Bognor Regis Herald Latest Round Up

Jan Cosgrove
15 min readDec 22, 2024

--

Main page: http://fairplay31.online/brh.html

23rd December 2024: 31 stories and features

Parents and students should be ‘extra vigilant’ after suspicious man seen outside Worthing school gates

Single mum from Bognor Regis has been battling mould in council flat for 12 years

24-year-old man arrested after more than 25 cars damaged during Bognor Regis crime spreeSussex Alerts — Sussex Police launch winter crackdown on drink and drug drivers

Monday 2nd December 2024

Sussex Police launch winter crackdown on drink and drug drivers

Operation Limit launches

There will be increased drug testing of motorists on our roads as part of Sussex Police’s annual crackdown on drivers over the limit.

Additional patrols will be in place as part of the nationwide campaign to tackle drink and drug driving called Operation Limit.

The focus on drug-driving follows a rise in the number of drug-driving offences detected across the country, and officers will also be continuing their efforts to catch drink-drivers as well.

Motorists are being warned that there are no excuses for drink or drug-driving as Sussex Police launch the annual winter crackdown campaign today.

Being over the limit can have fatal consequences, with drink and drug-driving being one of the the main reasons why people are killed or seriously injured on our roads.

But it also has consequences for those who are caught while over the limit, such as losing their driving licence and potentially losing their job as a result.

The campaign runs from December 1 to January 1, and appeals to the public’s sense of shared responsibility to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured.

Officers will carry out additional patrols and stop checks, above the regular patrols which take place 24/7, every day of the year. There will also be more drug-testing of drivers being carried out.

During last year’s campaign, Sussex Police made a total of 261 arrests, of which 56% were for drug driving related offences.

Sussex Police Monthly Bulletin — Arun

I hope you are all well. Please find below your monthly Sussex Police bulletin containing the latest appeals, news, and crime prevention advice for Arun.

APPEALS

Appeal to locate witnesses to serious incident in Littlehampton

Police are appealing for witnesses following an incident in Littlehampton.

Officers were called after a man was found with serious injuries in St. Catherines Road, Littlehampton at around 17.20pm on Thursday December 12.

It is believed the victim, a 48-year-old man from Bognor Regis, may have been assaulted. The man was taken to hospital for treatment where he remains. An investigation is ongoing to establish the full circumstances of the incident.

Witnesses or anyone with any information, or dash cam or doorbell footage, is asked to contact police online or call 101 quoting serial 994 of 12/12.

Appeal to locate witnesses to serious incident in Littlehampton | Sussex Police

CRIME REPORTS

Burglary and vehicle crime

We continue to see a number of reports of break ins to sheds and outbuildings, with bikes being stolen. You can help to keep your property safe by keeping valuable items out of sight, securing sheds/outbuildings with good quality locks, removing tools and ladders and keeping side gates locked. Vehicle crimes have included thefts from vehicles of items such as phones, money, bags, and laptops. Please ensure that all valuables and tools are removed, and that vehicles are locked. Particularly with Christmas, please ensure that shopping or bags are not left on show in vehicles, presents and valuables are hidden out of sight at home, and that any boxes and packaging from expensive gifts are thrown away discretely.

You can find more information on keeping your property and vehicles safe here -

Crime prevention advice | Sussex Police

Secured by Design — Home Security Advice

Secured by Design — Garden Security

Preventing car and vehicle theft | Crime Prevention | Sussex Police

Secured by Design — Vehicle Crime

NEWS

Sussex Police launch winter crackdown on drink and drug drivers

There will be increased drug testing of motorists on our roads as part of Sussex Police’s annual crackdown on drivers over the limit.

Additional patrols will be in place as part of the nationwide campaign to tackle drink and drug driving called Operation Limit.

The focus on drug-driving follows a rise in the number of drug-driving offences detected across the country, and officers will also be continuing their efforts to catch drink-drivers as well.

Motorists are being warned that there are no excuses for drink or drug-driving as Sussex Police launch the annual winter crackdown campaign today.

Being over the limit can have fatal consequences, with drink and drug-driving being one of the the main reasons why people are killed or seriously injured on our roads.

But it also has consequences for those who are caught while over the limit, such as losing their driving licence and potentially losing their job as a result.

The campaign runs from December 1 to January 1, and appeals to the public’s sense of shared responsibility to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured.

Officers will carry out additional patrols and stop checks, above the regular patrols which take place 24/7, every day of the year. There will also be more drug-testing of drivers being carried out.

You can read more here — Sussex Police launch winter crackdown on drink and drug drivers | Sussex Police

Man charged following criminal damage to cars in Bognor Regis

Inde Sneddon, 24, of no fixed address, has been charged in connection with causing criminal damage in Bognor Regis.

It is alleged that in the early hours of Friday 20 December he damaged several cars in the Nyewood Lane area and resisted arrest.

He was charged with 14 counts of criminal damage. He was also charged with resisting arrest, causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal (a police dog), theft from a motor vehicle, possession of an offensive weapon, threats to kills, resisting arrest, a public order offence and shoplifting.

He has been remanded and will appear at Crawley Magistrates Court on Monday (23 December).

Man charged following criminal damage to cars in Bognor Regis | Sussex Police

REPORTING A CRIME

For non-emergency incidents or crime prevention advice, click www.sussex.police.uk, (If you report a crime online, we will assess it in the same way as a 101 call).

Call 101 when you do not require an urgent response. In an emergency when life is threatened or there is immediate danger always call 999.

Connect with us face-to-face at a police station or contact the local policing team at www.sussex.police.uk/area/your-area.

If you are deaf, hard of hearing or speech impaired, you can contact us using TypeTalk on 18000 or by sending a text to 65999.

Crimestoppers

Crimestoppers is speaking up about neighbourhood crimes. Robbery, theft, and burglary harm communities and have a long-lasting impact on their victims. People not only suffer from the loss of their possessions, the invasion of privacy and violation of personal space, but some may experience emotional distress or be left with physical injuries.

Victims of crime may experience long-term adverse effects, from feelings of strong emotions to physical effects including a lack of sleep or falling ill. For some, the trauma can force them to change their ordinary daily routines, out of fear of repeat victimisation.

If you have witnessed an incident of robbery, theft, or burglary, or have information about a crime, tell Crimestoppers and remain 100% anonymous.

Call free on 0800 555 111 or visit the website -

https://crimestoppers-uk.org/news-campaigns/campaigns/speaking-up-about-neighbourhood-crime

SUPPORT

If you have been a victim of crime, you can contact Victim Support who can give you the emotional support and advice you need. It does not matter how long ago the crime took place — they are always on hand to support you. More information is available here https://www.victimsupport.org.uk/

For individuals affected by romance fraud, are over 18, and live in Sussex; Victim Support are offering a free, specialist service supporting victims of relationship fraud. Their service can be delivered both in person and online and may include one-to-one support sessions, peer support and group work.

You either contact them via email or telephone: FraudPeerSupportPilot@victimsupport.org.uk / 0303 313 2955.

Children and young person support

If you have children and young people in your family or you have friends that do, we are providing information and access to dedicated support services, if they feel they are unable to speak to their relatives or teachers.

Is this OK?

Is This Ok? is a free, anonymous, and confidential service, bringing trained professionals together to provide support to young people through a chat service. You do not need to provide your real name (a nickname is fine for us!), and we don’t need to know your address.

The service is available for children and young people aged 13–18 years old and you can find out more here https://www.isthisok.org.uk/

Fearless — Crimestoppers

It can be a frightening time when children and young people hear of a crime being planned, witness a crime or are being exploited. Fearless enables young people to pass on information about crime 100% anonymously. The Fearless website is available here https://crimestoppers-uk.org/fearless/what-is-fearless

We’re supporting Counter Terrorism Policing’s campaign to encourage everyone to help keep each other safe this winter. We ask you to help by staying alert and trusting your instincts.

If something doesn’t feel right, tell staff, security or police straight away, and they will do the rest. You won’t be wasting our time.

In an emergency, call 999. Let’s keep each other safe.

Wishing you all a safe festive break, and a happy new year. If you need us we’re here. Call 999 in emergencies or report via 101 or online for non-emergencies.

Kind regards,

Sherilyn

Season’s greetings from Sussex Neighbourhood Watch

Volunteers are special. We appreciate you and everything you do!

Thanks for Caring in Your Communities

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

from

John Wright MBE, Chair, Sussex Neighbourhood Watch Federation, and

Derek Pratt MBE, Deputy Chair, Sussex Neighbourhood Watch Federation

Message Sent By
Derek Pratt MBE
(NWN, MSA, Sussex)

Welcome to our special edition Residents’ eNewsletter. However you are planning to spend the period over Christmas and the New Year, we wish you a safe, peaceful and enjoyable time.

Merry Christmas from West Sussex County Council

A message from the county council’s Chairman and Leader.

We would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a Merry Christmas.

During this busy season, county council staff will be working to provide services as usual, ranging from libraries and highways to social care and the Fire and Rescue Service.

2024 has been a very successful year for the county council, with more investment in social care and extra investment in highways across the county, including our gritters which stand ready to tackle challenging winter weather.

The county council will continue to work for you in 2025.

Cllr Pieter Montyn Cllr Paul Marshall

Chairman (pictured right) Leader.

We’re here for you

If you need us over the Christmas and New Year holidays, we are here for you.

The link below has details of opening hours over the festive period, including our community hub, family hubs, and customer service centre.

You can also find all the out of hours contact numbers you many need, and what problems you can report online.

How to contact us over the holidays

Christmas at our children’s homes

Children and young people cared for by the county council have been getting into the Christmas spirit, with special festive events throughout December.

Parties have been taking place across the council’s children’s homes to bring the magic of the season to the young people, who have often faced significant trauma and challenges in their lives.

One child described an event at High Trees home in Crawley as the ‘best party ever’, while a parent said: “I cannot thank the team at the home enough for all they do for my child and our family.”

Festive fun

A wartime Christmas in West Sussex

Take a step back into festive times past and read about two wartime evacuees who produced a magazine called The Petworth Stars.

Amy and Nellie Scaddan were living with the Parvin family in Petworth and their hand-written and illustrated magazine highlighted the happy times they had in the West Sussex village, despite the hardships of wartime Britain.

The magazine’s 1943 Christmas issue is featured in one of our Record Office blogs where you’ll discover what the family ate for Christmas dinner and their full list of gifts — which included slippers, a pink scarf, a doll’s bed, and a toothbrush.

Visit our Record Office on the link below to discover a wealth of local history dating from 780AD to the present day.

You can trace your family history, view historic photos, research a military ancestor, use maps to explore your local area and house history, find out more about times gone by — and much more!

Discover our Record Office

Help us help you

The NHS is asking everyone living in Sussex to Help Us Help You as demand on health services increases through the winter months.

If you have loved ones in hospital, help them to leave hospital when they are clinically safe to do so. Every day spent in hospital when they don’t need to be there makes their recovery longer — it’s ok for them to ask ‘when am I going home?’

If you’re eligible, today (19 December) is the last day you can book your flu and Covid-19 vaccination online using the NHS National Booking System. From tomorrow (20 December) you can arrange an appointment directly with a local service or attend a walk-in session.

Find out how you can make the right choices on which health services to contact over the Christmas break on the NHS Sussex website.

You can also visit our Keeping Safe this Winter webpage for tips on staying safe, well and warm this winter.

Get ready to reduce waste this Christmas

We’re encouraging residents to reduce waste wherever possible during the festive season.

Wrapping gifts in reusable materials like ribbon and scarves, using crockery when hosting parties rather than paper plates and plastic cutlery, and making your own crackers are just some of the ideas that can reduce Christmas waste.

We understand that some waste is unavoidable, but there are lots of Christmas items that can be recycled, including:

  • Christmas cards
  • Wrapping paper (if it scrunches up in your hand and stays scrunched)
  • Paper bags
  • Glass bottles and jars
  • Plastic bottles (with lids on)
  • Plastic pots, tubs and trays (including sweet and chocolate tubs)
  • Flexible toothpaste tubes
  • Tins and cans
  • Foil
  • Pringles tubes

Finally, it’s easy for food waste to build up over the festive period. Instead of letting leftovers go to waste, why not turn them into something delicious or make a conscious effort to only buy what you need.

Discover more tips for reducing Christmas waste

Stay safe from fire

The festive season should be filled with joy, not disaster. Stay safe by following our West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service’s essential dos and don’ts for fire hazards in your home:

  • Never place candles near your Christmas tree or materials that can catch light easily.
  • Keep candles, lighters and matches out of children’s reach. Never leave burning candles unattended.
  • Never overload electrical sockets. Always switch Christmas lights off and unplug them before you go to bed.
  • Decorations can burn easily — don’t attach them to lights or heaters.

More festive fire safety advice

Check out our Newsroom to read more West Sussex stories.

--

--

Jan Cosgrove
Jan Cosgrove

Written by Jan Cosgrove

National Secretary of Fair Play for Children, Also runs Bognor Regis Herald online. Plus runs British Music Radio online

No responses yet