Agenda and minutes

1.    The Chairman proposed and Mr Wright seconded that Mr Barrington-King be elected Vice-Chairman of the Committee.

2.    The Chairman paid tribute to Mr Wright for his contributions to overview and scrutiny in his previous capacity as the Committee’s Vice-Chairman.

RESOLVED that Mr Barrington-King be elected Vice-Chair of the Committee.

1.    Mrs Dean declared a non-pecuniary interest in Item B1, it was stated that a family member was employed by Kent Police.

2.    Dr Sullivan declared a non-pecuniary interest in Item B1, it was stated that her husband chaired the Gravesham Community Safety Partnership.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meetings held on 10 February 2021, 11 March 2021 and 27 May 2021 were a correct record and that they be signed by the Chairman.

Mike Hill, Cabinet Member for Community and Regulatory Services, KCC; Shafick Peerbux, Head of Community Safety, KCC; Detective Chief Superintendent Andy Pritchard, Kent Police; Superintendent Peter Steenhuis, Kent Police; Nick Wilkinson, Prevent and Channel Strategic Manager, KCC; Jess Mookherjee, Deputy Director of Public Health, KCC; Rachel Westlake, Commissioner, KCC and Serine Annan-Veitch, Policy Advisor, KCC were in attendance for this item.

1.    The Chairman asked Mike Hill, as Chairman of the Kent Community Safety Partnership to introduce the item. He provided a verbal overview of the 6 constituent authorities within the Partnership and noted their statutory responsibilities for community safety in Kent.

2.    Shafick Peerbux gave a presentation which outlined the role of the Kent Community Safety Partnership and statutory Community Safety Agreement. The Agreement’s 7 key county-wide priorities were highlighted and included: Anti-Social Behaviour; Domestic Abuse; Road Safety; Preventing Extremism and Hate; Safeguarding Vulnerable People; Serious Violence and Organised Crime; and Substance Misuse. Partners provided further details on the priorities as well as the strategies considered and implemented as a result of the Agreement. Mr Peerbux confirmed that the Kent Community Safety Agreement for 2021-22 had been in effect since April 2021.

3.    Superintendent Peter Steenhuis was asked what measures had been arranged to ensure that the views of children and young people were considered and understood. He confirmed that a new Schools Team, to be composed of 70 Schools Officers, had been established and that agreement had been received to procure a new community engagement tool, which provided postcode and district level information.

4.    A Member requested that anti-social behaviour and its impact on community cohesion, with a specific focus on children and young people, be considered by the Committee at a future meeting.

5.    Members raised concerns over the impact of speeding and privately owned e-scooters on pedestrian safety and emphasised that their use on paths constituted anti-social behaviour. Mr Steenhuis acknowledged the issue of private e-scooters in public areas and agreed that there had been instances of anti-social behaviour. It was noted that Kent Police possessed the power to issue offenders with fines or penalty points and could conduct seizures.

6.    Addressing road safety, a Member highlighted the Kent and Medway Safety Camera Partnership’s new speed camera policy as a possible area for future scrutiny, with a focus on safety requirements, cost and rural distribution.

7.    Reassurance was sought by a Member and received from Mr Peerbux that the Safe Systems approach employed as part of KCC’s Vision Zero road safety strategy balanced both road use and community safety.

8.    Mr Steenhuis was asked what had been done to improve public satisfaction with Kent Police and encourage a greater level of crime reporting. He confirmed that Kent Police had invested in new social media management tools to improve public engagement and noted that Nextdoor.co.uk had allowed the Police to relay problems they had solved in the community.

9.    Detective Chief Inspector Andy Pritchard confirmed that the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 had been passed and provided a  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.