Not all meetings are broadcast. The meetings that will be broadcast are as follows: (a) Council; (b) Cabinet; (c) Dover Joint Transportation Advisory Board; (d) General Purposes Committee; (e) Electoral Matters Committee; (f) Governance Committee; (g) Planning Committee; and (h) Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
For those meetings that are being broadcast there will be a link to view the live broadcast under the ‘Media’ heading below. Only those items not restricted on the agenda will be broadcast.
Guidance on how to watch live broadcasts of meetings.
The link to view a recording of a meeting that was broadcast can be found on the Council’s YouTube channel (@doverdc)
Venue: Council Chamber. View directions
Contact: Democratic Services Email: democraticservices@dover.gov.uk
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To receive any apologies for absence. Minutes: There were no apologies for absence. |
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Appointment of Substitute Members To note appointments of Substitute Members. Minutes: There were no substitute Members appointed. |
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Declarations of Interest To receive any declarations of interest from Members in respect of business to be transacted on the agenda. Minutes: There were no declarations of interest.
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To confirm the Minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 14 October 2024 (to follow). Additional documents: Minutes: The minutes of the meeting held on 14 October 2024 were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman. |
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To receive the Cabinet decisions in respect of recommendations of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee. Minutes: There were no decisions for consideration. |
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To receive any public petitions or issues referred by Council, Cabinet or another Committee. Minutes: The Democratic Services Officer advised that there were no issues referred to the Committee by Council, Cabinet or another Committee. |
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Notice of Forthcoming Key Decisions It is intended that Members should use the Notice of Forthcoming Key Decisions to identify topics within the remit of the Committee for future scrutiny. Minutes: The Committee received the Notice of Forthcoming Key Decisions for consideration.
RESOLVED: That the Notice of Forthcoming Key Decisions be noted.
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Scrutiny Work Programme It is intended that the Committee monitor and prioritise its rolling work programme. Minutes: The Democratic Services Officer presented the Overview and Scrutiny Work Programme to the Committee for its consideration.
Councillors S H Beer and J P Loffman requested that the following items be added to the Work Programme:
· Climate Change and progress towards reaching net zero (within next 6 months) · Update on progress in relation to Cabinet’s decision on Fairtrade
Councillor M Bates requested that the following items, which he believed had been raised previously, be included in the Work Programme:
· Update on Port Health and activities taking place at Dover and Coquelles (including establishing why no border checks being undertaken at the latter)
Councillor L M Wright sought further information about the Kent County Council (KCC) Community Services item and when KCC officers were likely to attend a meeting for the purposes of updating the Committee which was long overdue.
In relation to Fair Trade, the Strategic Director (Corporate and Regulatory) advised that work associated with implementing Cabinet’s decision was still being allocated and she would update the Committee in due course.
RESOLVED: That the matters raised by Members be added to the Work Programme. |
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Please note that in accordance with the agreed Protocol for Public Speaking at Overview and Scrutiny, the right to speak does not apply to any items on the agenda.
Minutes: The Committee was advised that there were no public speakers. |
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To receive an update and consider matters relating to the discharge of crime and disorder functions.
The Overview and Scrutiny Committee has power to scrutinise crime and disorder issues. The provisions for this power are contained in the Police and Justice Act 2006 which came into force in England at the end of April 2009. This includes the power to scrutinise how the partnership members are discharging their crime and disorder functions.
The Council’s Constitution designates the Overview and Scrutiny Committee as the Crime and Disorder Committee for the purposes of Section 19 of the Police and Justice Act 2006. Minutes: The Overview and Scrutiny Committee received a Crime and Disorder Update. The presentation covered the following points:
Community Safety Partnership
· The Community Safety Partnership (CSP) Plan 2023-2027 and its three priorities of Safeguarding (adults, young people and children), Serious Violence and People & Places. Other priorities included Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB), Substance Misuse, Road Safety & Awareness and Food & Fuel. · The CSP currently met biannually but this would be changing to quarterly · A revitalised CSP Action Plan which was aligned with the Kent Police and Crime Commissioner’s plan for funding and collaborative working, with sub-groups meeting at operational level. · Meetings, chaired by DDC’s Cabinet member for Community & Corporate Property, focused on the CSP’s three priorities and outcomes were then reported to the CSP’s executive.
Kent Police
· Kent Police’s Kent Control Strategy 2024 was focused on four key areas: Exploitation, Serious Violence & Harm, Organised Crime and Violence Against Women & Girls. · The new divisional policing model launched in October 2024 had three strands comprising Local Policing Teams (LPTs), Victim-Based Crime Teams (VBCTs) and a Community Safety Unit (CSU). It was predicted that all uniformed positions in Dover would be filled by March 2025. · The advantages of the LPTs included greater visibility and motivation and an improved ability to respond, target individuals, develop intelligence and capture initial evidence. · The VBCTs had dedicated/specialist investigative resources and were well equipped to focus on problem individuals and locations. · The CSU was able to flex resources, had experienced officers with contacts and networks and strong working relationships with the CSP at all levels. · Crime Statistics headlines:
Ø All recorded crime down by 6.5% this financial year (FY) Ø All crimes with suspect interviewed – up 3% this FY Ø All crimes with solved outcomes – up 3.4% this FY Ø Victim-based Crime (October 2023-September 2024) – reasonably steady Ø Victim-based crime (October 2021 to September 2024) – down 6.4% this FY to date (310 fewer offences) Ø Victim-based crime with suspect interviewed – up 3.2% this FY Ø Victim-based crime with solved outcomes – up 2.5% this FY Ø Violent crime – down 6.9% this FY Ø Violent crime with suspect interviewed – up 4.6% this FY Ø Violent crime with solved outcomes – up 3.1% this FY Ø ASB – indications were that incidents generally decreasing in mean volume with recurring spikes in July when additional measures were put in place Ø The ASB data helped to identify where attention needed to be focused. Additional ‘Grip’ patrolling and partnership approaches were implemented in high volume ASB areas Ø Hate crime – had been an increase in 2024 but down from previous year Ø Violence with injury – similar to 2022 levels and lower than 2023 Ø Theft shoplifting – average number in 2024 Ø Theft shoplifting with solved outcomes – 17.6% fewer offences this FY to date and an 8.4% increase in solved rate. Ø Results achieved through ‘Grip’ funding and hotspot patrolling strategies, identifying seasonal crime and ASB issues in advance, joint community engagement events and partnership working ... view the full minutes text for item 72. |