NEIGHBOURS fed up with drug dealing and other antisocial behaviour in their area have banded together to work with police to tackle the problems.
They said an alleyway near St Nicholas Church in the centre of Brighton had become “almost unusable at night” while other green spaces were “no-go areas”.
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Frustrated by the frequent drug dealing and taking, the residents formed a WhatsApp group to share their concerns and began reporting incidents to the police.
Led by PCSO Kevin Creasey, Sussex Police increased patrols in the area, installed a CCTV camera and arranged a community meeting. The residents say they feel safer after joining forces with the police.
St Nicholas Church churchwarden Amanda Ogilvie said having a CCTV camera in an alleyway often used as a shortcut behind the church has made all the difference.
“We had a lot of trouble with homeless people, tents concerning the residents and drug dealing and taking,” she said. “It takes place in all of the green spaces.
“People weren’t using it because they didn’t feel safe because of the amount of dealing going on there. We’re really hoping it will make a huge difference to the area.”
One resident, named only as Keith, who lives on the other side of the alleyway, said the “useful pedestrian route” to the city centre was unusable before police intervention.
“We get people using it to take drugs, sell drugs, buy drugs, which intimidated everybody,” he said.
His neighbour, named only as Annette, said the initiative has helped the whole neighbourhood feel better.
“There’s less drug taking, there’s less people hanging about. It’s all feeling a little bit safer,” she said.
Acting Chief Inspector Andy Saville, of Brighton and Hove’s Neighbourhood Policing Team, said the measures were already showing results as residents “have a renewed sense of community and communication”.
“Our ongoing work around St Nicholas shows what we can achieve when communities come together,” he said.
“Police officers and PCSOs don’t just work with communities, they are central parts of them.”
PCSO Creasey said half the community felt "cut off” before he stepped in.
“We managed to engage with both sides of the community. So, we get the big community together and look at the future steps and how we can assist with it,” he said.
Another resident said PCSO Creasey has gone above and beyond for the community.
“Kevin has always been there as an individual – not just as a police person,” he said. “It’s good to know what actions he can take that we can’t. It’s an ear that we can vent some anger at.”
Chief Inspector Saville said: “Reporting crimes and concerns is absolutely vital for us to understand what issues are impacting our communities, what areas are particularly affected and where we should be targeting our resources.
“The recently launched StreetSafe online toolkit also allows residents to input areas where they feel unsafe or uneasy, which is then collated to allow us to identify potential hotspots.
“Please report crimes or concerns to us either online via the Sussex Police website, by calling 101 or by dialling 999 in an emergency.”
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