Agenda item

1.     Chief Inspector Lara Connor (Kent Police) explained that the report  provided a summary of the strategy that was agreed by the Serious Violence Prevention Partnership Board (SVPPB) and progress against the action plan.

2.     The Strategy consisted of three key strands:

·       Sexual Violence

·       Serious Youth Violence, involving those aged under 25, and

·       Violence linked to drugs and alcohol

3.     In terms of Sexual Violence, levels had fallen compared to those of the previous two years. The offences of sexual assault, rape and exposure made up 50% of all sexual violence.

4.     The Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) and SVPPB had worked with young people to understand how they were affected by sexual violence. Their feedback was beneficial in informing the preventative work of the Partnership. This included the design and launch of the ‘Don’t Disrespect’ campaign in February 2025. The campaign raised awareness of the extent of harassment of girls and women and showed how boys and men challenge their friends and peers. The film has been viewed more than 15,000 times since its launch.

5.     With regard to Serious Youth Violence, there were seven key areas of focus outlined in the report.  There has been progress in tackling public place serious youth violence. Knife-enabled serious violence had decreased in the last 12 months. The overall levels of serious violence for those aged under 25 were at their lowest point since 2019 – except the lockdown period. 

6.     In terms of violence linked to drugs and alcohol, the Board lead is Medway Council. The work on this strand was delayed following the death of the Medway Board representative but Medway Public Health have agreed a plan to work with partner organisations to capture the following information and use it to make proposals to the Board: to identify strategies, priorities, resources and system governance that already seek to achieve the same aims; develop an evidence based system response with clear, shared and measurable objectives; and understand the link better between drugs, alcohol and violence.

7.     In relation to future planning, the Government had committed to a ‘Young Futures’ strategy which included a pledge to halve knife crime and create Young Futures Hubs for adolescents. VRUs were required to establish a Young Futures Prevention Partnership by July 2025 and, by October 2025, establish at least one operational panel that targeted support to children with risk factors linked to violence but who were not open to statutory services. The work will be used by the Home Office to develop national guidance in advance of prevention partnerships being rolled out across England and Wales.

8.     The VRU had funding confirmed for the year 2025-26 and was expected to maintain its core function to lead and co-ordinate the local response to serious violence, adopting a ‘whole system’ approach to violence prevention.  The structure of the VRU and the services to be commissioned had yet to be finalised with the Kent PCC.

RESOLVED that the Kent Community Safety Partnership note the contents of the report.