Agenda item

1.     Mr Shafick Peerbux (Head of Community Safety, KCC) explained that the main focus of the report was to update on the key activities and projects that were managed by the Working Group on the behalf of the Partnership.

2.     The role of Chair of the KCSP Working Group was currently vacant, following the departure of Mark Powell, Director of the Violence Reduction Unit. KCSP members were asked to consider putting forward a senior member from their organisation to take on the role of Chair. The role of KCSP WG Chair was supported by the Kent Community Safety Team (KCST). Mr Peerbux expressed the gratitude of the Working Group to Mr Powell for his excellent chairmanship. 

3.     In terms of funding, the Kent Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) had allocated £39,661 grant funding to the KCSP to fund projects in 2024/25 focused on the priorities set out in the CSA and the Commissioner’s Making Kent Safer plan. Similar funding was also provided by the PCC to all Community Safety Partnerships across Kent and Medway to help deliver projects in support of more local priorities.

4.     The Kent Community Safety Team (KCST), on behalf of the Partnership, received approval from the Partnership and the Commissioner’s Office to fund nine projects totalling £39,505 including crime prevention initiatives, training events, and resources.  A small amount of remaining funding (£156) was returned to the Commissioner’s Office as an underspend.

5.     The Commissioner confirmed that the KCSP allocation of Crime Reduction Grant (CRG) funding for the new financial year would be £39,661 and the Partnership would like to extend their thanks to the Commissioner for this. Two-thirds of the funding (£26,440) was available for upfront project spend and the deadline for business case submissions to the PCC was the 9 May 2025. The remaining third (£13,220) would be placed into a tactical pot to support the delivery of projects which addressed emerging needs and demands throughout the financial year. Access to the tactical pot funding would close at the end of December 2025.

6.     Mr Peerbux advised that there is a lot of activity being undertaken by the KCST, including the lunchtime learning Community Safety Information Sessions (CSISs), regular e-Bulletins and the webinars exploring the learning from Domestic Homicide Reviews/Domestic Abuse Related Death Reviews. Additionally, the KCST Memorandum of Understanding was developed and agreed by Kent Police and KCC for the next three years (April 2025 to March 2028).

RESOLVED that Members of the Kent Community Safety Partnership (KCSP):

a) Consider putting forward a senior member from their organisation to take on the role as Chair of the KCSP Working Group.

b)    Note the progress and actions undertaken by the Working Group and the work of the KCST.

c)    Contact the KCST (kentcommunitysafetyteam@kent.gov.uk) with any:

• Project proposals for the Crime Reduction Grant funding.

• Suggestions for future speakers/topics that might be of interest for the Community Safety Information Sessions (CSIS).

• Key updates that might be appropriate to include in future editions of the KCST e-bulletin.