’ve enough to deal with on its own, without all this.”

Although they have yet to respond to criticisms from local businesses, Sussex Police have been conducting patrols throughout Bognor Regis in an effort to ‘disrupt crime and anti-social behaviour’ in the area, according to a post on Facebook.

A spokesperson for Katy Bourne said the Police and Crime Commissioner is ‘well aware of the concerns of shop owners and staff.”

They went on to say that Mrs Bourne has been meeting with local businesses, the town council and Bognor Regis MP Nick Gibb to help encourage “the action and determination of local police to tackle anti-social behaviour through early intervention with young people, as well as robust action against persistent offenders.”

If you have been a victim of anti-social behaviour or vandalism, report it to Sussex Police online or by calling 101.

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