Antisocial behaviour is rife in St James's Street in Brighton

That’s how a business owner has described St James’s Street in Brighton, which is plagued by antisocial behaviour, drug dealing and shoplifting.

Those living and working in the street say the problems have been going on for so long they have been “normalised” with the sound of shouting and fighting becoming a regular soundtrack to the “vibrant” street.

One person told The Argus the situation feels "out of control".

Businesses and residents say something must be to done to put an end to the scourge of crime. Shop workers have been attacked and visitors are being frightened off.

But they do not just want more policing and sanctions, or for perpetrators simply to be moved on. They want to see the root causes of such behaviour addressed and perpetrators, many of who are homeless and have addiction problems, supported to get back on their feet.

Chris Ward, MP for Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven, said he has been inundated with concerns from constituents about the issues facing the street.

He said many shop workers have given up reporting crimes due to the lack of response or repeat offenders getting “inadequate” sanctions.

He has urged Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne to scrutinise the current deployment of police resources and their effectiveness to deal with the behaviour.

He has also called for a collaborative approach to tackle the underlying causes.

Business partners Craig Harwood, 32, and Paul Thorn, 54, have run Marine Tavern, in nearby Broad Street, for 14 months.

Paul Thorn and Craig Harwood outside Marine Tavern (Image: The Argus/ Savannah Nicholson) They say they have very few problems in the pub and have worked hard to create a safe environment but they are frustrated seeing what is happening in the street and the bad first impression it is giving to visitors.

Mr Thorn said businesses have come together to try and make the street a nicer place.

“St James’s Street is a great place to come out in the evening,” said Mr Thorn.

“The night-time economy here is very vibrant. A lot of the businesses work together.

“Unfortunately, antisocial behaviour has long been a problem here.

“To me it’s like two realities going on in this street, you kind of fall through a portal and fall into another reality where addiction, antisocial behaviour, shoplifting, aggressive begging and verbal abuse is rife.

“Fights in the street are normal, very often it’s between themselves.

“At the same time, you’ve got residents here who are just trying to get on with their lives.

“Occasionally those worlds cross over and it’s damaging.

“I think addiction, for the most part, drives this.

“People become homeless for many reasons you can’t just blanketly blame people for their situation when you don’t know how they got there.

“But the antisocial behaviour is to the point that I will only get an Uber home because it’s not safe walking out here at night.

“It’s like Halloween every day of the week in St James’s Street.

“It never used to be like this.

“To see overt drug dealing, drug taking, it’s got to the point where we’ve normalised walking into a supermarket and seeing people stuffing their bags.”

Mr Thorn described the current police presence in the area as “thin on the ground” but said simply increasing patrols should not be the only tool used to deal with the problem.

He said the root causes of antisocial behaviour must be dealt with and perpetrators given the chance to turn their lives around.

He suggested a “central hub” where people are housed, get healthcare, psychological intervention, addiction help and training for jobs.

“We need to provide choice,” he said.

“These services exist already they just need to be centralised in some way.

“We need to actually deal with some of the other problems behind it.

“Moving the problem on is not a solution. There needs to be some empathy.

“St James’s Street is unique and it’s a very fun place to be and has so much to offer.

“We think St James’s Street could be a really nice street for everybody.”

'The background noise is just people shouting at each other all day'

Neil Stribbling Rushton has worked in the street for around 20 years and runs his floristry business Hunter Florist.

Neil Stribbling Rushton (Image: The Argus/ Savannah Nicholson) The 55-year-old said people’s behaviour can be very frightening for visitors but for residents and businesses, it has become commonplace.

“You feel sorry for them because they need help,” he said.

“You do also wish it wasn’t on your doorstep because you are trying to run a business.

“Being a florist we deal with funerals. When you’re dealing with the family and something is kicking off outside you do want to shrink because you feel for the family who are trying to deal with a horrific moment in their life and then you’ve got someone effing and blinding.”

Neil’s husband Frank, 65, said he can see people deteriorating day by day.

“The irony is we are a stone's throw away from the police station,” he said.

“You think there would be more of a police presence.

“The background noise is just people shouting at each other all day and we see that as normal.

“We come in early and you expect the streets to be deserted but they’re not.

“There are people hanging around and they’re not people going to work.

“We just want what’s best for the street.”

Neil said action needs to be taken.

 “Something needs to start happening because it’s a lovely area with a vibrant community,” he said. “We all love living and working here.

“We want it to be a nice area for everybody and there’s no reason why it shouldn’t be nice.”

A member of Neil’s team, who did not want to be named, said the situation felt “out of control”.

'Only through policing, prevention and persistence can we solve this issue'

Mr Ward is working with the city council, trade union Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) and businesses to create an action plan to try to end antisocial behaviour and criminality in St James’s Street.

Measures include additional deterrent methods such as a mobile CCTV unit and establishing a no on-street drinking zone.

The Co-op endures a lot of abuse and shoplifting (Image: The Argus/ Savannah Nicholson)

He also wants to see a greater police presence in the area and is calling for an "offender to rehab" scheme, modelled on the approach in the West Midlands where repeat offenders can be saved from custodial sentences if they enter a rehab facility.

“St James’s is a great street, but it’s not always a safe street,” he said.

“There are too many examples every day of antisocial behaviour and violence. This can’t be ignored any longer.

“In particular, the street drinking, shoplifting and attacks against retail workers must end.

“Everyone deserves to be safe at work and walking to and from their home. I’ve spoken to too many businesses on St James’s Street who’ve been physically assaulted, and too many of our residents and workers don’t feel safe.

“As well as policing and prevention, we need to focus on the underlying causes. Only through policing, prevention and persistence can we solve this issue.”

'St James’s Street is a priority policing area'

Councillor Andrei Czolak, lead member for community safety at Brighton and Hove City Council, said he understands people’s frustration and the council is working closely with Sussex Police and other partners to tackle antisocial behaviour in the area.

“St James’s Street is a priority policing area and we are doing all we can to support those efforts, including providing offenders with referrals to drug and alcohol services to help address some of the long-term causes behind some of this offending,” he said.

“We also meet monthly with partner organisations as part of a joint action group, with the aim of identifying emerging crime and antisocial behaviour concerns being shared by the community and how best to address them.

“Our advice to anyone witnessing a crime, in St James’s Street or any part of the city, is to report it immediately to Sussex Police.”

What are police doing?

Sussex Police Divisional Commander Chief Superintendent Rachel Carr said daily patrols and engagement activities are conducted in St James’s Street and surrounding areas to build a “clear picture of offending and its impact on local communities”.

She urged anyone with concerns to call 101 or 999 in an emergency.

“Through close collaboration with partners, we work to reduce harm, support vulnerable individuals and foster positive change,” she said.

“This is a collective mission and we appreciate the vital support from our partners in addressing issues throughout Brighton and beyond.

“This year has seen enhanced policing efforts in the area, yielding significant results and receiving positive feedback from the community.

“A recent outcome saw Alex Bryant, 38, of no fixed address, sentenced at Brighton Magistrates Court on October 16 to 26 weeks in prison.

“This followed 17 charges relating to offences in the St James's Street area, including theft, attempted theft, and multiple breaches of a criminal behaviour order.

“As part of our continued commitment to community safety, Community Protection Notices (CPNs) have also been issued to offenders as part of our response to antisocial behaviour and other offences in the area.

“St James’s Street remains a daily priority for the Neighbourhood Policing Team and wider policing resources across Sussex, with routine foot patrols and targeted operations regularly taking place.

“We are dedicated to improving the experience for those living, working, and visiting the city and will continue collaborating with partners, businesses and residents to make meaningful improvements.”

Sussex PCC Katy Bourne said she has drawn together major retailers, Usdaw, police and sector representatives as part of the Safer Sussex Business Partnership to discuss the issues faced by retailers and their staff and develop solutions.

These include working with partners in Brighton and Hove to deter young people and adults from shoplifting, abuse and antisocial behaviour and improving data-sharing between stores and police, as well as increasing the submission of CCTV evidence.

There has also been trialling of a one touch reporting system that dramatically speeds up reports of incidents from Co-op stores to police.

The Co-op in St James's Street bears much of the brunt of antisocial behaviour and shoplifting.

“On behalf of local retailers, I have long been calling for a standalone offence of assault against a shopworker but I also acknowledge that enforcement alone is not going to substantially reduce shoplifting,” she said.

“There is a place for treatment and rehabilitation of substance dependent offenders but these schemes are expensive and they need to be sustained. The biggest issue we now face is the lack of prison capacity so I really hope Mr Ward will support my call for persistent and abusive shoplifters to be electronically tagged.

“The public want to see more visible policing to deter crime and antisocial behaviour which is why I’m pleased to have delivered over 750 extra police offices in Sussex in the past few years, including 250 funded by local taxpayers in the precept element of their council tax.

“However, Sussex Police receives some of the lowest funding per head of population compared to other forces and the current funding formula has built-in disadvantages for our county. This new government has pledged to put thousands of officers into neighbourhood policing but they have not yet indicated a realistic and affordable funding plan.

“Sussex Police and Sussex residents would undoubtedly welcome more resources so we look forward to seeing the government step up and convert its warm words into reality in the Budget.”

Sharp increase in shoplifting

Rab Donnelly, Usdaw regional secretary for the South East, said there has been a 52 per cent increase in shoplifting incidents.

He said a survey of over 5,500 shop workers in the South East found that 60 per cent had suffered incidents of violence, threats and abuse that were triggered by shoplifting and armed robbery.

"Shoplifting is not a victimless crime," he said. 

"Having to deal with repeated and persistent shoplifters can cause issues beyond the theft itself, like anxiety, fear and in some cases physical harm to retail workers.

“We are delighted to now have a new Labour government that has already included key measures in their legislative programme. We now look forward a much-needed protection of shop workers’ law; ending the indefensible £200 threshold for prosecuting shoplifters, which has effectively become an open invitation to retail criminals; and funding for more uniformed officers patrols in shopping areas, along with town centre banning orders for repeat offenders. It is our hope that these new measures will help give shop workers the respect they deserve.”