The well-known UK seaside city the place thieves, shoplifters and pickpockets are working riot | UK | News | EUROtoday

Locals in a well-known seaside city that has seen crime soar are livid, as thieves and pickpockets run riot. Regency, an space in Brighton’s historic quarter, noticed 2,436 crimes for each 1,000 residents final yr. This compares to a UK common of 85 crimes per 1,000 individuals.

Home to The Lanes, it’s an intricate maze of twisting alleyways, unbiased retailers, small eating places and historic pubs. The Lanes are a stone’s throw from the Palace Pier and the seashore. But, beneath the floor, it has the worst crime charge of any UK metropolis neighbourhood (not together with London and Birmingham), in accordance with police information. Local enterprise homeowners say that beggars, drug addicts and drunks are interested in the world by the wealthy pickings from vacationers and guests.

Sam Farah, who runs Sparkling Newsagents, informed the Mail: “Especially at night and it becomes lawless. They walk in and just take (alcohol). Police have told us not to confront them – they know they can just get away with it, so they do it repeatedly. This is especially typical in the 14-17 year age range, where they know nothing can be done.

“Often they target a particular type of alcohol like champagne, which has a high value, but sometimes it’s just things like Buzzball cocktails – which are trending on TikTok at the moment.”

They added that some people “can get quite violent” if you confront them and despite CCTV “all over the place” they steal anyway.

Retailer Nick Wright said the high crime rate in Regency was no surprise to most of the traders who work there and called for a change in police culture to allow them more time “stopping crime from happening in the first place”.

One resident, who didn’t wish to be named, stated that till the council and the police “do one thing to resolve the horrendous homeless downside” the world will proceed to be blighted, saying it was extra akin to tough elements of San Francisco and LA.

Chief Inspector Simon Marchant, from Sussex Police’s Brighton Command Team, informed the paper: “We’re fully aware of the concerns around anti-social behaviour and drug activity in the Regency area and our teams have been working tirelessly to tackle the issues head-on. Through increased high-visibility patrols, targeted enforcement, and close partnership with local stakeholders, we’ve made a real impact.

“We’ve also had real success in targeting county drugs lines operating in the area, resulting in multiple arrests, significant drug seizures and custodial sentences for key offenders.

“Residents have told us they’ve seen clear improvements in areas like Norfolk and Regency Square, and we’re continuing to build on that progress with arrests, community protection orders, and daily hotspot patrols.

“We’re also improving how we communicate, with more frequent updates and monthly ward-specific briefings, so communities stay informed and engaged in the work we’re doing to keep their neighbourhoods safe.”

The Express has contacted Sussex Police for remark.