Agenda item

To receive an update.

The Head of Community and Digital Services presented the Crime and Disorder updated in conjunction with the Community Services Manager, Dover District Commander Chief Inspector Paul Barrell and Inspector Leigh Woolnough, Neighbourhood Inspector.

The presentation covered the following points:

·         Headline crime figures

o   Victim Based Crimes down 5.6% (563 fewer crimes). It was noted that 30% of all Victim Based Crimes in the district were domestic abuse related.

o   Violent crime up 7% (461 additional crimes)

o   Robbery down 49% (61 fewer crimes)

o   Solved Crime Rate was 9.5% which made it one of the highest performing districts in Kent and above the National (7.8%) and Kent (8.2%) levels.

o   The Dover District had lower rates of victim based crime than Ashford, Canterbury and Thanet in East Kent and comparable levels in Folkestone and Hythe.

·         Areas of focus in the district were:

o   Domestic Abuse

o   Violence Against Women and Girls

o   Youth Violence

o   Anti-Social Behaviour

·         The challenges to achieving this were:

o   Finances – A reducing government grant meant that year-on-year savings would need to be found next financial year and likely for the following three years after that.

o   Staff Retention – Due to economic uncertainty within Kent Police and the growth in Border Force staffing, the Dover CSU had 50% fewer PSE staff

o   Strategic Restructuring – the Review of Neighbourhood Policing was on-going with the intention of delivering a new model that delivers within a reduced budget

o   Business Continuity – the challenge of delivering the service in the medium-term given the issues above.

·         The Community Safety Partnership had in the previous six months targeted:

o   Violence reduction

o   Youth Anti-Social Behaviour

o   Waste and Environmental Crime

o   Traveller incursions and unlawful encampments

o   Modern slavery

o   Animal cruelty

o   Keeping Dover moving during the peak season

·         An award would be given the following day to a local licenced premises that had demonstrated a positive impact on the community

·         The success of the Council’s CCTV team which had detected 2061 incidents across the Dover District with 118 cameras. The main incident type was:

o   Disturbance

o   Nuisance Youths

o   Alcohol Related Disorder

o   Assault

o   Missing Persons

·         Anti-Social Behaviour

o   It was acknowledged that low level incidents could have a big impact on the lives of people.

o   There was work being undertaken to divert young people away from crime.

o   Community Services and Kent Police undertook work with local schools.

o   Youth based knife crime was relatively low but targeting it to keep it under control was a priority.

o   Members had access to the anti-social behaviour map.

Members welcomed the presentation and congratulated Kent Police and Officers for their achievements over the last year.

The following issues were raised:

·         The issues of the reorganisation of PCSOs. There were efforts underway to increase recruitment of warranted officers to meet targets but Kent Police was in competition with the Metropolitan Police for recruits. This meant that East Kent was not benefitting from the uplift in numbers as quickly as hoped.

·         How community groups tackling the issue of domestic abuse were supported. In response it was acknowledged that Kent Police were only part of the solution and that groups that helped break the cycle of abuse were vital in supporting people regaining their independence from their abuser. Efforts were being made to encourage reporting. Statistics demonstrated that by the time an incident of domestic abuse was reported there had been on average 15 previous incidents.

·         Improved police visibility in Deal. In response it was stated that officers in Deal were based at Deal Fire Station and the intention was for them to spend as much time as possible in the community.

It was suggested that the Police and Crime Commissioner be invited to a future meeting of the committee.