Agenda item

1.     Mr Peerbux (Head of Community Safety, KCC) introduced the report and advised that the Kent Community Safety Agreement (CSA) has been updated to reflect amendments raised at the March meeting. The amendments, as agreed, included a new priority on ‘Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG)’. In addition, the Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) priority was expanded to become ‘Preventing Neighbourhood Crime and ASB’ and the cross-cutting theme relating to the Covid-19 pandemic was amended to become ‘Response and Recovery from Significant Events’.

2.     Mr Peerbux also gave an update on the annual meeting of the Crime and Disorder Scrutiny Committee, which took place on 8^th June 2022. There was a focus on three of the CSA priorities (Road Safety, Serious Violence and Organised Crime, and Anti-Social Behaviour). In addition, the partners also gave a brief overview on the other priorities.  Mr Peerbux thanked the partners for attending and advised that the presentation was positively received, and the Committee had expressed interest with many questions raised.

3.     Ms Brinson (Community Safety Team Leader, KCC) provided an update on the refreshed CSA action plan. She explained that the action plan included pieces of work that were delivered by Community Safety partners across the county, linking in with other multi-agency groups and strategies such as the Domestic and Sexual Abuse Executive Group, the Safer Roads for Kent Partnership, the Substance Misuse Alliance, the Joint Exploitation Group, the Prevent Duty Delivery Board, Safeguarding Boards/Partnerships and the Violence Reduction Unit (VRU). She explained that activities may be updated in-year, subject to revisions and changes that take place within those groups and plans.

4.     Ms Brinson advised that the action plan was a rolling document and contained a number of actions that were ongoing, or which took place annually. Some of the new actions that were added were linked to funded projects, the new ‘violence against women and girls’ priority and included a number of activities relating to the introduction of new national strategies and duties, such as the government’s 10-year drug strategy ‘From Harm to Hope’ and the ‘Serious Violence Duty’. Ms Brinson advised that the plan was open for comments and feedback, and that it remained a live document during the year.

5.     A Partnership Member advised that the government was taking a stronger scrutiny role over the ‘From Harm to Hope’ strategy and its funding.

6.     A Partnership Member explained that the Serious Violence Duty was discussed at the Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) Board who were keen to see a shared strategy with all the specified authorities being involved in the development; and that the proposal to the Board had been that the oversight and governance of that strategy should sit with the Kent CSP and Medway CSP. A Partnership Member was keen to ensure that there was the ability to tailor the strategy to local needs.

7.     A Partnership Member advised that, although the monitoring of the quantitative outcomes of the action plan was key, qualitative data analysis was important too and that it should be added. Ms Brinson responded that qualitative outcomes were important and that they would be included where possible.

8.     Mr Peerbux noted that Fraud was an area of concern that was not referenced in the action plan and suggested linking in with the work of KCC Public Protection in relation to scams and protecting vulnerable victims which is undertaken by Trading Standards and the Kent Community Warden Service.

RESOLVED that the Kent Community Safety Partnership

a) Note the refreshed action plan which supports delivery of the refreshed Community Safety Agreement.

b) Provide feedback on the content of the draft action plan via email to kentcommunitysafetyteam@kent.gov.uk  (KCST) by the end of July 2022, or at any time in-year if new actions emerge.