West Sussex Division formed on April 1st this year. The area used to be split into North Downs, covering Horsham, Crawley and Mid-Sussex and West Downs, covering Adur & Worthing, Arun and Chichester. There is now only one Chief Superintendent rather than two and altogether the merger will save £800,000 in management costs alone. It will cut down on duplication and mean that we can work more closely with partners such as West Sussex County Council because we will have the same boundaries. It doesn't mean more central control because the district commanders are still in charge of each of their areas.

The new policing model for West Sussex means response officers will only be at their base station to book on and receive a short formal briefing from their supervisor. They will then be tasked to go out in the community for the whole of the rest of their shift. They will not have to do follow up investigations and there will be less paperwork so they will actually be able to spend longer out and about in the local area.

Response officers will be strategically placed across the division to respond to incidents. From April 1st, it should always be the closest car that responds to a call, regardless of which district they are from. Supervisors will constantly evaluate where officers are located to make sure the whole of West Sussex gets the service it needs. Since this system was introduced in Brighton & Hove response times have reduced.

PCSOs are highly valued and are an integral part of our organisation. They deliver public-facing policing and, alongside other neighbourhood colleagues, are at the heart of the local communities we serve.  The need to make significant savings in the Force budget has led to a re-evaluation of how neighbourhood policing is working in Sussex and a number of options will be presented to chief officers and the police authority in due course. These options include enhanced roles for PCSOs, the possibility of a wider range of powers being made available to them as is the case in other Forces.  Additionally, you will see more response officers out and about because they will have less paperwork as a result of the new model.

The majority of Sussex Police’s budget is staffing. In order to make the level of savings we need to, there will need to be a reduction in numbers of both police officers and staff. The force as a whole is planning to reduce by 550 staff and 500 police officers over the next four years. But we are confident that by changing the way we operate rather than just cutting posts we will protect the frontline service we provide. One way we are doing this is through the more-focused, streamlined approach being introduced in West Sussex - this means a better service can be provided by fewer officers.

Another example of a change which will improve our service is the introduction of Community Resolutions. This is an alternative way of dealing with less serious offences such as low level public order, criminal damage, theft, and minor assaults. Community Resolution avoids criminalising some offenders while ensuring their victims are satisfied with the result.

It has been favourably received by officers because it allows them to deal with low level crime by 'doing the right thing' as opposed to being driven by a sometimes lengthy legal process.

Arundel Police Station isn't closing - it is currently open to members of the public only through an appointment. Neighbourhood policing teams still work from the station and there is also a roads policing unit based there. Many of our front counters have, on average, less than one visitor an hour. The opening hours of police station front offices in Sussex which are not well used by the public could change as this would save over £2 million per year.

In an emergency the public will always be able to contact us quickly through our 999 number. We have one of the best records of all forces in the country at answering these calls quickly. There are lots of other ways for people to be able to get in touch with us too. You can call our non-emergency number which is 0845 60 70 999. Through this, you can report a crime or request to set up a meeting with your local officer. Some crimes can be reported online at www.sussex.police.uk. Also on our website, you can find out the names of your local officers, what they are concentrating on targeting in your area and their upcoming meetings. Of course, you can always approach any officers in the street and they will be happy to speak to you.

We take any reports of anti-social behaviour exceptionally seriously - we know what an impact it has on communities where ASB is a problem. We have teams dedicated to working with victims of ASB and we work closely with our partners in Arun District Council and West Sussex County Council to make sure we are collectively tackling ongoing issues.

We encourage anyone who experiences anti-social behaviour to report it to us - either directly to 0845 6070999 or anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

You can find out more through the dedicated page on the Sussex Police website http://www.sussex.police.uk/advice-and-support/anti-social-behaviour and there is more information available on the Safer Arun Partnership website http://www.saferarun.co.uk/our-priorities-anti-social-behaviour/index.html