Police pods roll out shows ‘we are here’ as hotspot patrols see crime fall

Policing pods have been rolled out across hotspot crime areas where ramped up patrols have seen some violent offences fall by nearly a third, a police chief has said.

Sussex Police has set up the mobile cabins to boost targeted action across seven towns using a £1.4 million Home Office cash pot to crack down on antisocial behaviour and serious violence this year.

Since launching the hotspot policing team in April, patrols have been stepped up with an additional 10,000 hours across the county.

These pods are a really visible sign that we are here, that we are working these areas, that we’re aware that these are our hot spots, and that we want to work with the communities and our partners to make these areas safer

Force bosses said the move has led to a cut in overall crime by 14% in 29 key areas compared to last year.

Two pods were introduced earlier this year, with an extra five including in Brighton installed in the last week, costing around £12,000 each.

Sussex Police chief inspector Jim Loader said: “These pods are a really visible sign that we are here, that we are working these areas, that we’re aware that these are our hot spots, and that we want to work with the communities and our partners to make these areas safer.

“We’ve already seen as a result of our work since April this year, in our hot spots, reductions in crime.

“We’ve seen a 14% reduction in overall crime in our hotspot locations, we’ve seen nearly a 30% reduction in GBH offences, one of our more serious offences, and also seen a reduction in antisocial behaviour crimes across these hotspots as well.”

Speaking from the New Road pod in Brighton, the police chief said officers have had positive feedback from people and businesses in the area who feel safer and reassured.

The small huts act as a point of contact between police and the public, and host a table and two chairs with leaflets and a first aid box.

Other pods have been installed in Crawley, Hastings, Eastbourne, Horsham, Worthing and Chichester.

Chief inspector Loader added it is up to officers how to staff the “versatile tool” in each “unique” hotspot area.

“It’s often the staffing officers will spend a couple of hours here at a time and engage with communities and the people that live in the area, but they won’t be working out of these full time,” he added.

“They’ll still be out patrolling and patrolling areas wider than just this pod.”

He continued: “These are permanent fixtures. We bought these, and these remain here.

“We can move them if we see a need to change and a need to move these locations in accordance with the local authority agreements.

“But they are our pods, they’re here to stay.”