Residents have voiced their concerns over rising rural crime.
The meeting, organised by Jordan Whyte and attended by Sussex Weald MP Nusrat Ghani and councillors Johanna Howell and Bob Standley, focused on the pressing issue of rural crime in the area.
Despite the overall low crime rate in the Sussex Weald, rural crime remains a significant concern, particularly in the north of the constituency bordering Kent, the meeting heard.
The meeting was attended by residents and farmers from Withyham and Blackham who voiced their concerns to representatives from Sussex Police, Wealden District Council, and East Sussex County Council.
The leader of Wealden District Council was invited but did not attend.
The discussions at the meeting revolved around anti-social behaviour, theft of machinery and equipment for international resale and the need for more automatic number plate recognition cameras in Withyham.
This follows a successful campaign to install additional security equipment in Blackham.
Ms Ghani said she continues to work with Sussex Police's Rural Crime Team and Wealden Neighbourhood Policing Team to secure more police presence and visibility in the area.
She is pushing for more cross-border, multi-agency efforts to prevent rural crime, following the success of previous operations that led to multiple arrests.
"I appreciate all the work that the community is doing to ensure that criminal activity is dealt with and I note the concerns made about police response times and lack of visibility," said Ms Ghani.
"I am keen to keep the pressure up to ensure that both Sussex Police and Kent Police work together to secure arrests and convictions."
Ghani is also working with the Police and Crime Commissioner's office to secure more resources for increased police patrol activity.
She urged residents to report any crime to the police and keep a record of the police crime reference number.
The original article is available here.
