Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne recently visited Camber Sands to see how the Rother Neighbourhood Policing Team work with local agencies to keep beachgoers safe on the famous Sussex beach. During the visit, she discussed the police response with Sergeant Roger Tomlinson and PCSO Demi Georghiou.
During peak holiday season, the famous Sussex beach can see up to 30,000 visitors per day. The police work with many partner organisations including Rother District Council’s Beach Patrol and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) to patrol the beaches to keep visitors safe. Tragically, Camber Sands has seen multiple drownings in recent years so relevant authorities work collaboratively to prevent this from re-occurring.
An issue frequently facing Sussex Police is missing children, especially on peak holidays. On their busiest days, the police can deal with up to 60 missing children reports along the 2.5 mile stretch of beach. To swiftly re-unite children with their parents, the police and partners, including Street Pastors, hand out wristbands on arrival which allow parents to write their contact details on them. Should their child wander off, the police can easily re-unite them with loved ones. On average, Sussex Police are able to locate and re-unite children with their families within 20 minutes of the alarm being raised.
Speaking about the visit, Katy said: “I am grateful that Sussex Police have such a robust process for policing and safeguarding members of the public on Camber Sands, especially their valuable work to locate missing children.
“Giving children contact detail wristbands to wear works effectively and provides a reassuring service to residents and visitors. It is one of the many ways that Sussex Police works with partner organisations at Camber Sands and I’m hopeful that everyone enjoys a safe and fun summer on this beautiful Sussex beach.”
