The Committee were given an oral update on Police work in the Borough by Inspector James Beautridge from Kent Police.

The Inspector, Kent Police further outlined the following key points on various areas of crime:

Violent Crime

·         The overall level of violent crime in Gravesham remained low in relation to the other Boroughs in Kent but the media tend to increase the public’s safety fears of Gravesend with stories that weren’t factually true.    

·         There was one specific recent example of a serious crime which Members may already be aware off; a serious incident occurred in Parrock Street in which a knife was used, and a vehicle was set alight. Six offenders were arrested within the hour of the incident and four of them are currently in remand in prison awaiting a court date for their trial. In light of that incident, foot patrols with officers in uniform were increased in the area over the following few days to reassure the public and section 60 powers were enacted which allowed officers to search suspicious people in the town for any weapons.

Town Centre Policing

·         Car theft rates had risen in the Town Centre related to a spate of specific incidents; the offender’s modus operandi was breaking the windows of cars and stealing valuables from within the car. The Town Centre Police Team conducted extensive inquiries with victims, acquired ring doorbell footage, CCTV footage and investigated any stolen bank cards. Following a week of those extensive inquires, the offender was identified and revealed to be a person travelling from London to Gravesend to commit the crimes; the offender was charged, sentenced and was now in prison

·         An armed robbery occurred in Valley Drive; a man entered a shop and robbed the shop while brandishing a knife. The Town Centre Policing Team was deployed and within half hour of the crime, the suspect was located and is now in prison

·         The Town Centre Police Team, consisting of two PC’s and two PCSOS, had made 58 arrests in the six months which amounted to 114 charges for a range of offences

·         Some concern was raised by the public regarding the Town Centre Policing Teams being disbanded under the new Neighbourhood Policing Plan however that was not the case; the new town centre wards would still have a certain number of PC’s assigned to each ward, but it would be different officers than assigned currently. It would be a mixture of experienced officers and new recruits

Southern Valley Golf Course

·         The site was abandoned, and the Police had received daily reports form residents that off road bikes were causing a nuisance on the site. Reassurance foot patrols had been carried out and since the site had been secured, there had been no more reports of nuisance off road bikes

Prevention/Youth Work

·         Officers had given talks to local schools on the dangers of selling and taking drugs, county lines exploitation and criminals using young people’s bank accounts to launder money. The feedback received from the schools was positive and the young people were very interactive with officers

·         Officers were working with school staff to manage concerns around exploitation of young people by county lines dealers

Rural Policing

·         The current rural PCSO had left the force and a new PC officer was due to start in June 2023 but she had already actually started her new role; the PC officer will continue to visit local shops and farms in the rural parts of Gravesham to introduce herself; the PC had been well received by the community so far

·         The PC officer was one of thirteen beat officers who had specific wards and would increase the visibility of the Police in the Borough from June onwards

Lawrence Square

·         There had been signs of youth exploitation in Lawrence Square by a prolific individual; Kent Police had worked with the Council and youth services to engage with the young people there which, combined with increased visibility of uniformed officers, had reduced anti-social behaviour reports.

Queen Street

·         Due to reports of nuisance street drinkers, increased foot patrols were carried out in Queen Street. Kent Police also visited local shops with the Council’s Licensing Department to warn them not to sell strong alcohol to the nuisance drinkers

The Chief Inspector, Kent Police concluded that crime, as a whole, was down across the District and criminal charge rates have risen which showed that Policing in Gravesham was headed in the right direction.

In response to questions from Members, the Chief Inspector and Inspector for Kent Police explained that: 

·         The vehicle set alight during the incident in Parrock Street was one of the offenders’ vehicles; the incident was isolated to two conflicting groups and there was no threat to the public. The reason for the groups conflict was currently unknown

·         In response to a Members suggestion regarding managing traffic in the area following the incident in Parrock Street, the Inspector advised that the officers did the best they could immediately following the situation but they would take her feedback on board

·         Under the new neighbourhood policing model there would be six PCSO’s operating in Gravesham; the number had increased as two PCSO’s had been inherited from Medway

·         There were no PC’s currently assigned to wards; following the new policing model there would be 13 PC’s assigned to the new wards in Gravesham from June 2023 and they would be a mixture of new recruits and experienced officers. The website for Kent Police will include details on the PC’s that had been assigned to each ward 

·         The new policing model was a historic way of policing by putting unformed officers on the streets; the Chief Constable of Kent Police had reviewed the neighbourhood policing model and felt that having officers ‘on the beat’, seen by the public and deterring criminals, was the most effective style of policing

·         The public would be able to call the PCs on their Kent Police issued mobile phones, but they would not be around 24/7 to take calls; the public were still advised to call 999 if it was an emergency and 101 if action was required but it was not an emergency

The Committee raised concern about the public trust in the Police since the recent arrests of officers that had carried out serious violent crimes on women and queried what Kent  Police would do to maintain the public trust in them and how it was ensured that officers were of a professional standard.

The Chief Inspector, Kent Police appreciated the Committee’s concern and explained that the recent cases of corruption reported in the media had been in the Metropolitan Police and the Kent Police were a different force with far fewer incidents. Kent Police’s vetting of new recruits had been recognised for being of the highest standard and regular checks were continued on officers throughout their time as a Police Officer. Multiple events to reassure the public had been held including ‘Violence against Women’ walk and talk events in which a number of Walk and Talk events were organised across the county so that officers could engage with as many women as possible and discuss how to reduce risk to them. In addition, the Counter Corruption Strategy and the forces processes were updated regularly to ensure the highest standard; the Chief Inspector concluded that the vast majority of police officers were hard working professional officers.

The Strategic Manager (CSU) further added that Gravesham had the highest rate of reported domestic abuse cases; the figures at 23 February 2023 showed that, compared to the previous 12 months, Gravesham was the only district in Kent that continued to see an increase in the number of reported domestic abuse cases. The continued increase of report rates was a sign of the ongoing confidence of women and girls in Gravesham to come forward and report their abusers to the Police. In response to a Member’s question, the Strategic Manager (CSU) was unsure if the charge rate for domestic abusers had also risen in line with the reported cases but would investigate and circulate the information to the Committee.

In response to a Member’s question about Members being informed of serious incidents in their wards, the Chief Inspector advised that the most effective communication method was for him to continue to inform the Chief Executive of any serious crime in the Borough and then the Chief Executive would cascade the information to Members. 

The Chair thanked the Inspector and the Chief Inspector for their presentation and asked that the Committee’s thanks be passed to their Policing Teams.