PCC to lodge complaint after lost confidence vote

A formal complaint is to be lodged by the office of the Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) after members of the county's police and crime panel said it had "lost confidence" in her.

During a meeting at the end of January, the panel voted to censure Katy Bourne after she joined a march protesting the housing of asylum seekers at a military site in Crowborough.

The office of the PCC said the complaint would be challenging the legal basis of the panel's motion.

Bourne said she was surprised by what she called "a coordinated personal attack on my integrity" by some panel members.

Sussex Liberal Democrats accused Bourne of "inflaming community tensions", adding she should "consider her position" and "reflect upon the serious concerns raised about her judgement".

The PCC also faced criticism for urging the government to look into making asylum seekers wear electronic tags, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Tracie Bangert, who is a member of the panel and serves on Chichester District Council (CDC), said: "I feel strongly that Katy Bourne's conduct makes her position questionable, and undermines the police whose role is to prevent crime across all communities and protect the vulnerable."

Bourne, who was confirmed as the Conservative candidate standing for the position of first mayor of Sussex in 2028, said her current role was to be "the voice of the public in policing" and that she would continue to "discharge my responsibilities without fear or favour".

"The residents of Crowborough will have been very disappointed to see panel members dismiss their genuine concerns and the confused attempt to portray my efforts as fuelling community tensions," she added.

CDC leader Adrian Moss said councils and councillors had been urged by police not to speak out about the situation in Crowborough, whether for or against, due to concerns about "the potential for protests to escalate beyond intimidation into communal violence".

"That Katy Bourne was a candidate to be Sussex mayor is irrelevant," he added.

"She did not make clear the capacity in which she was acting.

"In any case, she was and still is the PCC and she should be expected to align her conduct with, not undermine, the police service she oversees."

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