Councillors were told that Eastbourne was one of only 17 areas in the whole of the south east region to meet its three-year crime reduction targets set by central government.

By April this year, overall crime was down by more than 20 per cent, dwelling burglaries were down by 66 per cent and theft from vehicles had been reduced by 61 per cent.

And more recent figures over the the last 12 months show this downward trend is continuing, with overall crime down a further seven per cent, dwelling burglary reduced by 22 per cent, vehicle crime falling by 12 per cent and criminal damage down 11 per cent.

The falling figures have been credited to the town's Crime Reduction Partnership, which works alongside the police to
co-ordinate the efforts of its statutory and voluntary sector partners.
Now the CRP has developed a new plan which it hopes will reduce crime further.

Bob Gough, co-ordinator of the partnership, said, "If all the strategies outlined in the plan are implemented successfully we will see further substantial reductions in crime over the next three years."

Neil Fuller, a director of Eastbourne Borough Council and chair of the CRP, said, "A full analysis of all crime types was undertaken in preparation for our plan as well as seeking the view of the community and our new priorities reflect these views.

"Whilst we will continue to focus on acquisitive crime reduction, our new priorities also include antisocial behaviour and town centre night time violence."

Councillor Margaret Bannister added, "Our local crime-fighting partnership is a strong one and cabinet fully endorses this new plan to make Eastbourne an even safer place to live, work and visit."

The full plan can be viewed on the Eastbourne Borough Council website www.eastbourne.gov.uk