New police base to open in Selsey

Officers will share space with Selsey Town Council to provide a local policing base, with an officially opening to be held on Friday (February 2).

Although the facility is not a public contact point, it is hoped the base will reassure residents, who can also report incidents via a yellow phone outside the hall.

Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner, Katy Bourne said: “I welcome this move by Sussex Police to offer a new base for officers and PCSOs to work from in Selsey’s town hall in the High Street.

“Residents regularly tell me that they really do appreciate seeing a police presence in their area, and feel reassured to know that officers are still working in the heart of their community.

“We are still investing in new technology and online services so staff and officers can access information remotely or on patrol as well as offering them the most suitable and convenient location to meet their needs.

“While we are increasingly moving into the age of the ‘digital police beat’, Sussex Police recognises that the public and partners still need to see officers regularly, so it makes economic and logistical sense to base officers in shared premises which the public are already familiar with.”

Becky White, Selsey town hall clerk, said: “Over the last ten years Selsey Town Council has undertaken many consultations on different issues including the Town Survey, the Neighbourhood Plan and our current Business Plan 2016-19.

“As a result we know that the retention of a Sussex Police presence in the town is something that is a priority for our residents, with 92 per cent of respondents supporting this as a key objective in the business plan.

“In meeting our residents’ needs, we are very pleased to have worked with Sussex Police in its move into the town hall complex and to have safeguarded a police presence in the town for the benefit of all.”

Chief constable Giles York, said the new facility would allow the force to continue modernising the way it worked and not be ‘tied to one location’.

He said: “By providing the right police presence in the right location, we can make policing teams more visible and can work in the same buildings as partners to make it easier to work together and share information.”