Sussex Alerts - Lewes and Seahaven Police

Thursday 2nd March 2026

Sussex Alerts - Lewes and Seahaven Police

Dear Residents,

Please find below the latest Sussex Alerts from Lewes and Seahaven Police.

Out and about this half-term

Officers and Neighbourhood Youth Officers (NYOs) dropped in on youngsters, partners and organisers at the Scout Hut in Newhaven for an afternoon of craft, music, table tennis, quizzes, footie and more, as part of a Youth Partnership activity afternoon being held during the half-term in Newhaven.

Teams also headed over to the skate park to catch up with the teens there and spend some time getting involved in what they’re doing; half-term is a key time for local officers and NYOs to stay connected with young people, especially when we’re not seeing them in schools.

Sessions like this give us a relaxed chance to check in, have conversations that matter, and keep those links strong with the local teens and the groups who support them; a huge thanks for having us along on the afternoon, we had a great time!

Operation Downsway

Already this week, a number of deployments have taken place across the coast, including in areas of Seaford and Peacehaven.

Over the coming months residents can expect to see an increased police presence on the roads of the district as we continue to both enforce and educate drivers around the ‘fatal five’ driving offences; excess speed, not wearing a seatbelt, driving distractions ie: using your mobile or a hand-held device, drink and drug driving, and careless and inconsiderate driving.

The aim of the operation is to help in:

-Reducing the number of people who are killed or seriously injured on the roads of East Sussex
-Reducing the number of reported incidents of anti-social driving
-Increasing public confidence in local policing through increased visibility and patrols
-Targeting those individuals who are prepared to drive on the roads in an anti-social or irresponsible manner.

Working together our Roads Policing Teams, the Casualty Reduction Team, and alongside partners including Community Speed Watch groups, officers will provide a high visibility presence across our road network to make sure law-abiding road users including drivers, motorcyclists and cyclists can do so with confidence and in safety.

The campaign will include regular speed checks and will target anti-social driving and riding and is in addition to checks and activities all year round.

We continue to encourage residents to alert us to road safety issues that are impacting their communities, and report incidents to us at the time online or by calling 101.

Look out for bikers!

With longer, lighter days ahead along with better weather, roads across the district are starting to get busier with day-trippers, leisure riders and holiday-makers.

Did you know? Sadly motorcycle casualties are almost twice as likely to be killed or seriously injured than drivers of other vehicle types, who are more likely to only sustain slight injuries?

Our Operation Downsway Summer campaign starts today where we will be running targeted patrols to enforce, educate and raise awareness around the ‘fatal five’ driving offences in an effort to tackle anti-social driving, and reduce the number of collisions on local roads.

Drive safe, and look out for each other.

Help us to help you when you need us the most this Easter weekend

As with many public holidays and long weekends, we often see an increase in reporting, and our phone lines can become exceptionally busy.

If you need to contact us over the Bank Holiday weekend, and your call/report is not urgent, or could be answered online we ask that you consider contacting us via our website.

All reports made online are triaged in the same way as calls made to our 101 contact number, and reporting online could help free up the lines for those who need to speak to us, or are unable to use our website.

Our website also hosts a library of crime prevention advice, support and more which can help save you time and help to keep phone lines free for those who desperately need us.

In an emergency always call 999.

Op Limit drink/drug drive campaign latest convictions

A further seven motorists have been convicted in court following our Christmas crackdown on drink and drug-driving.

A total of 279 people were arrested during the operation across Sussex , which ran from 1 December to 1 January.

Of these, so far 70 have been convicted. 

Listed online are the latest individuals to have lost their licence which can be found here.

In keeping with previous years, we will continue to publicly identify anyone convicted of drink or drug-driving as part of this campaign to raise awareness of the issue and to act as a deterrent to others from committing the same offence.

The consequences of drink or drug-driving could include:

If you know someone is driving while over the limit or after taking drugs, call 999.

You can also contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or report it online. 

Contact us

For non-emergency incidents or crime prevention advice, click www.sussex.police.uk (If you report a crime online, we will assess it in the same way as a 101 call).  

Call 101 when you do not require an urgent response. In an emergency when life is threatened or there is immediate danger always call 999.  

Speak to us face-to-face at a police station or contact the local policing team at www.sussex.police.uk/area/your-area.  

If you have a hearing or speech impairment, or other forms of communication difficulties.

Those with textphone can text 18001 101, or BSL users can use SignVideo to provide a Video Relay Service (here: https://signvideo.co.uk/), to report crime through a live online interpreter, who will contact the police on your behalf, when you do not require an urgent response.

In an emergency when life is threatened or there is immediate danger please use the textphone service 18000 or text us on 999.

BSL users can call 999 BSL (here: https://999bsl.co.uk/)  to use a British Sign Language interpreter.

For more information on textphone and Relay UK, including help setting up the Relay APP please visit: https://www.relayuk.bt.com/how-to-use-relay-uk/contact-999-using-relay-uk.html