Review Title: Safety in the Town Centre

Recommendation & Intended Outcomes

Relevant Cabinet Member

Financial impacts (‘None’ or explanation provided as applicable)

Officer Response/s

Lead Officer/s

To continue regular meetings with the Kent Police Press Office

See Greater Communications theme below.

Cabinet Member for Housing and Health

None

The Town Centre Task Force meet monthly, and the partnership Communications Plan is discussed as a standard agenda item.  This provides partners, including Kent Police, the opportunity to identify opportunities to publicise work in the Town Centre proactively.  The MBC Communications team have a good relationship with both Kent Police and One Maidstone enabling a timely joint response to Town Centre matters as necessary. 

Community and Strategic Partnerships Manager

To organise an Annual Community Safety Partnership Event, with all partners in attendance.

See Greater Communications theme below.

Cabinet Member for Housing and Health

Explanation provided as applicable

The Safer Maidstone Partnership facilitates an annual event where partners are asked to consider the data collated in the Strategic Assessment and to contribute towards the development of action plans and areas of focus for the partnership. 

A public facing conference has been considered, however it was felt that it would be more impactful to deliver events focussed on more specific areas of Community Safety, such as Violence Against Women and Girls and Youth Safety.  Events of this nature have been hosted; publicising  of these events can be improved and will be a focus for future events.  These will be complemented by regular “pop-up” public engagement events, such as Walk and Talks, which are undertaken by the Town Centre Task Force and focus on contemporary high priority themes, including Safety of Women and Girls, Pride and Knife Crime. 

Community and Strategic Partnerships Manager

To circulate the Communications Team’s updated ‘Communications Plan’ to Members, to outline all elements of the communications works.

See Greater Communications theme below.

Cabinet Member for Housing and Health

The Community Protection and Safer Streets Communications Plans are regularly updated and are shared with the Lead Cabinet Member for Housing and Health.  

Communications Manager

To include information on the Overview and Scrutiny Committee’s review within the next iteration of the Borough Insight Magazine.

See Greater Communications theme below.

Cabinet Member for Housing and Health

A reference to the review of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee’s review will be included in the next edition of the MBC Borough Insight Magazine which is due to be published in October 2023.

Communications Manager

That Kent Police be requested to:

a.  Promote the muti-agency work of the Town Centre Task Force; and

b. Publicise their community engagement plans, to allow the Council to align its communications actions to this.

See Greater Communications theme below.

Cabinet Member for Housing and Health

a)   This recommendation was discussed with the District Commander and the Community Safety Unit Inspector at the Safer Maidstone Partnership Executive Group.  To improve awareness of policing and specifically the work in the town task force area, the Town Centre officers  promoting the take up  of their two-way engagement tool, My Community Voice (MCV) by residents and businesses.  MCV enables Kent Police to update users with news, alerts, appeals, engagement events and general policing activities. In Maidstone this has also included updates for collaborative work.

Members of the public can choose what information they receive and how they receive it – whether that’s by email, text or voice mail. They can also share or reply to the messages they receive, enabling improved two-way communication, information sharing and problem-solving opportunities for the force.  Throughout June there will be an increase in promoting the use of MCV to businesses, with officers distributing information directly into businesses, as well as promotion through both MBC and One Maidstone social media. 

    All elected members are encouraged to promote the use of My Community Voice in their areas and through their surgeries and newsletters as appropriate.

    The Communications team will promote ‘My Community Voice’ through the MBC Stay Connected ‘Safe Clean and Green’ newsletter.

b)  As detailed in the response to the first recommendation, the Town Centre Task Force meet monthly, and the partnership Communications Plan is discussed as a standard agenda item.  This will extend to the new Neighbourhood Task Force to ensure communications considered for each operation and when developing engagement activities.

Community and Strategic Partnerships Manager

That the British Transport Police and Southeastern Railways be reminded that the displacement of anti-social behaviour from the town centre to wider areas would be better managed if train tickets were checked on a regular basis.

See Greater Communications theme below.

Cabinet Member for Housing and Health

Links with South-eastern Railway are being developed with new Service Level Agreements are in place for information sharing.  Maidstone’s stations are not seen as high priorities, it is therefore unlikely that barriers will be implemented as they would need to be staffed.

The work of the District Contextual Safeguarding Meeting has identified groups using the rail network and work has been undertaken with police, partners and BTP to challenge them.  With levels of ASB now falling in the Town Centre, work will continue with an intelligence led approach. 

The Violence Reduction Unit have funded the Switch Youth Café to undertake joint operations with BTP and their Outreach Workers, providing a presence on the trains across the network, to specifically engage with young people. 

BTP have a relatively new Community Safety App and a link will be included in Cluster Contact Sheets when they are updated in June/July.  The app is available here.

To encourage all Members to sign up to the ‘My Community Voice’ facility provided by Kent Police.

See Member Engagement theme below.

Cabinet Member for Housing and Health

Details of My Community Voice are included and promoted through Ward Cluster meetings and included on the Cluster Contact sheet and can be shared with the wider community. 

To encourage all Members to sign up the ‘Stay Connected’ online newsletters produced by the Council.

See Member Engagement theme below.

Cabinet Member for Communities, Leisure and Arts

The Communications Team regularly email all MBC councillors including sending them all of the MBC press releases which include information regarding the ‘Stay Connected’ newsletters and provides an electronic link for people to use in order to sign-up.

In addition, we promote the Stay Connected service via social media and Cabinet Members are actively encouraging their colleagues to sign-up to the service.

Communications Manager

To provide Members with the contact details for the various reporting mechanisms outlined in cluster contact sheets.

See Member Engagement theme below.

Cabinet Member for Housing and Health

Contact sheets are being updated to reflect the new Sergeants and Beat Officers for Members’ use only.  The following information is also included for residents.  These will be updated to include BTP’s App too. 

Information for residents

MBC and Kent police build processes that support residents.  It’s important that they use the following to ensure issues are recorded and safeguarding issues can be monitored.

Police matters:

My Community Voice (MCV) is a two-way engagement tool set up by Kent Police for residents, businesses and community groups in Kent and Medway. MCV will enable Kent Police to update users with news, alerts, appeals, engagement events and general policing activities. Members of the public can choose what information they receive from us and how they receive it – whether that’s by email, text or voice mail. They can also share or reply to the messages they receive, enabling improved two-way communication, information sharing and problem-solving opportunities for the force.

Residents should be encouraged to report all crimes and ASB to the police.  The easiest way to do this is by calling 101 or online www.kent.police.uk/ro/report/.    If an emergency 999.

Residents can also report anonymously via www.crimestoppers-uk.org or 0800 555 111. 

Also for young people www.fearless.org is a site where young people can access non-judgemental information and advice about crime and criminality. It also allows them to report anonymously issues or concerns. 

Nuisance and community issues: Report via www.maidstone.gov.uk  or here

Head of Housing and Regulatory Services

To facilitate a Member representative engaging with the Youth Forum.

See Member Engagement theme below.

Cabinet Member for Housing and Health/Communities, Leisure and Arts

The Maidstone Youth Forum has been established and operating for nearly a year and is growing in momentum.  They have been approached, via the KCC Youth Hub Delivery Manager, regarding whether they would welcome the opportunity to speak to an elected member from Maidstone.  This will be raised at their next forum, and we await their response. 

Community and Strategic Partnerships Manager

To provide Members and Officers with Bystander Training.

See Member Engagement theme below.

Cabinet Member for Housing and Health

Opportunities to provide training to relevant officers and Members will be sought throughout the Municipal year.  This could include invitations to sessions hosted for business and community groups as appropriate. The following leaflet will be distributed shortly to businesses to generate interest as part of the Safer Streets initiative.

Community and Strategic Partnerships Manager

To encourage continued engagement from Members with Council activities, such as Member Briefings.

See Member Engagement theme below.

Cabinet Member for Housing and Health/ Communities, Leisure and Arts

Officers welcome this suggestion, to ensure members benefit from the inputs to improve their awareness and understanding of a range of community safety matters.

Community and Strategic Partnerships Manager

To circulate the information provided to Town Centre Ward Members at the Town Centre Street Scene Meetings relating to safety in the town centre, to Members of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee acting as the Crime and Disorder Committee.

See Member Engagement theme below.

Cabinet Member for Housing and Health

The Street Scene Group is overseen by Our Environment and Public Realm team. 

**** We are discussing with the team how this information is best shared and will update the response when we have the recommendation from the team ***

Head of Environment and Public Realm

That the questions contained within the annual survey on town centre safety be reviewed, to ensure that the questions contained be used to conduct a benchmarking exercise for future measurement.

See Future Actions theme below.

Cabinet Member for Housing and Health

We do not undertake an annual survey in the Town Centre.  When relevant surveys are undertaken, such as the consultation on the Town Centre Public Space Protection Order and the Residents’ Surveys, questions relating to Town Centre Safety and perceptions of crime are kept consistent for this very purpose.

Community and Strategic Partnerships Manager and Head of Housing and Regulatory Services.

That a Member be appointed as a rapporteur to conduct a post-review evaluation.

See Future Actions theme below.

Cabinet Member for Housing and Health

Democratic Services will oversee the relevant appointment at the appropriate time.