Agenda and minutes

RESOLVED that the notes of the meeting held on 4 July 2024were a correct record.

1.    Ms S Brinson (Community Safety Team Leader, KCC) presented the Community Safety Agreement (CSA) Report and explained that at the previous Kent Community Safety Partnership (KCSP) meeting in July 2024; members were presented with the refreshed action plan which supported delivery of the CSA priorities.

1.    Ms Brinson explained that all of the actions were in progress and being delivered in collaboration with partners or other boards/partnership. The action plan  includes activities such as the domestic homicide reviews, renewal of the domestic abuse services website, work with other multi-agency groups, information sharing/ awareness raising and training.  

2.    In terms of the CSA review and refresh, the current CSA was discussed at the KCSP Working Group in October 2024. The Kent Community Safety Team (KCST) were in the process of sourcing data from partners for use by the district/borough Community Safety Partnership’s in their annual strategic assessment process to help identify key community safety issues, thus also informing the County CSA priorities. The KCST was also planning a data workshop on 11th December for partners involved in producing the local strategic assessments.

3.    Following the review of CSPs and ASB powers undertaken by the Home Office, it was anticipated that the recommendations would result in legislative changes for CSPs or the development of new statutory guidance. However, since the change in government, there had been no additional announcements, although ASB had remained a key focus.  It was hoped that further guidance would be released in 2025/26.

4.    The Working Group agreed to refresh the current CSA, with a full review in the next financial year which will include any changes that were required by the Home Office. 

5.    In the meantime, the planned refresh would include: a review of the priorities identified by the local district/borough CSPs based on the strategic assessment outcomes; priorities outlined in the new Kent Police and Crime Plan, horizon scanning which would help identify emerging issues; and a review of the statutory duties and relevant legislation.

6.    The KCST will work with partner organisations over the coming months to refresh the CSA document, which will be presented to the KCSP meeting in March 2025 for senior partnership input.

7.    Cllr S Mochrie-Cox indicated that Police crime data was outdated as it was based on old Kent ward boundaries from a national database. This could impact on an accurate identification of local CSP and CSA priorities and a correct allocation of resources.

8.    Cllr Mochrie-Cox requested the KCSP write to Kent Police to seek an explanation regarding the availability of crime data aligned with the most recent Kent ward boundaries, emphasising its importance and timeliness. The Vice-Chairman acting as Chair on this occasion seconded the motion.

RESOLVED that KCSP:

a. Note the update.

b. Writes to Kent Police  to seek an explanation regarding the availability of crime data aligned with the most recent Kent ward boundaries, emphasising its importance and timeliness.

1.  Mr M Powell (Director, Kent and Medway Violence Reduction Unit, KCC) clarified that he was speaking in his capacity as Chair of the KCSP Working Group.

2.  Mr Powell outlined that the funding allocation to the KCSP from the Police and Crime Commissioners, Crime Reduction Grant (CRG) for 2024/25 had remained the same as in previous years (£39,661) The funding allocated by the PCC focused on the priorities identified in the CSA and the PCC’s Making Kent Safer plan.

3.  The majority of the funding has been allocated to the 9 partnership projects with just £156 remaining in the tactical pot for in-year spending on any additional small projects.  

4.  Mr S Peerbux (Head of Community Safety, KCC, and Deputy Chair of KCSP Working Group) provided an update on the Kent Community Safety Team (KCST).

5.  Mr Peerbux advised that as part of the KCST’s role in sharing good practice and facilitating joint working, the team produced and circulated a monthly e-bulletin with the latest community safety updates and any relevant news, publications and legislation. The most recent bulletin included updates and information on the upcoming Community Safety Information Sessions (CSIS), Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Training, a joint learning webinar with the Kent and Medway Safeguarding Adults Board outlining learning from Domestic Homicide Reviews (DHRs)/Domestic Abuse Related Death Reviews (DARDRs) and Safeguarding Adult Reviews (SARs), DHR publications, partner consultations, training offers, partner newsletters and awareness events.

6.  He encouraged the partner organisations to email the KCST (kentcommunitysafetyteam@kent.gov.uk) if they wished to subscribe to the e-bulletin, have any suggested topics/speakers for the information sessions (CSIS), brief updates for the e-bulletins or any other relevant issues.

7.  He said that the KCST was working with partners in the Kent and Medway Safeguarding Adults Board (KMSAB) on the annual National Safeguarding Adults Awareness Week (SAAW) campaign, which would take place between 18 and 24 November 2024. The KCST had engaged with the Kent Community Warden Service and local district/borough colleagues regarding events which would take place during the week.

8.  In addition, the KCST was working with colleagues to support and promote the 16 days of Action Against Domestic Abuse, which ran between 25 November 2024 and 10 December 2024. The team would share information with colleagues across Kent and Medway about the webinars that were taking place.

9.  The KCST was developing a new Memorandum of Understanding for Kent Police and KCC Community Safety following the formal withdrawal of KFRS from the multiagency team. Kent Police and KCC remained committed to the joint working within the KCST and had arranged an in-person workshop at the end of November 2024 to scope future delivery and needs.

RESOLVED that the KCSP note the progress and actions undertaken by the Working Group and the work of the KCST.

1.  Ms Jessica Mookherjee (Assistant Director/Consultant in Public Health) provided an update on each objective of the Kent Drug and Alcohol Strategy Substance Misuse.

2.  Ms Mookherjee said that the rate and number of people in Kent with an opiate or crack addiction who accessed treatment services was under the expected estimated, however, the rate of unmet need is higher than the national average.

3.  Additional funding had been provided to improve access to drug services, particularly for opiate and crack addicted people, so it was of concern that the target had not been achieved yet. Nonetheless, this was a national issue and was not unique to Kent.

4.  A key area of work had been the tightening of Criminal Justice pathways, which involved close collaboration with the police, the courts, the Probation Service and the Prison Service.  The context of this was important because drug death and alcohol-related deaths in Kent were still on the rise. There was a real time surveillance system in place that helped pinpoint some of the key issues that caused people to die of alcohol and drug-related problems. An important lesson learnt was that getting people into treatment at a sufficiently early stage was crucial as often people who accesses treatment services already suffered from poor health.

5.  The project plan for implementing the Joint Working Protocol for co-occurring conditions was in progress. Multiple partners were engaged, and efforts were made, to embed practices into frontline operations across the county. There had been discussions regarding the possible secondment of social workers to substance misuse teams at KMPT. Collaboration with the Kent and Medway Safeguarding Adults Board aimed to upskill the workforce, with training focused on topics such as alcohol-related brain damage, self-neglect safeguarding and care planning. Training for professionals in statutory agencies on co-occurring conditions was ongoing and evolving. Key issues that need addressing included reducing the stigma associated with substance misuse within mental health and health services, improving awareness of cognitive impairments related to alcohol-related brain damage and enhancing advocacy for individuals with co-occurring conditions.

6.  Another area of concern was the emergence of new synthetic opioid substances that were used to adulterate the supply of drugs, as these put drug users at higher risk of death.

7.  Finally, the number of identified county lines in Kent had reduced. However, the risk that county lines posed remained consistent as those involved in this type of crime were becoming more aware of how policing could disrupt their strategies.

RESOLVED that the KCSP note the progress and actions undertaken through the Kent Combating Drug Partnership and Kent Drug and Alcohol Strategy.

1.  Mr M Powell provided a summary of the strategy that was agreed by the Serious Violence Prevention Partnership Board and the progress made against the action plan.

2.  The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022, which received Royal Assent in April 2022, required for specified authorities to collaborate and plan to reduce or prevent serious violence.

3.  All the named Kent authorities, except for Gravesham Borough Council, agreed to establish a Serious Violence Prevention Partnership Board (SVPP Board) to be chaired by the Police and Crime Commissioner. Gravesham Borough Council chose to deliver its own arrangements through their Community Safety Partnership.

4.  In January 2024 the Strategic Needs Assessment and Serious Violence strategy were discussed and agreed by the SVPP Board. The needs assessment was based on data from all contributing authorities. The strategy agreed was for the period 2024 – 2027.

5.  The Serious Violence strategy was agreed in January 2024. The strategy had three key strands:

·         Sexual Violence and Domestic Abuse

·         Serious Youth Violence, which considered public place violence involving those aged under 25, and

·         Violence linked to drugs and alcohol.

6.  The work on sexual violence included a consultation with children and young people about their experiences of sexual violence and a public awareness campaign, provisionally titled ‘Respect for Girls’, which would highlight their experiences in public spaces.

7.  The work to tackle serious youth violence had seven key areas of focus, including: data sharing through an online platform; families and parenting; employment and training; and early identification and support.

8.  The work on the Violence linked to drugs and alcohol strand was delayed following the death of the Medway Board representative, James Williams, earlier in 2024. Medway Public Health agreed a plan and commissioned an organisation to carry out research that would support a better understanding of the links between drugs, alcohol and violence.

9.  Mr Powell indicated that the current funding for the Violence Reduction Unit and the PCC’s Serious Violence Duty project officer would expire in March 2025 and are awaiting updates from the Home Office regarding future funding.

RESOLVED that the KCSP note the contents of the report.

·         Tuesday, 25 March 2025, 10am

·         Thursday, 3 July 2025, 10am

RESOLVED that the KCSP note the dates of future meetings.

1.  Mr Peerbux explained that a joint Kent and Medway Domestic Homicide Review (DHR) Protocol had been in place since 2011 to fulfil statutory requirements. The protocols were produced using Home Office guidance. This guidance, amongst other things, placed requirements on Community Safety Partnerships to ensure that these took ownership of the review process.

RESOLVED that the KCSP the updates within the report, progress on all cases and plans for continued online learning events.

1. Mr Peerbux provided an update on the funding situation for DHRs/DARDRs. He discussed the Steering Group’s recommendations for the funding arrangements for 2025/26 as well as outlining the considerations and options for beyond.

RESOLVED that the KCSP noted the update on the DARDRs funding and that the Steering Group’s recommendation for funding arrangements for 2025/26 was approved with firmer options for 2026/27 if required.

1. The report provided an update to the KCSP on the local and national context in relation to the Prevent Duty.