MORE young people are being helped through traumatising court cases, says Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne.

She says she has managed to help people under the age of 18 to get through cases when they are the victims of sexual abuse or similar scenarios.

She said that a lot of young people tend to pull out of court cases because it can become too much for them mentally.

She said: “When adults suffer sexual abuse it is horrible but for a child it is absolutely horrendous.

“We helped 300 young people in their cases last year with a 100 per cent record of getting them through the entire case.

“It is a horrific incident to go through for them.

“I have sat and cried with the victims that I have helped.”

She set up the service which helps victims under 18 go through the court cases with full support throughout the trial and offering it after the verdict.

Ms Bourne felt that this has been the most important part of her seven years in the role.

She said: “It is things like this that I think about when reflecting on my job.

“I feel very privileged every day to be in this role.

“I can make decisions that affect people’s lives positively.”

Ms Bourne wanted to reassure the people of Sussex that they can feel safe on their streets.

“There is no evidence to suggest that Sussex is a higher terror threat than anywhere else,” she said.

“I am not alarmed but I would say you should be cautious but that goes for everywhere else in the country too.

“If you see or hear anything suspicious, make sure you report it - don’t just turn a blind eye to it.”

Ms Bourne also suggested that Sussex Police offers the “best value for money” out of other forces around the country and said that it is leading the way for elderly care in the community.

She said: “People aged 70 and above are much happier in Sussex than the national average.”

She did, however, say that more cuts will be inevitable, and pleaded for other authorities to help more.

“Like all other services, it is inevitable that we will face more cuts,” she said.

She was speaking during an interview earlier this week with the Argus Guest Editor crime writer Peter James.

He decided that he wanted to quiz Ms Bourne on her role.

When he said to her that up to 80 per cent of police time is spent dealing with issues that other authorities should be, Ms Bourne said: “Everyone needs to step up to the plate when it comes to that issue.”

She remained positive about her job performance, saying: “I have seen huge change in the last five years. We are working on new ways to tackle crime.”