On a Saturday afternoon in Bexhill, a ten-year-old child stood with his mother in the aisle of B&Q on the Ravenside retail park. He watched a middle-aged man calmly open a packet of light bulbs, remove one, and slip it into his pocket. No rush. No panic. No attempt to hide. Just quiet confidence that no one would intervene.
The child told his mother what he had seen. She looked around, wondering whether to challenge the man. No staff had noticed. No security guard appeared. Life went on.
It was a small crime. But it is precisely moments like that reveal what has happened to Bexhill and other towns around the UK. Crime is no longer shocking. It is routine. It happens in daylight, in public, in front of children, because the people committing it no longer fear consequences. And that is the heart of the crisis facing Bexhill. Ten years ago, Bexhill was not crime-free, but it was recognisably safer. In 2016, recorded crime stood at roughly 1,800 offences, equating to around 42 crimes per 1,000 residents. Today that figure has almost doubled.
In 2025, Sussex Police recorded over 3,200 crimes in Bexhill, a rate of more than 71 crimes per 1,000 people. This is not a short-term blip. It represents a sustained upward trend stretching back nearly a decade, interrupted only briefly during lockdown years when movement itself was restricted.
Violent crime, shoplifting, public order offences and anti-social behaviour now dominate the statistics. These are not abstract categories. They are lived experiences. They are the reason residents change their routines, avoid certain streets, and warn their children to keep their heads down.
There has been a small fall in overall crime numbers compared with the previous year. That fact will no doubt be seized upon by officials keen to suggest things are improving. But when crime levels remain dramatically higher than they were ten years ago, that argument rings hollow. A marginal drop from a historic high is not success. It is damage limitation.
Bexhill has seen crimes in recent years that would once have seemed unthinkable in a seaside town known for retirement and tranquility. In one of the most shocking cases, a woman was murdered in her own home with an axe. The conviction that followed relied heavily on CCTV footage, not because the town is well covered by cameras, but because scraps of footage happened to exist. It was not a triumph of local surveillance. It was luck.
There have been reports of serious sexual assaults in public spaces, including parks, in daylight hours. Police appeals for witnesses and CCTV footage have become routine, often relying on residents and businesses to provide coverage the authorities themselves cannot.
Each incident generates a burst of attention. Each one fades. Nothing fundamental changes. Ask local residents about the narrow alleyway beside Park House Road and you will hear the same story repeated again and again. Assaults. Serious violence. At least one murder. Frequent police visits. Regular appeals for CCTV footage from nearby homes.
What you will not find is a permanent, properly monitored CCTV camera installed by the authorities. Residents say they are told repeatedly that funding is not available, or that responsibility lies elsewhere. In the meantime, the police return to the same doors, asking private individuals to help solve crimes that everyone knows are happening in the same location, over and over again.
One resident, who lives nearby, says bluntly that the alleyway is avoided by locals who know better, while newcomers learn the hard way. It is an open secret – and it has been allowed to remain that way.
ALEXIS MARKWICKEgerton Park should be one of Bexhill’s assets. During the day it is well used. Families pass through. The bowling club brings older residents into the area. Children play. Dogs are walked, but after dark, the mood changes. One resident, a regular daytime visitor, says she would never walk there in the evening. She describes seeing drug use, intimidation and threatening behaviour with groups gathering seemingly just to dominate the space. Her account is not unique. Residents tell Reform UK representatives similar stories. They do not report every incident. They do not expect action. Instead, they adjust their lives. That quiet retreat from public space is one of the clearest signs of a town in trouble.
Shoplifting is one of the fastest growing categories of crime in Bexhill. Central areas record rates significantly higher than a decade ago, and above national averages. Retail staff speak privately of repeat offenders who return again and again, fully aware that little will happen even if they are caught. Police resources are stretched. Prosecutions are rare. Bans are ignored.
The result is exactly what residents are now witnessing. Crime carried out openly, casually, and without fear. When a child can observe theft in a major retailer on a busy afternoon, it is not because crime has become more sophisticated.. It is because enforcement has collapsed.
Anti-social behaviour appears at or near the top of local crime reports month after month. Noise, intimidation, vandalism, aggressive begging, drug use. These are the low-level offences that rarely make headlines but steadily erode quality of life.
They are also the crimes most closely linked to fear. You do not need to be assaulted to feel unsafe. You only need to feel that no one is in control. Residents report seeing police patrols sporadically, often in response to specific operations, but not consistently enough to change behaviour. When enforcement appears temporary, offenders simply wait it out.
None of this should be read as an attack on the police themselves. Frontline officers are widely respected in Bexhill and are clearly doing their best with limited resources. Years of underfunding, shrinking neighbourhood teams, and reactive policing have left officers overstretched and communities under-served. When policing is reduced to firefighting, even the most dedicated officers cannot deliver the visible presence that deters crime.
Defenders of the status quo correctly note that crime in Bexhill is uneven. Some neighbourhoods remain relatively safe. Some streets see very little trouble.
But that misses the point. Town-wide statistics reflect town-wide reality. The existence of quieter pockets does not negate the experiences of those living in high-crime areas, nor does it comfort those who work, shop or travel through them. Bexhill functions as a whole. When its centre becomes hostile, everyone feels the effect.
Perhaps the most striking feature of speaking to residents is not anger, but resignation. People no longer expect decisive action from the government or Sussex Police. They do not believe additional police officers are coming. They do not believe CCTV will be installed. They do not believe anti-social behaviour will be tackled consistently. Local government points to budgets. National government points to strategy. Between the two, Bexhill drifts.
The greatest threat facing Bexhil is not any single crime, however serious. It is the normalisation of lawlessness.
When people stop reporting. When children witness theft as a matter of routine. When parks are avoided after dark. When known danger spots are left unmonitored for years. That is when decline becomes entrenched.
Crime does not need to spiral uncontrollably to do lasting damage. It only needs to be tolerated.
Reform UK believes that Bexhill can still choose a different path. The data is clear. The voices of residents are clear. The problems are known, mapped, and repeated.
What is missing is urgency
Without decisive action, without visible enforcement, without investment in prevention and protection, the message being sent is unmistakable: that this is acceptable. That this is the new normal. And once that message takes hold, reclaiming a town becomes far harder than protecting it ever was.
Steps for Change: Restoring Order
What is happening in Bexhill is not an isolated local failure. It reflects a national breakdown that Reform UK has set out in its Britain Is Lawless report. That report is clear in its conclusion: Britain has not become lawless by accident, but through years of political choices that weakened policing, hollowed out deterrence, and quietly accepted the normalisation of crime.
In towns like Bexhill, the consequences are no longer theoretical. They are visible, daily, and deeply felt by residents. One of the central arguments of Britain Is Lawless is that many offences have been effectively decriminalised by neglect. Not because Parliament repealed laws, but because enforcement has become so inconsistent that offenders no longer believe consequences will follow.
Shoplifting, intimidation, vandalism, public disorder, sexual assault, and persistent anti-social behaviour now sit in a grey zone where victims are told they matter, but offenders quickly learn that little will happen. This is not compassion. It is abdication. Reform UK’s position is unambiguous. All crime must carry consequences.
Restore Policing to Sensible Levels and Core Purpose
Residents repeatedly say the same thing. They do not see police often enough, and when they do, it is usually in response to a serious incident rather than as a preventative presence. Reform UK supports restoring police numbers to sensible levels, but just as importantly, restoring policing to its core purpose: preventing crime, catching criminals, and protecting the public.
This means fewer officers diverted into non-crime activity, and more officers permanently assigned to neighbourhoods they know. In Bexhill and Battle, this means named policing teams, visible foot patrols in known hotspots, and accountability to the communities they serve. Criminals respond to certainty. When enforcement is predictable and sustained, crime falls.
It is important to be clear that this is not a criticism of individual police officers. Frontline and neighbourhood officers are widely respected and are often working under intense pressure. Years of underfunding, rising demand, and the loss of neighbourhood teams have left policing overstretched and reactive. Reform UK believes this is a failure of political priorities, not policing professionalism. We would seek to direct more resources back to frontline and neighbourhood policing, ensuring officers have the time, numbers, and support they need to maintain a visible presence, deter crime, and rebuild trust with the communities they serve.
Make All Crime Carry Real Consequences
The collapse of deterrence is at the heart of the problem. Reform UK rejects the idea that prison overcrowding, court backlogs, or administrative convenience should determine whether crimes are punished. Repeat offenders should face automatic escalation once clear thresholds are crossed. That includes mandatory custodial sentences or compulsory work. Community sentences must be visible, enforced, and unavoidable. Fixed penalties must be collected, not quietly written off.
Early release as a routine crime management tool has failed. Reform UK is clear that sentencing should reflect the seriousness of offences and the harm caused, not the capacity of the system.
CCTV Where Crime Happens, Not Where It Is Convenient
In Bexhill, residents are repeatedly asked to provide CCTV footage because the authorities have failed to install cameras where crime actually occurs. This approach is backwards. Reform UK supports targeted CCTV deployment in proven crime hotspots, properly monitored and linked to rapid response. Alleyways with histories of violence should be covered. Parks that become threatening after dark should be monitored. Town centre routes that attract repeat offending should not be left to chance. Privacy matters, but public safety must come first. The balance has tipped too far away from protecting law-abiding residents.
Zero Tolerance for Persistent Anti-Social Behaviour
Anti-social behaviour is not harmless background noise. It is often the first step in a pattern that escalates into serious crime. Individuals or groups who intimidate, harass, or dominate public spaces drive out families, older residents, and legitimate activity.
Reform UK supports a zero-tolerance approach to persistent anti-social behaviour. That includes the routine use of dispersal powers, curfews for repeat offenders, and swift sanctions when behaviour crosses clear lines.
Allowing disorder to fester is how towns slide into long-term decline.
Address Root Causes Without Making Excuses
Crime does not happen in a vacuum, but understanding causes must never become an excuse for abandoning standards. Reform UK is clear that personal responsibility matters. At the same time, tackling crime requires confronting the failures that feed it. Drug dependency, family breakdown, lack of meaningful work, and the grip of organised criminal networks all play a role. Reform UK supports targeted interventions that deliver results, not endless programmes that measure engagement rather than outcomes. Rehabilitation should be practical, disciplined, and linked directly to work, treatment, and accountability.
Victims and the Law-Abiding Majority Come First
For too long, the system has placed offenders at the centre and victims at the margins. Reform UK’s approach reverses that. Victims’ voices should matter at every stage, from charging decisions to bail and sentencing. Public spaces should belong to families, workers, and older residents, not to those who intimidate or disrupt.
The law-abiding majority are entitled to safety, order, and confidence in authority.
From National Failure to Local Action
Reform UK is clear that responsibility for this crisis spans all the established parties. Conservative, Labour, and Liberal Democrat governments have all promised action, and all have overseen decline. In Bexhill and Battle, Reform UK would push for clear local commitments, including:
- Permanent town centre and neighbourhood foot patrols
- CCTV installed in named, evidence-based hotspots
- Public reporting of repeat offenders and outcomes
- Regular crime accountability meetings open to residents
The choice facing our community is stark. Continue down a path where disorder is managed, excused, and normalised, or take decisive action to restore order and confidence. This is not a choice between compassion and enforcement. It is a choice between order and decline.
Sources
Sussex Police
Crime data, neighbourhood policing reports, court outcomes, appeals for witnesses and CCTV
https://www.sussex.police.uk
Police.uk (Home Office crime data platform)
Official recorded crime data by category and location
https://www.police.uk
Office for National Statistics (ONS)
National and regional crime trends and long-term comparisons
https://www.ons.gov.uk
