Meeting Summary and Action Plan

Date: 17 September 2026
Venue: BMECP Centre
Attendance: 30 attendees, including community members, representatives from Black and minority ethnic community organizations, policy experts, racial justice and equality experts and representatives from the Positive Action Team and Community Police at Sussex Police

Executive Summary

The Stronger Together: Community & Police event successfully created a safe and constructive space for dialogue between Black and minority ethnic communities and Sussex Police. Participants engaged openly on issues relating to trust, representation, stop and search, mental health, community safety, police visibility, and accountability.

A particularly positive aspect of the session was the openness of police representatives, who acknowledged both progress and areas where significant work remains to be done. Participants welcomed the honesty shown by police representatives, particularly where they acknowledged gaps in data, understanding, and service provision.

The aim of the event was to create a formal feedback loop between communities and the police to monitor progress and maintain accountability.

Key Themes Emerging from the Discussion

1. Recruitment, Representation and Retention of BME Officers

Participants welcomed the increase in Black, Asian and Global Majority representation within Sussex Police but expressed concern that representation remains below the level of the wider population. Questions were also raised regarding retention and career progression within the police service. Police representatives noted that attracting and retaining officers from minority ethnic backgrounds remains a challenge and that “stay interviews” are being used to better understand staff experiences.

Community Concerns

• Underrepresentation of BME officers.
• Lack of publicly available data on retention.
• Limited understanding of why minority ethnic officers’ leave.
• Career progression and leadership opportunities.

Requested Actions

• Share updated recruitment and representation data.
• Provide information on retention initiatives.
• Share career progression data for BME officers where possible.
• Continue engagement with BME communities to support recruitment.

2. Stop and Search: Transparency, Trust and Accountability

Stop and search generated significant discussion. Community members expressed concerns regarding disproportionality, unconscious bias, and the impact of stop and search on trust in policing. There was a strong call for greater transparency around data, outcomes, intelligence-led policing, and accountability mechanisms for officers.

Community Concerns

• Lack of understanding of how stop and search decisions are made.
• Perceived racial disproportionality.
• Impact of unsuccessful searches on community trust.
• Concerns regarding unconscious bias.

Requested Actions

• Share stop and search data and outcomes.
• Explain how intelligence informs stop and search decisions.
• Provide information about officer accountability measures.
• Promote community participation in the Stop and Search Scrutiny Panel.
• Report back on any disproportionality monitoring undertaken.

3. Building Trust and Confidence

Several participants reflected on how trust in the police can be influenced not only by individual experiences but also by the experiences of family members and wider communities. Young people in particular were identified as a group requiring greater engagement.

Community Concerns

• Historical experiences continue to influence perceptions.
• Limited direct engagement with younger people.
• Need for relationship-building outside crisis situations.

Requested Actions

• Increase police participation in community events.
• Develop youth-focused engagement opportunities.
• Build stronger relationships with community leaders and organisations.

4. Mental Health and Policing

Mental health emerged as a major concern. Participants questioned how police respond to individuals experiencing mental health crises and whether officers have sufficient support and training. Discussion highlighted the previous existence of specialist mental health support teams working alongside police and concerns following reductions in such provision.

Community Concerns

• Inappropriate criminalisation of mental health crises.
• Impact on BME men and those from culturally diverse backgrounds.
• Use of force during crisis situations.
• Lack of specialist support.

Requested Actions

• Share information on current mental health training.
• Clarify existing partnerships with health services.
• Explore opportunities to restore specialist mental health support.
• Consider the cultural competence of mental health responses.

5. Community Safety and Local Businesses

Business owners raised concerns about theft, anti-social behaviour, and interactions with vulnerable individuals, particularly around London Road and Western Road. Participants also highlighted reduced visibility of local police patrols.

Community Concerns

• Impact of theft and anti-social behaviour.
• Limited knowledge of local officers.
• Reduced visible policing.

Requested Actions

• Improve visibility of local policing teams.
• Promote access to local neighbourhood officers.
• Increase engagement with community businesses.
• Consider targeted reassurance patrols in affected areas.

6. Data, Evidence and Community Accountability

One of the strongest themes across the entire meeting was the need for more data. Participants consistently requested both qualitative and quantitative information to better understand trends, identify issues, and measure progress over time.

Requested Actions

• Share available data where possible.
• Explain what data is collected and how it is used.
• Establish agreed indicators to monitor progress.
• Report back regularly to the community.

Proposed Joint Action Plan for Next Meeting

Outcomes Achieved

• 30 community members and stakeholders attended the event.
• Two attendees expressed interest in becoming Community Advocates.
• Community & Police meetings will now be regular to create a sustainable feedback mechanism between communities and the police.
• Community priorities and concerns were clearly identified and documented.