As Kent Fire and Rescue were in attendance, the Chair agreed for their verbal update to be taken as one item alongside Kent Police.

Kent Police Update

Kent Police, Chief Inspector Will Lay and Acting Inspector Kirsty Dunne, presented members with a verbal update on recent work being undertaken by Kent Police. The following key points were highlighted:

·         Funding in previous years from the Home Office had covered patrolling for serious violence offences. However, this year, Kent Police had (in addition) been given funding dedicated to targeting hot spots for anti-social behaviour.

·         The Chief Inspector advised he would update the committee on any identified hotspots.

·         Members were advised that it was the responsibility of Kent Police to resource against those hotspots.

·         As a result of the Angiolini Inquiry Part One, Members were advised that there had been 16 recommendations, which Kent Police would adhere to. Work had already started and would continue.

·         Members were updated on the last PEEL (Police Effectiveness, Efficiency and Legitimacy assessment, which highlighted improvements made in certain areas, such as responding to the public like 101 calls and how quickly they were answered. There had been significant improvements and calls were getting answered quickly.

·         The Acting Inspector updated members on nuisance bikes, advising there was an operation launching in April 2024.

·         The ASB team had been working in the town centre and in Denton, working with schools and with staff to deliver education around ASB.

·         Kent Police were looking to work with the Cyclo-Park as youth groups had been taken away and it was important to give school age/young adults something to do in the evenings/weekends.

·         Burger King in the town centre had reported incidents of ASB – these individuals had been successfully dealt with.

Following questions and comments from members, the Chief Inspector and Acting Inspector explained the following:

·         Kent Police had done a lot of work around the rules and regulations of e-scooters. They’re able to enforce confiscation and advised members that where they had concerns regarding dangerous areas, this would get fed back to the team so they could proactively target those areas.

·         The Chief Inspector advised that the danger around children on e-scooters was a valid concern. The Child Centred Policing team had undertaken prevention work around this.

·         Kent Police were aware of the risks surrounding the storming of shopping centres. Where possible, they received early warnings and put measures in place where they were advised gatherings/planning were expected. They had successfully prevented such events from occurring, including warning phones shops and electronic goods stores.

·         Kent Police were keen to work with educational establishments and were happy to look into opportunities where they can identify programmes as a deterrent. They had a good working relationship with social services and were able to report any children they felt were at risk.

·         They had dedicated ward officers, but often found that they were not seen, and advised they needed to find a better way to capture that, such as using social media to promote where they have been and where they were going to be.

·         There were 6 PCSO’s in total, but ward areas now had a dedicated Beat police officer with more enforcement powers.

·         They had started to use new methods, such as drones. This was particularly useful where incidences of ASB involving motorbikes had taken place. They could follow the vehicle without causing risks, like a high-speed chase, and when the vehicle slowed down, they were able to locate and seize it.

·         Kent Police understood the concerns regarding cars driving without lights and advised they would feed this back to the Road Safety team.

Kent Fire and Rescue Service

Stuart Wickens presented the Crime and Disorder Scrutiny Committee with a verbal update on the recent work undertaken by the Kent Fire and Rescue Service, and highlighted the following:

·         Statistics between 2022-23 and 2023-24 showed a rise in deliberate fires.

·         There had been concerns with deliberate waste fires at sites in Denton, where attacks had been aimed towards the fire crews. Fire engine windows had been smashed and a firefighter had been hit. Kent Fire and Rescue had been very well supported by Kent Police, who were doing everything they could to increase the safety of the fire crew.

·         They were working closely with Kent Police to protect the crew. In high-risk areas, unless there was a threat to life, they would await police presence before attending.

·         They had achieved their house visitation target of 1,400 – raising safeguarding concerns and speaking to residents about the importance/maintenance of fire alarms, making homes that much safer.

·         They were hopeful they would see a drop in dwelling fires within the next statistics.

·         Kent Fire and Rescue Service also gave out information around e-scooters and safety advice around charging and high risks associated with the batteries. Members of the public have been advised to avoid charging them in communal areas and at home – or to do so in an area with a closable door.

·         They had also been speaking with local businesses, looking at their current processes and offering advice, especially regarding warehouses. It provided additional safety for the crew if a fire occurred out of hours. The fire service would then have more information about what’s inside the warehouse.

·         Kent Fire and Rescue had been working alongside Gravesham Borough Council where waste fires have been set in relation to fly-tipping.

·         The Kent Fire and Rescue Service had a team that went out to schools and promoted the safe use of e-scooters.

·         The Kent Fire and Rescue Service were looking into body cams to increase the safety of the crew, but their appliances did currently have CCTV, which captured images used for prosecution.

The committee commended the Kent Fire and Rescue Service for all their hard work.

The committee noted the update.