Agenda item

1.The report was presented by the Police Crime and Commissioner, Mr Matthew Scott. 

2.Mr Scott said that the Plan was less than a year old and that there were no significant changes in the refreshed version. He discussed the data from his Annual Policing Survey which indicated that over 90% of respondents supported each of the four pillars of the Plan. A substantial number of the respondents were also in the under 18 category as a significant amount of work had been put into liaising with local schools who now shared the survey with pupils.

3.The Rural Policing Team had also conducted their Rural Crime Survey and received over 800 responses. The survey showed that issues around antisocial behaviour were particular important to rural communities; the key issues reported were fly tipping,  nuisance vehicles and property theft.

4.Mr Scott said a further 65 officers had been deployed within Neighbourhood Policing in 2025-26 in order to improve visible policing within Kent’s town centres.

5.There was a slight reduction in the number of people who had experienced antisocial behaviour, although there was still a significant number who were not willing to report it.

6.He explained that his Plan remained focused on delivering his manifesto commitments to cut crime, support victims and build trust.  The priorities centred around four key areas:

·         Protecting People

·         Protecting Places

·         Protecting Property

·         Productive Partnerships.

7.    As outlined in his Plan, ‘Protecting People’ centred on tacklingviolence against women and girls, serious violence and gangs, providing support to victims of crime and building trust through integrity.

8.    ‘Protecting Places’ focused on making communities safer - including town centres and rural communities, and promoting public contact with the police.

9.    ‘Protecting Property’ acknowledged that retail crime and burglary remained key issues, although the number of burglaries in the county had decreased substantially over the last few years.

10.In terms of ‘Productive Partnerships’, the Criminal Justice Board, which the Commissioner chaired, would focus on reducing the courts’ backlog and improving victims' experience of the Criminal Justice System.

11. In response to a question, Mr Scott explained that he promoted regular campaigns to encourage people to report crime. His Retail Crime Board engaged directly withretailers and the police in order to afford retailers an opportunity to provide feedback on policing in the county and discuss opportunities for collaborative working.

12. There were also campaigns around reporting via 101,  the non- emergency police contact number in the UK, used to report crimes or issues that did not require an immediate police response.Kent Police now had one of the top performing force control rooms in the country because of the investment and effort that had gone into it.

13. In reply to a question about the funding formula, the Commissioner said that there was finally going to be a review which was planned to take place after the proposed creation of a new National Police Service and merger of police forces.

14. With regard to the Policing Precept proposal for 2026-27, Mr Scott said that the Government had not yet finalised the detail of all relevant funding streams and that some of the detail was still not clear. Nonetheless, he was confident in the accuracy of the figures that had been provided to the Panel.

15.The Commissioner said he was proposing an increase in the precept of £15 a year, or 5.6% for a Band D property alongside a savings requirement of £2.9m. This was the maximum precept allowed under the referendum principles.

16. In response to a question about the increase, Mr Scott explained that his decision had not been taken lightly. While he was determined to make policing in Kent more efficient and effective, the increase was essential in order to mitigate the Force’s increasing funding pressures. While the Core Police Grant from the Government had increased, 80% of the budget was expenditure on employees and it did not include any funding for pay awards. Overall budget pressures in 2026-27 amounted to £30m.

17.A Member asked about the annual pay increase in the budgeted figures.

a.    Mr Scott explained that police officers receive an increment every year for the first seven years of their service. As many Kent police officers had less than five years’ service, that represented a substantial budget pressure that had to be factored into the medium-term plan, hence some of the bigger challenges around savings. On promotion there was a three year increment programme as well which needed to be taken into account.

RESOLVED:

·         That the Kent and Medway Police and Crime Panel support the refreshed version of the Commissioner’s Cut Crime, Support Victims, Build Trust: Kent Police and Crime Plan 2025 – 2029.

·         No member of the Panel voted to veto the Commissioner’s proposal to increase the police precept for 2026-27 by £15 per year, or 5.6% for a Band D property, equivalent to £1.25 a month, or 4.1p per day.

·         That the Panel Officer draft a report for the Chair’s approval that will be sent to the PCC.