Rye Community Fire Station needs you!

Rye Community Fire Station needs you!

Rye Community Fire Station is looking for new on call retained firefighters and is opening it’s doors to anyone interested in becoming part of the East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service team.

Live or work in Rye?

The station is recruiting on call retained firefighters.  You will need to live or work within five minutes of the station so you can respond to an alert in a timely manner.

An open evening is being held between 6.00pm until 8.30pm on the 18 April 2018 at the station on Ferry Road, Rye, East Sussex, TN31 7DJ.There will be a chance to find out if you have what it takes to be an on-call firefighter and visitors will be able to try out some of the duties and tasks which firefighters regularly undertake including dummy drag, ladder climbing and other physical tasks. Continue reading Rye Community Fire Station needs you!

Two Women Shot Dead in St Leonards

Police launch murder investigation after shooting in St Leonards

Police have launched a murder investigation after a two women were shot dead in a house in St Leonards.

Officers responded immediately to a report of a shooting at 7.43pm in Bexhill Road on Friday (16 March). Firearms officers were able to lead two other women from the house to safety and they were taken to hospital. Both were uninjured but suffering from shock. One of these women is pregnant. Continue reading Two Women Shot Dead in St Leonards

Tackling Rural Crime

Op Traverse calls on anglers to be ‘eyes and ears’ to tackle rural crime

Op Traverse calls on anglers to be 'eyes and ears' to tackle rural crime

Sussex anglers are being encouraged to become ‘eyes and ears’ for tackling wildlife crime across the county.
The Environment Agency, CEFAS (Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science) and the Angling Trust have joined forces with the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU) and police forces across the country to promote Operation Traverse, highlighting the many problems with criminals operating in rural communities.
Sussex Police announced its involvement on Tuesday (March 13), to coincide with the start of the three-month close season for river fishing starting on March 15, encouraging all users of the countryside and particularly anglers to help tackle the problems.
Crimes are as diverse as the rural environment itself, ranging from theft of fish to public health issues and destruction of Sites of Special Scientific Interest.
The signal crayfish is an alien invader that is having devastating effects on native crayfish and a number of other freshwater species, but while it is illegal to return any to the water, it is also illegal for any unlicensed person to catch them and introduce them to the food chain.
Along the Sussex coast are a number of cockle beds that are attractive to criminals who similarly are introducing shellfish into the human food chain without the rigorous checks necessary to ensure that they are fit for consumption.
There are many miles of rivers and canals and vast acreages of still waters across the county, containing individual fish that can be worth in excess of £10,000 each. These are obviously very attractive to thieves, but along with the losses sustained by the people who own them, including many fishing clubs and organisations, there is the serious risk of the spread of disease. Fish movements, like livestock, are carefully controlled and unauthorised activity can have a devastating impact on freshwater environments, already threatened by water abstraction, pollution and agricultural run-off.
Sergeant Tom Carter, wildlife crime lead for the force, said: “While there may be some romantic notion of a local poacher tickling a trout to take home for the pot, the reality is that illegal fishing in particular is known to involve organised crime gangs and links to drugs and other crimes.
“This isn’t restricted to Sussex, nor just to the UK and we know that illegal movement of fish takes place across national borders and is a very lucrative activity. The Angling Trust has been very proactive nationally and has promoted good working practises between the Environment Agency and police, especially here in the south-east. They also work closely with eastern European fisheries enforcement officers and are have fostered further working relationships with other enforcement agencies on the continent.
“Sussex Police receives calls throughout the year not only about illegal fishing, but also the taking of swans and other waterfowl. We are now reinforcing the ways in which we can deal with these offences with our officers and staff who take these reports and linking in with partners to improve our response.
“The Angling Trust has 500 voluntary bailiffs across the country who act as the eyes and ears for rural and fishing-related crime and we will be working with them to gather intelligence on rural crime issues. However, there are thousands of people who walk the county’s rivers, lakes and waterways and we are asking them to also report any suspicious activity to help us build an accurate picture of the scale of the problem and to deal with it more effectively.”
Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne has already met with the Angling Trust and agreed to join them and Sussex Police on Op Traverse wildlife patrols.
“Wildlife Crime is often seen as a less serious issue than other rural crimes which is why it’s vital to raise awareness of the actual scale of it, and the potentially irreparable damage to the ecology and species sustainability.
“It’s also important to recognise the extent to which organised crime is driving the exploitation of the environment and damaging legitimate businesses such as fisheries. I have assured the public that I will make rural crime a priority, and so I am looking forward to the launch of Sussex Police’s comprehensive rural crime strategy in the Spring.
“In the meantime, I wanted to praise the Angling Trust and Sergeant Tom Carter for driving this initiative and to thank in anticipation all those local anglers who can support Op Traverse.”
Charles Bacchus, the Environment Agency’s fisheries technical specialist for Sussex, said: “The Environment Agency is delighted to be working with Sussex Police and the Angling Trust to ensure we support legal fishing in Sussex and prevent unlawful activities on our waterways.”
David Wardley-Wilkins, the Angling Trust’s regional enforcement manager for the south-east, said: “Tackling fish theft and illegal fishing is vital if we are to protect fisheries and having Sussex Police join Operation TRAVERSE is terrific news for all responsible, law-abiding anglers. We very much look forward to working closely with Sussex Police alongside our existing and future partners.”
You can report incidents to Sussex Police online or by calling 101. If a crime is taking place, please dial 999. If you believe it to be an Environment Agency issue, you can contact their 24-hour incident line on 0800 807060.

Continue reading Tackling Rural Crime

Do you know this man?

Do you know this man? Sought over use of stolen bank card in Hastings after serious assault

Do you know this man? Sought over use of stolen bank card in Hastings after serious assaultPolice in Hastings want to trace and interview this man, in connection with a theft and a serious assault on a local man.

The man in this CCTV image was seen near Lidl in Hastings town centre on the morning of Sunday 11 February, just after the victim’s bank card had been used to buy a packet of cheese strings in the store.

The attack happened at the 68-year-old victim’s home in the West Hill area of Hastings in the early hours of Saturday, February 10. He had spent much of the evening in French’s night club and Club XS in the town before heading off home.

Between 4.30 and 5.30am he was subjected to a vicious assault resulting in severe facial injuries. He had a deep laceration to his cheek, a fractured eye socket and cheek bones, cuts and bruising to his head and nose and a bleed on the brain. He was admitted to the Conquest Hospital in Hastings and later transferred to the Queen Victoria Hospital at East Grinstead. He has since returned home.

Investigator Leah Yoshida said; “The man in the picture is not suspected of being involved in the assault, but we want to interview him about the use of the card.

“If you know who he is or have any other information, please contact us online or call us on 101 quoting Operation Marcross.”

You can also contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

On 24 February James Starnes, 20, a factory worker, of Lewis Road, St Leonards, appeared at Brighton Magistrates Court charged with causing grievous bodily harm to the man at the address on 10 February. Starnes was remanded in custody to appear at Lewes Crown Court on 23 March.

Rye’s Own Bulletin Monday 12 March 2018

Continue reading Do you know this man?

Website Manager

Hard Work Updating Rye’s Own Website

Well done to our volunteer website manager, Dace Homa, who finds enough time in her busy life to put post after post from back issues of Rye’s Own, Hastings Town and Cinque Ports magazines and archives into the Rye’s Own Website.

ryesown.co.uk

Continue reading Website Manager

£1,000 Reward for information leading to the arrest of this wanted man

Price on head of wanted East Sussex man is now in four figures

Price on head of wanted East Sussex man is now in four figures

A  reward for information leading to the arrest of wanted man Kesley Searle has been doubled to £1,000.

Set at £500 early last month (February), the reward has been increased in a determined effort to trace Searle.

The 24-year-old, from St Leonards-on-Sea, is wanted for breaching a community order imposed by Hastings magistrates in November after he pleaded guilty to driving whilst disqualified and taking a motor vehicle without the owner’s consent.
It is believed that he may still be in the Hastings area. He is white, 5′ 9″, of medium build with blond hair and blue eyes.
Anyone who sees him or knows of his whereabouts is asked to report details online or call 101 quoting serial 289 of 26/01.

Rye’s Own Bulletin Monday 5 March 2018