Agenda item

Community Safety Partnerships (CSPs) are under a duty to produce a Community Safety Plan to formulate and implement a strategy to reduce crime and disorder, combat substance misuse and reduce re-offending. This report provides information within the annual Strategic Assessment on the CSPs current priorities.

The CSP Plan forms part of the Council’s Policy Framework and will cover the period from 2024 to 2027.

Discussion:

The Board received the Community Safety Partnership Strategic Assessment and Community Safety Plan and was informed that there had been considerable engagement with the community this year, with feedback received and lessons to be learnt. It was highlighted that the action plan included the changes as of April 2026 around the new laws and policy changes targeting misogyny and violence against women and girls with the criminalisation of public sexual harassment and sex as a hate crime characteristic.

Members then raised a number of questions and comments, which included:

Going forward, the reports should link in and reference other documents such as the Medway One Council Plan.

Child protection - it was noted that the report was well written and demonstrated a strong focus on community safety; however, concern was raised that, while there were approximately 300 children in Medway subject to child protection plans and at risk of significant harm, the report did not  recognise or suggest how those children could be supported. Officers acknowledged the comment and agreed to engage with the relevant team to consider how this issue could be addressed through the work of the Community Safety Partnership.

CCTV - in response to a question on what benefit the role of CCTV brought to the system, the Board was informed that the work that had been undertaken by Kyndi in relation to CCTV had directly led to the ability to deal with offences and led to investigations.

In response to a further comment regarding reports of non-functioning CCTV on buses and trains, the Board was informed that the Police maintained active partnerships with both transport providers. It was confirmed that the quality of CCTV footage received had been good and had been used successfully for identification purposes and, in some cases, to support prosecutions.

The Chairperson added that there was work being undertaken to ensure the renewal of cameras in Medway and to ensure that they were in working order.

Drugs and alcohol – it was commented that there was a notable increase of cannabis use in the community and it was asked how that was being dealt with, particularly due to the links with other crime, the impact on health and on wellbeing, and the coercion of children and young people into crime related activities. The Inspector Kent and Medway Police said that considerable work continued to be undertaken on drug use and the impact on children and families. There was ongoing preventative work on changing behaviours and attitude as the priority was not to criminalise young people which was why there was a strong focus by the Youth Justice Board on education which was crucial to tackling issues. There was a strong child centred policing team in place who worked in the community and with schools.

The community was instrumental in their support in tackling issues with drugs and alcohol and were encouraged to continue to report concerns. Reporting could be done in various forms and channels and partners around the room were encouraged to assist with promotion of reporting in their organisations, wards and communities.

Anti-Social behaviour (ASB) - it was highlighted that the report referenced a rise in ASB, and it was asked whether this was due to improvements in reporting. The Board was informed that Kent Police had made changes to reporting in the last year to ensure the process was more robust, and information captured accurate and whilst as a result there had been an increase, this could only be compared to the quality of recording in previous years. The focus was not on data but on interacting with communities to better understand their needs, views and address concerns.

Fraud - it was expressed that there was a rise in the criminal act of fraud and scamming of people, and it was asked if this was a matter the CSP were aware of and focused on. The Board was informed that Medway was part of a national initiative on tackling this issue and details of the Scambusters organisation was promoted by the CSP.

The Portfolio Holder for Community Safety, Highways and Enforcement and Chairperson of the CSP added that this issue must be taken seriously due to the impact on victims’ lives, the majority of these crimes took place online, through the use of the internet. It was noted that a high percentage of victims did not come forward due to feelings of shame associated with being a victim. Another area of concern was online sexual crime where  young people were being coerced to engage in acts of explicit sexual nature, taking and sharing pictures of themselves, which were then been used to blackmail and bully them. These incidences had resulted in the loss of lives through suicide of young people. Communities must be vigilant of crimes of this nature and be encouraged to reach out for support if affected.

The Portfolio Holder for Community Safety, Highways and Enforcement and Chairperson of the CSP informed the Board that a key strength of the Partnership was its ability to make positive changes through practical actions that, while often small in scale, had a meaningful impact on residents’ lives.

Decision:

The Board noted the Strategic Assessment 2025 and draft CSP Action Plan 2026-27.