Sussex loses 93 front line police officers

The situation was raised by Rye Labour candidate Sarah Owen following the release of HM Inspectorate of Prisons statistics.

In the South East, only Kent has fared worse than Sussex, losing 142 officers while Thames Valley lost just 10.

Sarah said: “It’s incredibly worrying that Sussex Police officers have been cut. This is bound to have an impact.

“I am concerned not only how it will affect crime and public safety in Rye, but also the effect it will have on the morale of ordinary police officers serving in Sussex Police.

“The Government should think again about cutting police officers and put public safety first.”

“The police figures are part of wider research showing that 90 per cent of the police officers cut are being from the front line.

“Personal crime, including theft, robbery and violence, has gone up by 11 per cent over the last year - the steepest increase for over a decade. This is a terrible time to cut police officers. The Tory-led Government is out of touch with communities on crime and public safety, and they need to think again.”