ALMOST half of violent crime takes place in the centre of Eastbourne, with Terminus Road and Pevensey Road the most crime-filled areas, it has been revealed.
The crime hotspot is a 0.7 km squared area including the Arndale Centre, Seaside Road, Grand Parade, the pier and railway station. It contains more than half of the town's pubs and clubs, and earlier this year the borough council decided only to al
low new licensed premises there under special circumstances.
A Sussex Police report shows two thirds of the area's violent crimes from October 2006 to September 2007 took place between 11pm and 3am and almost two thirds at the weekend.
The report said alcohol and the night-time economy had played a part, with more than half of offences committed by those intoxicated.
The top five locations which experienced violent crimes inside or nearby were the Funktion Rooms Nightclub, with 48 crimes in a year, Kings Night Club with 33 andTJs with 25, followed by Atlantis Nightclub and BN21. But police said most crimes at the Funktion Rooms did not result in injury, just harassment and alarm from people shouting at and insulting door staff or police officers.
Violent crime in public places from 2005-06 to 2006-07 rose by 6 per cent - 45 crimes - in the middle of Eastbourne but those resulting in injury fell by 56 crimes.
Sussex Police have drawn up a 500 metre 'buffer zone' around the area, which includes Seaside, Pevensey Road, Jevington Gardens, Royal Parade, The Avenue, Firle Road, Southfields Road and Blackwater Road.
The council is considering labelling some of these areas 'special stress areas' if they have high levels of crime, which means pubs and clubs moving in will have to prove they can tackle those problems.
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