Are we going to see an officer on the beat?
We will retain a visible presence. Our prevention, response and investigation teams will all be active within neighbourhoods across Sussex. The Sussex Local Policing Model gives a named person, rather than someone with a physical presence in every locality in Sussex, who will have an understanding of the needs of the local community. The aim is to deliver policing more efficiently through embracing technology and multi-agency working, reducing cost and engaging with the public in a way that suits you and us better.

Will officers no longer be responding to the lowest level of crime and incidents?
We will prioritise the crimes that cause the greatest harm to victims and the community such as harmful anti-social behaviour incidents but we will not respond to calls about isolated and low level social media disputes.

Non-emergency incidents are currently dealt with through an appointment system. The Sussex Local Policing Model introduces a resolution centre, staffed by police officers, that aims to resolve issues at initial phone contact or online, reducing the requirement for officers to attend calls at a later date for issues that may be more appropriate for another agency or they could resolve themselves. We will continue to work with our partners to ensure the most appropriate agency responds to calls and base our police response on incidents where there is threat, risk and harm to those involved, always prioritising the vulnerable.

How will you police effectively with a reduced budget?
A rigorous methodology has been used to develop the Local Policing Model that ensures the design is based on rigorous demand analysis. The model aims to deliver policing more efficiently through embracing technology and multi-agency working, reducing cost and engaging with the public in the best way.

Around £56 million needs to be saved in total. Further savings will come from supporting functions and collaboration with Surrey.

As an organisation we spend 80% of our budget on pay. It was inevitable that we would have to downsize and refocus roles while seeking to retain our operational capability.

How will you manage the 'digital' divide in some communities?
While, in line with many other organisations and businesses, we are encouraging people to contact us using digital communications, we recognise that there are significant groups of people who are not able to do this and our traditional lines of communication including personal contact, telephones and indeed, written communications, will continue.

How will Sussex Police continue to retain the trust and consent of the people it serves?
How people prefer to contact us has changed, so we will be expanding opportunities for the public to report crime and find out information online. Our police stations and shared contact points will continue to be available for the public to report crime face to face if this is their preference.

Victims and witnesses will be given one point of contact and in each policing area there will be a named person who knows their neighbourhood. The resolution centre will give members of the public access to police officers over the phone to help them resolve low-scale issues at the first point of contact. We will provide a presence in a more informed way as we focus resources in crime hotspots and vulnerable locations. Our community continues to be protected with new, efficient ways of working and with partners where possible.

What will you no longer investigate?
An investigation matrix will be developed so that we investigate the crimes which pose the greatest threat, risk and harm. The vulnerability of the victim will always be a key factor in any investigation.

We will investigate crime and incidents where there are lines of enquiry which could lead to the identification of a suspect. If no lines of enquiry exist then the crime will be recorded until any new evidence comes to light. As with our response, we will investigate based on the level of threat, risk and harm to those involved, always considering the needs and wishes of the victim and whether taking action is also in the wider public interest. Evidence has shown that forces which investigate fewer crimes, solve more crimes, focusing their resources in the areas of the greatest vulnerability.

Will you still record all crimes reported to you?
Sussex will continue to apply National Crime Recording Standards and Home Office counting rules for recorded crime. These have the aims of being victim-focused and maintaining consistency of recording across all forces. The standards and rules are based on applying legal definitions of crime to victim's reports and stipulate what type and how many offences in any particular incident should be notified to the Home Office. Therefore, every crime must be recorded if it meets the criteria.

What should the public no longer report to you?
If you have been the victim of a crime or think you have witnessed one, you should report it to the police straight away. We would prefer you to report online or by calling 101. In an emergency always dial 999.

If the issue could be better dealt with by another agency, such as noise pollution or inconsiderate parking, then you should make contact with that agency in the first instance.

How will the changes help police officers work effectively and reduce paperwork?
The new model will ensure officers and staff are equipped with the training and technology they need to respond efficiently to calls for help. In the future, officers will spend less time in police stations as mobile technology allows them instant access to data, enabling them to resolve issues quickly and no longer have to input information multiple times. Prosecution case workers, teams of support staff who build case files on behalf of police officers, are part of the Sussex Local Policing Model and proposals see them being trained to undertake further investigation as part of their role. In the future as the wider criminal justice system moves to a digital solution, the demand on officers to complete paperwork will reduce further. An innovation bid, currently with the Home Office, would enable this work to be progressed in Sussex.

Will there still be a named officer for every ward in Sussex?
Wherever you are in Sussex there will be someone you can contact who has a understanding of the issues that matter to you.

Will there be enough people to respond to emergencies?
Public safety is still our absolute priority. We have protected our response teams so that you can be assured that in times of need we will be there.

We will always focus on the needs of those who are the most vulnerable and we will always be there when you need us in an emergency.

Will response times be affected?
The Sussex Local Policing Model has mapped demand across Sussex. We will be working smarter, no longer constrained by organisational boundaries so the best placed officer responds to those in need. This fast response will be aided by the use of 'vehicle telematics' technology so that the nearest vehicle attends a call to help. Mobile policing also means that officers will spend more time based in the community and ready to respond from where they are at the time, not necessarily a police station.

Currently, 80% of Grade 1 calls are answered within our target maximum time of 15 minutes.

How do proposed changes impact your resilience to deal with a major incident (such as counter terrorism) which requires warranted officers to keep people safe?
The model meets the national policing requirements in relation to dealing with terrorism, civil emergencies, organised crime, threats to public order and a large scale cyber incident. All police forces around the UK can be called to support another police service in the case of a major incident. Working more closely and aligning our ways of working with Surrey Police we have already tested and proved our resilience when dealing with incidents that require ongoing, additional dedicated resource, for example, the oil exploration at Balcombe