Office Of The Kent Police And Crime Commissioner

HATE CRIME AWARENESS WEEK:
Victims of hate crime in Kent are being offered specialist help from Victim Support’s newly-recruited hate crime advocate.
Liz Pallister joined Victim Support in the summer to act as a single point of contact for any victims of hate crime in Kent who wish to receive help from the charity.
... Speaking at the start of Hate Crime Awareness Week, she said: ‘It’s a really inspiring project which I’m so lucky to be working on.’
Victim Support Kent, based at Compass House in Ashford, is the core provider of support in Kent. The charity is commissioned by the Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Scott to offer its services to victims free of charge. The support provided is always tailored to each victim’s individual needs and can include safety advice, advocacy, emotional support, information, practical support and personal security items.
Mr Scott said: ‘Whatever the circumstances surrounding a crime and irrespective of whether there is sufficient evidence to lead to a prosecution, I have commissioned Victim Support to be there to help the victim come to terms with what has happened and, in time, move on with their lives. If the case does lead to a prosecution, then Liz is on hand to help the victim every step of the way through the criminal justice process.
‘Liz and the rest of the Victim Support team are also there for those victims who, for whatever reason, do not want to report their crime to the police.’
Since taking up her post, Liz has been busying herself meeting Kent Police’s Community Liaison Officers, and local community groups and other partner agencies, in order to spread the word and ensure the service is accessible to all of Kent’s diverse communities.
She added: ‘I would encourage anyone who needs support in relation to hate crime to take the brave step and contact me. Together we will support you to move beyond the crime.’
• Liz and the rest of the Victim Support team at Compass House can be contacted on 0808 168 9276. Alternatively, a live chat service is available during normal office hours.
• For advice from Kent Police on hate crime, including how to report it to the force, visit the Kent Police website. In an emergency or if a crime is in progress always dial 999.
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Police, fire and ambulance staff are joining forces for a special event later this month to showcase various jobs opportunities with the emergency services.
The Bluelight Jobs Fayre during October half-term in Dartford is free and open to everyone. It has been organised by Matthew Scott, the Police and Crime Commissioner for Kent, who said: ‘I encourage anyone – especially those out-of-work, studying, or considering a change in career – to drop in to North Kent College on Fri...
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The Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Scott joined 16 of Kent’s Volunteer Police Cadets for a fundraising run at Mote Park, Maidstone.
All the cadets completed the Subway Helping Hearts Family 5km course in under an hour and in doing so raised more than £800 for Heart Research UK and local charity the Young Lives Foundation.
Matthew Scott, who also took part in the event on Sunday 16 September said: ‘It was a pleasure to run alongside the young cadets and lend them my sup...port. They give up their time for their communities and I couldn’t be more proud of them.’
PC David Minto, the leader of the Maidstone Volunteer Police Cadets unit, said: ‘As always, I am very proud of the unit's performance. They attend many functions within the community, always resulting in positive comments on their attendance and achievements. Maidstone are a credit to their leaders within the Volunteer Police Cadets scheme and the Kent Police organisation.’
Kent Police has more than 400 Volunteer Police Cadets aged between 13 and 17 spread across units based in Maidstone, Canterbury, Dover, Tonbridge, Medway and Gravesham; plus new units opening in Sittingbourne, Swanley and Ashford.
The cadets were launched in 2016 after the PCC Mr Scott committed to using funds from his office to get the scheme off the ground.
Chief Inspector Jason Wenlock, from Kent Police’s Citizens in Policing Team, said: ‘Kent’s Volunteer Police Cadets have been running for over 18 months now and in that time, over 15,000 hours have been volunteered by the cadets for the communities they serve. They have raised money for local and national charities, whilst continuing to develop as individuals and as teams. We are very proud of the efforts of our cadets and will continue to identify new initiatives for them to get involved with.’
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Charities, community leaders and the emergency services have vowed to work closer together to cut violent crime in Kent.
Representatives of around 20 organisations met in Kings Hill on 17 August at the invitation of the Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Scott as part of his Violence Reduction Challenge. And, during two hours of discussions, they agreed in principle to focus their joint efforts on tackling gangs using county lines to deal drugs.
Mr Scott said afterwards: ‘...
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Kent’s Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Scott is offering charities and other community groups the opportunity to bid for up to £10,000 each to help prevent crime and anti-social behaviour in their neighbourhoods.
The Safer In Kent Fund, worth £100,000 in total, is open for bids until Tuesday 11 September. Applicants should be able to offer evidence to support the need for their project and demonstrate how it will help make their area safer in the long-term.
Examples of ...such projects could include diversionary activities, training, crime prevention equipment, awareness campaigns or clean-up kits.
Mr Scott said: ‘Preventing crime and anti-social behaviour requires teamwork between the police and local neighbourhoods and I am pleased to be able to support this ongoing effort with funding for locally-based initiatives. I welcome bids from charities, Community Interest Companies and other groups that will help Kent Police prevent criminality and anti-social behaviour and hopefully stop people from becoming victims of crime.’
To read the full eligibility criteria and to submit an application for funding, visit https://www.kent-pcc.gov.uk/Safer
The results of the funding round will be announced at the end of September.
Mr Scott added: ‘In addition to this funding, the Kent Police recruitment campaign continues meaning there will be 270 more Police Officers by March 2019 than when I was elected, and I have been able to help protect all 300 PCSO posts. I’m also working with Kent Police to make it faster and easier to report crime and anti-social behaviour.’
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Local councillors have told the Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Scott how much they value Kent Police being increasingly accessible to residents right across the county.
The PCC Matthew Scott and Assistant Chief Constable Jo Shiner sat down with 17 parish council representatives last week. Together, they listened to the councillors’ views and answered their questions about local policing.
One of the main topics for discussion was visible policing and the importance of c...ommunities being able to engage with Kent Police – one of the key priorities Mr Scott has tasked the Chief Constable with delivering.
Mr Scott said: ‘It is vitally important that Kent Police delivers an efficient and accessible service. I have been pleased to hear that the waiting time for 101 calls to be answered has vastly improved, and that a higher proportion of callers are getting through to speak to the Force Control Room. It was also pleasing to hear from the councillors that more and more of their local police officers and PCSOs are taking the time to engage with them personally.’
The meeting took place on 2 August at Kent Police Headquarters, with Mr Scott and ACC Shiner having agreed to meet with the KALC twice a year.
Sarah Barker, chair of the Kent Association of Local Councils (KALC), said after meeting: ‘We had a very constructive and informative meeting with the Police and Crime Commissioner and Kent Police, where our Area Committee representatives were able to raise and discuss issues that matter most to them and their communities. We all left the meeting with a more informed impression of what Kent Police and the PCC are doing to address our members’ concerns. This direct engagement with the PCC and Kent Police is really important to us and our members and we look forward to the next meeting early in the New Year.’
Mr Scott added: ‘We also discussed the ongoing campaign to recruit 200 additional police officers, volunteering, roads policing, violent crime data and preparations for Brexit.
‘Parish councils are the lifeblood of local communities. They want to support Kent Police and it is clear they really appreciate the opportunity to engage with us on the issues that affect their residents.’
ACC Shiner added: ‘I really value the feedback and ideas that we get from KALC, and was very pleased that this was such a productive meeting. Kent Police strives to listen to the communities that we serve in order to ensure that we deliver a first class service to the public.’
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Senior representatives from policing, the fire service, the NHS and local councils have been discussing what can be done to cut violent crime in Kent.
Chaired by the Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Scott, the meeting on 25 July brought key partners together to scrutinise data and agree where the PCC’s Violence Reduction Challenge should focus its efforts.
Mr Scott explained: ‘This meeting was the first of its kind, where key community safety leaders could sit together a...nd speak openly about some of the issues we are facing. We agreed, for example, that we should look specifically at issues relating to the drugs trade because we know that is a key driver of high-level gang violence.’
The Violence Reduction Challenge is Mr Scott’s local response to the Government’s own Serious Violence Strategy published earlier this year. The core aim is seeing what can be done here in Kent to reduce the harm caused by the most violent offenders to our most vulnerable victims.
Mr Scott continued: ‘Home Office data tells us violent crime in Kent is increasing but at the meeting we discussed the fact that the official definition of “violent crime” actually includes 55 different crimes, many of which the public may be surprised to learn do not involve physical injury to the victim. Violent crime includes instances of assault without injury, harassment, malicious communications and stalking, for example.
‘It was also noted that some types of offences still remain under-reported. We discussed whether hospital admissions data could be looked at alongside the official crime statistics because to tackle the causes of violent crime in our communities we first need a true picture of what is happening.’
Also present at the meeting were Kent Police Chief Constable Alan Pughsley, Sue Southern from the National Crime Agency, Ian Thomson from Kent Fire and Rescue Service, Glenn Douglas from the Kent and Medway Sustainability and Transformation Partnership, James Pavey from South East Coast Ambulance Service, and Shafick Peerbux and Cllr Adrian Gulvin from Kent County Council and Medway Council respectively.
In addition to this Core Steering Group, Mr Scott is arranging for larger meetings to be held in public across the county where charities, victims’ groups and other organisations will have the opportunity to share their ideas. The first of these will be held in Kings Hill on 17 August.
The Core Steering Group is due to meet again in mid-September. Its final report, to be published next year, will list recommendations around preventing violent crime, engagement and education, enforcement and rehabilitation.
* You can submit evidence for the group to discuss at www.kent-pcc.gov.uk/VRC
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I want to hear your views on community safety in your local area.
Visit https://www.kent-pcc.gov.uk/listening…/ public-consultations/

I’ve launched the Violence Reduction Challenge to help tackle these issues and help make us all #SaferInKent. This is a year long programme to help establish a long term solution, starting with a Call for Evidence.
I want to hear your experiences, ideas and solutions to violence crime, no matter which category or cause. I’m also looking for people to serve on my Advisory Panel, some of whom will be selected respondents to this survey. Click below to find out more and take part.
www.kent-pcc.gov.uk/VRC

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