The Kent and Medway Police and Crime Panel are scheduled to meet to discuss the appointment of independent members, holding the Chief Constable to account, and crime prevention. The panel will also look at the work programme and review the minutes of previous meetings.

Holding the Chief Constable to Account

The panel is scheduled to discuss how the Kent Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) holds the Chief Constable to account for the performance of Kent Police. The Holding CC to Account paper details the ways in which the PCC, Matthew Scott, does this, including:

• Daily engagement and weekly one-to-one meetings
• Requesting briefings and meetings
• The quarterly Performance and Delivery Board
• The Joint Audit Committee
• The Kent and Essex Collaboration Oversight Meeting
• Regional oversight
• His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) inspections
• Custody Detention Scrutiny Panel
• Independent Custody Visitors
• Police complaints and complaint reviews

The Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 requires Police and Crime Panels to have a minimum of two independent members. The Policing Protocol Order 2023 gives PCCs the legal power and duty to:

Scrutinise, support and challenge the overall performance of the force including against the priorities agreed within the [Police and Crime] Plan; Hold the Chief Constable to account for the performance of the force's officers and staff; and Maintain an efficient and effective police force.

The Kent Police and Crime Plan priorities are: Cut Crime, Support Victims, Build Trust, Protecting People, Protecting Places, Protecting Property, and Productive Partnerships.

The quarterly Performance and Delivery Board meeting is open to the public, and chaired by the PCC. The Chief Constable is required to attend the meeting to present papers, answer questions about the delivery of the Police and Crime Plan, and policing in general.

The Joint Audit Committee (JAC) is responsible for financial governance, assurance, risk management and statutory financial duties for both the OPCC and Kent Police. The JAC meets at least four times a year and is chaired by an independent member.

The Kent and Essex Collaboration Oversight Meeting is held twice a year and is co-chaired by the PCC and Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (PFCC) for Essex. The meeting allows the PCC and PFCC to ask questions and hold both Chief Constables to account for shared functions that support the delivery of their respective Police and Crime Plan priorities and effective policing across Kent and Essex.

All police forces are subject to a formal inspection regime by HMICFRS, and this forms a vital part of the PCC's assurance process in holding the Chief Constable to account.

The PCC is responsible for the Independent Custody Visitors (ICV) Scheme, which sees volunteers making unannounced visits to police custody suites to check on the welfare of detained persons.

Following changes to the police complaint system in February 2020, the OPCC is one of two 'review' bodies (along with the Independent Office for Police Conduct) to which members of the public may appeal after they have complained to Kent Police and had a response from the Professional Standards Department (PSD).

Crime Prevention

The panel is scheduled to discuss crime prevention in Kent. A report on this topic refers to the nine 'Peelian Principles' established by Sir Robert Peel¹, who founded the Metropolitan Police Service. The first principle states that the basic mission for which the police exist is to prevent crime and disorder . The Crime Prevention paper includes details of Kent Police's approach to crime prevention, and also highlights some of the work the PCC supports in this area.

The Strategic Prevention Command seeks to deliver safer neighbourhoods by combining prevention, deterrence, and enforcement. Community Safety Units tackle repeat crime and anti-social behaviour problems using a structured problem-solving approach called the OSARA model². Designing Out Crime Officers collaborate with local authorities, architects and developers to create safer environments. The PCC plays a crucial role in preventing crime and improving community safety by facilitating programmes that address the causes of criminal behaviour through extensive partnership work, commissioning and grant making.

For 2025/26, the PCC has allocated £1,306,906.74 to the Crime Reduction Grant (CRG). The CRG must be used to deliver projects/services or interventions that support the priorities set out in the Police and Crime Plan.

The Kent and Medway Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) is a partnership between the police, local councils, health service providers and other key partners. The aim of the VRU is to develop a public health, preventative approach to serious violence across the county.

The Kent Criminal Justice Board, chaired by the PCC, brings together chief officers from criminal justice agencies and wider partners and is responsible for overseeing criminal justice across Kent.

Appointment of Independent Members

The panel will be asked to approve the recommendation of the Recruitment Sub-Panel to appoint Mr Gurvinder Sandher and Ms Hedwig de Jong as Independent Members of the Panel for a four-year term. This follows an open application process held earlier this year. The Appointment of Independent Members report notes that the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 requires Police and Crime Panels to have a minimum of two Independent Members.

Work Programme

The panel will be asked to note the work programme and contact the Panel Officer with any items that the Panel would like to add to it. The Work Programme includes a draft budget and precept proposal, and a police and crime plan refresh, scheduled for discussion on 5 February 2026.

Performance and Delivery Board

The panel will be asked to note the minutes of the Performance & Delivery Board meeting held on 16 September 2025. At the meeting, Chief Constable Tim Smith reported a reduction in victim-based crime, violence against women and girls, domestic abuse and knife crime. He also noted an increase in the solved rate, including greater use of Community Resolutions. The meeting notes also include discussion of the Safer Streets Summer Initiative, HMICFRS inspections, recruitment, and finance.