Agenda item

Question 1

How widespread across the County are problems with off-road trail bikes, and what can be done about them? They are a real menace to adults and young children walking in the countryside.

(Councillor Connie Nolan, Canterbury City Council)

1.    The Commissioner said that this was a matter that he took very seriously. The previous year, 4,900 of such incidents were reported to Kent Police; this was a decrease of 9% on the year before.

2.    In terms of how this matter was addressed - as prescribed in the Neighbourhood Policing Model, there were a number of proactive officers in local communities who were able to address these problems. Tactics used included the deployment of both plain-clothed and uniformed officers across the areas of reported activity, the issuing of Community Protection Warnings to owners of off-road vehicles and the use of drones to identify offenders.

Question 2

Against a background of a sharp rise in shoplifting, fraud and sexual offences in Kent^[1], unlawfulness is now driving fear into the heart of residents in Kent. The recent attack on restaurant staff in Broadstairs^[2] by out-of-control youths proves the growing view that Kent Police are now out-of-depth and can longer maintain the Rule of Law.

Despite a majority opinion forming that reporting a crime to Kent Police is not only futile, but a waste of time, it appears that our local police force, duty bound to protect members of the public from crime, are actively pursuing cases that undermine public confidence and trust; the shameful treatment Mr Foulke’s had is one such example^[3] .

With Kent Police failing to resolve crime in Kent, it is totally and utterly unacceptable that residents in Kent now face possible police action for expressing their right to free speech. Will Mr Scott confirm that he will commit to ending the continued erosion of free speech in our county and seek to end this ‘Orwellian’ and dystopian behaviour?

(Mr Maxwell Harrison, Kent County Council)

Question 3

As highlighted in The Spectator, in one of the key areas Kent Police have oversight over, zero culprits across 123 burglaries^[4] were located. Whilst too busy arresting septuagenarians for ‘Thought Crimes’, and not burglars and thieves, Kent Police continues to fail local jobseekers by taking over 53 days to complete a DBS check.^[5]

The new Reform UK administration was overwhelmingly elected back in May to put the best interests of residents first and serve local people. I seriously suggest senior officials at Kent Police start doing the same. Without doubt, Kent is becoming ever increasingly unsafe and unlawful with criminal activity appearing on our doorsteps.^[6]

With confidence in our police an all-time low, and priorities politicized by Kent’s top chiefs, it is time residents in Kent start getting their value for money. Will Mr Scott confirm that Kent Police will start “Policing our Streets, Not our Tweets” whilst he takes the strongest disciplinary action against those actively pursuing these cases?

(Mr Paul Webb, Kent County Council)

1.    As Questions 2 and 3 were similar, the Commissioner was granted permission by the Chair to provide a single response.

2.    He clarified that, as the PCC, he had a statutory role in the police complaints process although had no authority over matters of individual police officer conduct - as those matters were dealt by the Kent Police Professional Standards Department.

3.    Kent Police's priorities were not political because he, in his role as Police and Crime Commissioner, was the one who set them. He referred to his Police and Crime Plan that had been named ‘Cut Crime, Support Victims and Build Trust’ because those were precisely the areas he expected Kent Police to focus on.

Question 4

In your new Police and Crime Plan ‘Cut Crime, Support Victims, Build Trust’, supporting victims is listed as a priority.

With this in mind, please could you set out what policies and procedures are in place in Kent to support potential victims of modern slavery and people trafficking after their referral to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) - such support including prompt referral by the Police to legal advice, housing assistance and medical & social care, particularly bearing in mind the largest proportion (23%) of those referred to the NRM this quarter were British nationals of which 76% were children.

(Mr John Moreland, Kent County Council)

1.    The Commissioner said that he took this issue very seriously. He explained that, in Kent, there were structured multi-agency policies and procedures in place to support potential victims of modern-day slavery and human trafficking – following referral to the NRM. These were designed to ensure that victims received timely and appropriate support in legal, housing, medical and social care matters.

2.    This process included first the identification of signs of slavery and human trafficking. Upon identification, a NRM referral was completed and submitted to the UK Human trafficking centre within 48 hours. Victims were entitled to a 45-day reflection recovery period. There were single points of contact (SPOCs) and a specific web page which offered resources detailing services and support available to victims.

3.    The primary aim of any response involving children was their welfare and safety, and ensuring that the correct safeguarding policies were followed. Children who were victims, or at risk of, significant harm had to be taken into immediate police protection under Section 46 of the Children Act 1989, and had to be immediately referred into social services. Irrespective of crime type, all Kent police officers were trained to consider the accounts and evidence provided by children and vulnerable adults.

4.    The Modern Day Slavery Helpline provided police officers with guidance and links to charities that offered support to victims, and also increased their investigative knowledge. Victims were taken to a safe location, often a police station or designated safe house, and kept out of public view. Language line services were available to support communication with non-English speakers. Victims were also referred to legal aid services to help them understand their rights, immigration status and options for compensation or asylum. Legal support was coordinated through the NRM and local safeguarding boards. Social workers assessed ongoing needs and coordinated care plans, especially for children and those with complex trauma.

Question 5

What specific actions and partnerships are currently in place to prevent violence against women and girls? Is there, in particular, any work being done with the British Transport Police on keeping women and girls safe on our public transport networks?

(Councillor Hannah Perkin, Swale Borough Council)

1.    The Commissioner said that this was an area that was prioritised in recent years because it remained a national emergency. In February 2025, Kent Police formally launched a vulnerability strategy which identified specific areas to develop in line with the national vulnerability strategy. The Force also supported the national Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) taskforce through research into predatory sexual offending. The Public Protection Team worked closely with the College of Policing, contributing to the collection of best practice examples to share nationally, including Best Bar None and High Harm Tool.

2.    A VAWG project was undertaken at the University of Kent to introduce interactive child exploitation training for investigators. Kent Community Safety Partnership’s workshops were underway to promote a better understanding of issues such as victim blaming and rape myths.

3.    The British Transport Police (BTP) had also been involved. For example, in June 2025 it collaborated with the Swale Neighbourhood Task Force and Rail Enforcement officers to tackle antisocial behaviour and prevent drugs and weapons being brought into the town centres and the local night-time economy.

RESOLVED: That the Panel note the responses to the questions.