Pete Hall's blog

Flexibility is the key!

Hello again!

I feel like I have been pulled in so many different directions over the last few weeks- wearing a multitude of hats and juggling many roles seems to be the reality of modern policing. Still, the unpredictability of each day is one of the attractions of the job. I complete 10 years service with Sussex on 31st March, which is also my wedding day- so a significant day in more ways than one!

First up, there’s an update on the dead buzzard. We take wildlife crime issues extremely seriously, and it may surprise some people to learn that special arrangements were made to have the bird taken away and x rayed. It’s a positive discovery that there was no evidence of shot or pellets, and this, combined with new information as to where the bird was first found, has allowed us to be pretty sure that the bird died as a result of injuries received from getting caught up in a fence. Even so, it is reassuring that the public were concerned enough to call us in the first place.

Recently, I have been involved in sensitive referrals for a young child at risk, and also worked on two night-time operations in Lewes town centre targeting anti- social behaviour. There was a lot of walking involved for all of us, basically being out on foot around town for 7 hours at a time! We did get to speak to a few people, but, as with lots of things we do, the fact that most people don’t see us doesn’t mean we’re not out there addressing their concerns.

I have also been deployed on what we call ‘Op Albion’, which, as some of you might guess, involves the policing of Brighton and Hove Albion games both at the Amex stadium and within Brighton and Hove. This time up, it was Portsmouth FC providing the opposition, and passions were high amongst some of both camps. It comes as a surprise to many who see us out and about that we are drawn from all over our force area, not just Brighton, and are not always very good at giving directions around the city! As a self confessed ‘football phobe’, I find it hard to understand the strong feelings, even more so the mentality of the minority who use their team allegiance to cause trouble and spoil everything for the majority. Still, working public order operations like this are certainly a challenge and a real eye opener at times.

I have a few wildlife jobs on the go at the moment, and hope to share aspects about them with you shortly. Watch this space!

Sun 11 Mar 5:09PM

Bird of prey persecution

Hello again! Just back from 2 week’s blissful annual leave, planning my forthcoming wedding. Unfortunately, wildlife issues keep coming thick and fast. More reports of deer poaching in the local area need further investigation, although it is heartening to see that the public are very keen to report such suspicious activity.

An incident of note which has appeared over the last few days has been the sad discovery of a dead adult buzzard north of Lewes, which appears to have been shot with some sort of as yet unidentified weapon. My wildlife crime counterpart PCSO Chris Buggins has done a sterling job in commencing an investigation into this incident, which in part has required the seizing of the carcase so that a forensic examination can be carried out. Persecution of birds of prey has been an ongoing issue countrywide for many years- primarily involving shooting or poisoning. Until relatively recently, the sight in Sussex of a majestic buzzard soaring across the sky emitting their cat like calls has been a rarity. I remember seeing lots in Somerset when I was younger, but now they are more widespread and easy to see here too. The buzzard is a protected species under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, and to intentionally kill one is an offence save in strict circumstances. Hopefully our enquiries will lead to those reponsible for the demise of this beautiful bird.

Sun 19 Feb 4:20PM

A grisly discovery

There seem to be rosy, romantic connotations attached to the public perception of the ‘poacher’- as a wily countryman taking game to put food on the table through necessity, their activities part of an essentially wholesome contest pitting their wits against those of the gamekeeper. These Georgian and Victorian stereotypes belong firmly in the pages of history books. The modern poacher is commercially driven and often reckless and irresponsible in their pursuit of edible wildlife. Whether by shooting or snaring, public safety means little to these wildlife criminals, and we are doing our utmost to deter them in our area.

Unfortunately, we have received several reports in recent weeks about the poaching of deer. A couple of days ago I responded to a call from a member of the public about a grisly discovery on the outskirts of Ringmer. She had discovered what she believed to be the remains of two goats thrown into a roadside ditch. If true, the animals would have belonged to someone, so we went to take a look. What we found were the skinned hides and a few bones- all that was left of two mature fallow deer and one of last year’s young. Their heads and legs were missing, and most of the venison had been cleanly butchered and taken. The remains were still bloody and fresh- a decidedly unpleasant discovery for a member of the public out for a walk with her dog.

The reckless behaviour of those responsible beggars belief- shooting, probably at night, with rifles over relatively flat country with no regard for anyone out and about. While we were there, it was apparent from comments made by several passers by that the deer were well known and regularly seen in the local area. They had been missed for several days, and people were upset to find out what had happened to them.

Thu 26 Jan 3:42PM

New Year - same issues

Happy New Year to everyone visiting the Sussex Police People site!. Only a few weeks into January, and the number of jobs coming our way on the Neighbourhood Policing Team shows no signs of letting up.

 Late turn on New Year’s Eve is always a dreaded shift due to how manic it can get. This year in Lewes was no exception- NPT officers dealt with one male for possession of ecstasy after a stop check on the street, then assisted our response colleagues in the arrest of a violent wanted person, before getting another two local youths in for a robbery in the early hours. We expected be be late off and were not far wrong- 2 hours after our finish time of 0300. Having said that, most coppers I know would prefer to work New Year’s Eve rather than Christmas- most of us have to do one or the other.

Our rural parishes are currently experiencing a trend of four wheel drive vehicles being stolen and/or stripped. A few simple precautions can reduce the chances of you becoming a victim of this kind of crime- if at all possible park your vehicles on a driveway or within the boundaries of your property. Keeping your vehicle in a well lit area is also a good idea to deter the casual thief looking for an easy opportunity. Try not to leave vehicles parked and unattended in dark country lanes, and certainly never leave vehicles unlocked and with the keys inside. We rely on the public being vigilant, so if you do see anything suspicious, please don’t hesitate to call- we’d far rather be called and find we are not needed than not be called and miss an opportunity to catch a criminal.

On the wildlife crime front, things continue to tick over. I’m currently looking into allegations of poaching near Falmer following some good work by the local PCSO’s, together with developing some intelligence received about possible poisoning activities on the district.

Hare coursing continues to be a recurring problem- my colleague PC Daran Goudie and I went to a reported incident only yesterday just outside Lewes. A concerned landowner reported seeing two suspicious individuals with greyhounds on their land, and rightly suspected that they were on the lookout for hares. We were able to provide a rapid response, but unfortunately the suspects had left before our arrival. We did a good search for them both there and in other local hot spots, without success on this particular occasion. Luckily we have been able to submit some good intelligence about those believed to be responsible, which goes towards building the bigger picture about the activities of this type of wildlife criminal. We continue to spread the message to our farmers and landowners that should they see hare coursing it is justifiable and important that it is promptly reported to the police as a crime in progress.

Over the next few weeks I also hope to be able to action complaints received about some irresponsible and anti-social use of off road motorcycles on the old coach road running under Firle Beacon. Off road marked patrols have been stepped up, and I should be posting some footage about these shortly.

Mon 16 Jan 3:51PM

Boxing Day

As I write this, it is my first day back on duty after a few day’s Christmas break. It was great to have some time off, especially appreciated as many of my colleagues have spent much of the festive season on duty and serving the public. For the police, Christmas is always business as usual, although the burglaries and RTC’s (road traffic collisions) always seem more poignant at this time of year.

A big event took place in Lewes on the 26th December- the Boxing Day meeting of the Southdown and Eridge Hunt. It is a long standing tradition that the hunt meets in the High Street- for stirrup cups and a speech from the balcony of the White Hart Hotel, then off for a brisk ride over the Downs.  Hunting has always divided public opinion, and significant changes have been made since the controversial Hunting Act was brought in. Nevertheless, hunting remains a passion for a significant proportion of our community, and the public support that the Southdown still enjoys was very evident on the day. Several thousand supporters lined the route and over 80 mounted followers gathered in the High Street before setting off at a brisk trot. The meet passed off smoothly, and no doubt Lewes will not see so many horses in one place until this time next year!

Wed 28 Dec 10:38AM

Animal Welfare Issues

Well, it seems like a lot of my time over the last few weeks has been taken up with domestic animal issues! It’s a strange quirk of our force here in Sussex that anything animal related seems to wing its way, as if by magic, to the heaving desks of the local wildlife crime officer…..

First up was a welfare call from a concerned passer by about some cattle just outside Lewes- which did not appear to have food or water. Luckily the concerns proved unfounded and a quick visit and chat with the farmer resolved the issue to the satisfaction of all concerned. It’s always good when the stock is right by a road and I don’t have to wade across a muddy pasture that resembles something from the Somme!

At the end of last week I was lurking around Chailey with PCSO Chris Buggins, investigating complaints about some horses which had an unfortunate habit of getting out of their field and strolling on local roads in the dark. Of course, this one caused us particular concern- not only for the obvious public safety aspect, but for the well being of a considerable number of horses. A site visit, again in deep mud, and strong words of advice to the owner was the order of the day, and contact made with the relevant authorities. It is always important to keep our callers updated about what action we have taken- particularly in cases like these which are not crimes and to which the police response can be far less obvious- they don’t normally require blue lights and wailing sirens!

Today, two reports have required my attention, one at least concerning wildlife and the potential snaring thereof…The other is a particularly upsetting report from a lady whose cat was badly mauled and then killed on the street by two dogs. Clearly distressing for all concerned and we in the local team are working with our partner agencies to sort this one out. Meanwhile the neighbourhood disputes and high viz patrols keep on rolling….

Thu 8 Dec 1:41PM

Scrap metal

Hello again!

Yesterday afternoon, some colleagues from the Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT) and I received an invite to our inaugural ‘Metal and Cable Theft’ conference, held in our force’s facilities at Slaugham Manor. A very informative and useful afternoon unfolded, attended by Surrey, the Met and British Transport Police, as well as members of the business community such as BT and UK Power.

 For those unaware of the problem, theft of (particularly) scrap metal and cabling is a big issue for UK police forces and utilities at the moment- due to the high price of metal and increased demand for overseas building and infrastructure. The figures are huge! Theft of metal impacts on UK industry to the tune of £770 million every year. Every theft of live cable costs around £10,000 to resolve. Phone lines and electricity can be cut off to whole communities and put lives at risk. Shockingly, 2 people are killed every month trying to commit metal theft.  

For us here on Lewes District, we get frequent reports of suspicious activity surrounding metal- from a dodgy van taking old washing machines and junk put out for the council, to blokes rummaging through people’s skips, to utility cables being ripped out of the ground.  People just help themselves! There’s a bigger picture here, and we need the public to be vigilant and report things that don’t look right. After all, genuine workers are unlikely to have an issue with being checked out to make sure they are legit. Keep ‘em peeled!!

Tue 29 Nov 11:01AM