The Scrutiny Committee, meeting as the Crime and Disorder Committee, reviewed the Kent Community Safety Agreement, focusing on three strategic aims: stronger, safer neighbourhoods; reducing violence, abuse, and high-harm offending; and protecting vulnerable people. The committee noted the report and made nine recommendations, including a call for a briefing on Prevent and the threat level, more detailed statistics on serious and organised crime, and improved member participation in community safety initiatives.

Kent Community Safety Agreement Refresh

The committee discussed the refreshed Kent Community Safety Agreement (CSA) for 2026/27, which consolidates previous priorities into three strategic aims:

• Strategic Aim 1: Stronger, safer and resilient neighbourhoods: This aim addresses anti-social behaviour (ASB), neighbourhood crime, environmental crime, retail crime, hate crime, community cohesion, and road safety. Concerns were raised about the increase in ASB incidents, particularly rowdy gatherings and motor vehicle nuisance, and the challenges of monitoring social media to prevent disorder. The police outlined their neighbourhood policing model, the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, and the use of tools like MyCommunityVoice for community engagement. Discussions also touched upon the effectiveness of dispersal orders and community protection notices in managing public disorder.
• Strategic Aim 2: Reducing violence, abuse, and high-harm offending: This aim encompasses Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG), Domestic Abuse (DA), Serious Violence, and Serious and Organised Crime (SOC). The committee heard about the ongoing work to tackle VAWG, including the development of a central VAWG strategy and the role of designing out crime officers. The challenges of retail crime and organised crime operating through legitimate businesses were highlighted, with ongoing work with landlords and district councils to address these issues. The effectiveness of drug and alcohol treatment services in Kent was also discussed, with a focus on unmet needs and the potential for increased investment in prevention.
• Strategic Aim 3: Protecting vulnerable people: This aim covers safeguarding vulnerable people, substance misuse, reducing reoffending, preventing radicalisation and extremism, and addressing mental ill-health. The committee received an update on Prevent activity, noting the impact of funding reductions but also the continued efforts to deliver training and awareness. Discussions also covered hate crime, with a significant increase in race-related incidents noted nationally, though Kent reported a slight reduction. The committee heard about the challenges of tackling drug dealing and the need for more granular data on the nature and location of extremism.

Key Issues and Recommendations

Several key issues were raised and subsequently translated into recommendations for the Kent Community Safety Partnership:

• Prevent and Threat Level Briefing: The committee requested a briefing on Prevent and the current threat level, including clarity on the thresholds for extremism.
• Serious and Organised Crime Statistics: A recommendation was made for more detailed statistics on serious and organised crime, including the hidden economy.
• County Coordinator for VAWG: The committee recommended the appointment of a county coordinator to interface with elected members and facilitate access to resources for tackling Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG).
• CCTV Use: The committee recommended consideration be given to the increased use of CCTV in hotspot areas to aid crime prevention and investigation.
• Pavement Parking: The issue of pavement parking causing obstruction and endangering vulnerable people was raised, with a recommendation for consideration of how this is tackled.
• Speeding and Road Safety: Recommendations were made to review speeding across the county, including camera policies, and to explore the feasibility of a county-wide speed limit, alongside improved enforcement of existing limits.
• Hate Crime and Disruption of Meetings: Concerns were raised about the high level of hate crime and the disruption of local authority meetings, with a recommendation that the partnership consider these issues further.
• Artificial Intelligence and Social Media: The committee suggested that the partnership's use of artificial intelligence (AI) and social media for safety promotion and threat assessment be included in future reports.

The committee noted the report and agreed to make these recommendations to the Kent Community Safety Partnership.