Appendix 2 – Safer Streets 4 project delivery report

Project Description

Our funding objectives:

What we have delivered:

Safer Streets Project manager and business initiatives

To ensure the effective and timely delivery of Safer Streets our proposal include a temporary contract/secondment for a Project Manager. This role would facilitate collaboration across the various workstreams and wider partnership activities, enhancing the overall sustainability of the initiatives.  In addition to the co-ordination of training and initiatives, our safer street application identified some equipment to enhance communication and security in the town, which, because of the delivery, is added to this role. 

Despite initial delays in receiving funding confirmation and recruitment challenges, we successfully absorbed elements of this role within the Community Protection Team. Subsequently, the allocated funding was utilised to create a dedicated Safer Streets Role within One Maidstone. The responsibilities of this role included:

  1. Rolling out Best Bar None: Detailed updates on this project are provided below.
  2. Active Bystander Training for DTE and NTE: Detailed updates on this project are provided below.
  3. Management of the Body Worn Camera Pool: A pool of cameras were purchased and are available for use by businesses in the town centre for events etc. when needed, without the need to purchase/hire their own.
  4. MaidSafe Radios: similarly, to the body-worn cameras, some smaller businesses struggle to pay the subscription fees for the MaidSafe Radio initiative offered by One Maidstone. To allow those business to access the network a small number of radio subscriptions were purchased, and radios have been distributed to support those who need it.   

Additionally, the role engaged directly with local businesses to improve overall feelings of safety. As a result, this position has now been integrated into the One Maidstone staffing structure as the Business Crime Manager. The Business Crime Manager continues to drive further initiatives aimed at enhancing safety and security for both residents and businesses.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Conversion of disused toilet block into an outreach hub

Brenchley Gardens was identified as a hotspot for anti-social behaviour (ASB), drug-related activities, underage drinking, and violence against women and girls (VAWG). The existing decommissioned toilet block/storage offered little to enhance the overall park quality and negatively impacted on safety perceptions. Our proposal aimed to re-purpose and to bring it in to use for multiple purposes:

  1. Closer Proximity: The hub would allow Town Centre based police officers and other professionals to stay closer to areas of concern.
  2. Increased Guardianship: When the park is open, the hub would offer increased guardianship.
  3. Inspiration from Old Police Boxes: Our approach builds upon successful efforts to enhance old police boxes and similar facilities in London and other parts of the UK.
  4. Equipment Storage: The building would also continue to serve as storage for street-scene equipment and park-related items, thereby increasing overall visibility within the area from more council staff.

The conversion of the building has been successfully completed, resulting in:

  • Small Office Space: The hub now provides a small office space and rest facilities for police officers, One Maidstone Ambassadors and Community Protection Officers, allowing them to periodically base their Town Centre operations there.
  • Aesthetic Improvements: Changes to the building have not only made it more aesthetically pleasing but also significantly improved visibility and guardianship over the park.
  • Storage Facilities: A portion of the building continues to offer storage and facilities for the council’s street cleansing team.
  • Challenges: Initial occupancy faced financial challenges due to unexpected development costs arising from the rising cost of materials.
  • Ongoing Work: We are actively working to establish necessary agreements with Kent Police and One Maidstone for long term use. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Summer Warden for Brenchley Gardens

The objective was to pilot an approach during the summer, encouraging legitimate park use by families, residents, and visitors. The summer warden would support the provision of equipment, such as deckchairs and events, providing a visible guardian in the area.

In both 2022 and 2023, a Summer Warden was present in Brenchley Gardens, supporting the delivery of activities and summer concerts. The deckchairs were made available every Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 11 am to 3 pm, including each of the concerts.

Due to the remarkable success in 2022, funding for the 2023 warden was secured from an alternative source.

Music and Art on the bandstand

A group of people painting

Description automatically generated with low confidence

Active Bystander Training and coordinator

The objective of the Active Bystander Training was to deliver a training package endorsed by the Kent and Medway VRU, which focuses on educating professionals on the role of boys and men in reducing violence towards women and girls.  The training supports attitudinal and behavioural change and encouraging change in boys and men, rather than solely teaching women how to avoid victimisation. Upon completing the training, participants would also be given access to materials and resources that they could share with boys and men within their organisations or educational settings.

The objective was to collaborate with a Domestic Abuse charity (DA) and the trainer, Cultivating Minds, to deliver the training. However, the DA provider withdrew their provision from Maidstone. Subsequently, coordination shifted to the Community Protection Team.

Adaptation and Target Audience:

Initially, uptake for the training was poor. To address this, we redesigned the training to specifically target professionals who work with or engage young people. This broadened the delivery to include:

·         KCC Youth Specialists

·         KCC Youth Offending Team

·         KCC Community Wardens

·         Town Centre Task Force, including CPT officers and One Maidstone Staff

·         Child-Centred Policing Officers

·         Town Centre Security Officers

Training Sessions:

·         Four sessions were hosted for approximately 35 participants.

  • Additionally, officers from the Community Protection Team were trained as trainers.

Enhancing Shop Fronts and Community Locations

Empty shop fronts contribute to increased fear of crime and negatively impact perceptions of safety, aligning with the broken window theory. Our proposal aimed to utilise the creativity of a local artists to develop artwork that could be used to “wrap” the fronts of unused shops. Additionally, the hope was for an artist to collaborate with a group of young people to create the art. The Council’s Arts & Culture Officer was identified as the proposed lead.

The allocated funding was successfully utilised to install murals at a few locations:

  1. M&S Men’s Store
  2. M&S Ladies’ Store
  3. The Co-op

Furthermore, murals were applied to the following areas:

  • High Level Bridge Footpath
  • Whatman Park Skate Park

The mural on the High-Level Bridge engaged students from local secondary schools, showcasing their talent and contributing to the Safer Streets legacy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tackling Youth ASB in the Town

 

Anti-social behaviour (ASB) in the Town Centre and Week Street was evidenced by data, and consultations.  This was assessed to be centred around “honeypot” locations such as fast-food outlets and Brenchley Gardens. The ASB was found to be consistently between 3:00 PM and 6:00 PM almost every day of the week. This pattern aligned with the end of the school day, with young people using the town as a transport hub.  The absence of alternative locations leads to more young people congregating in certain areas, with that contributing to their behaviour. 

Challenges and Impact:

·  Security Overwhelmed: Fast-food restaurants, who had employed additional security officers to maintain safety, reported that factors like the behaviour of some young people and their sheer volume, often let to security teams becoming overwhelmed. This also resulted in further escalations and violent incidents.

·  Behaviour Patterns: Beyond ASB, young people in this area engage in underage drinking, smoking/vaping, drug use, and sexualised behaviour toward girls. This behaviour also leads to intimidation and harassment of the wider public using the area.

·  Broader Implications: The ASB and associated behaviour in the early evening serve as a barometer for the Night-Time Economy (NTE), especially on Friday and Saturday evenings. This has ramifications for Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) and NTE crimes. Staff capacity is reduced as they manage issues from earlier in the evening, potentially hindering the identification of emerging risks and threats.

The Proposed Solution:

To address these challenges, funding was sought to increase the presence of youth workers in the town. Their role objectives included:

  • Engaging with young people.
  • Supporting security teams and local police in de-escalating situations.
  • Implementing necessary safeguarding measures.
  • Encouraging young people into diversionary activities and safe places. 

The allocated funding was utilised by KCC to employ staff to deliver activities from the 326 Youth Hub. This strategic approach successfully drew young people into the safety of the Youth Hub.

Key Actions:

  1. Building Relationships: Our officers worked closely with local security teams, fostering better relationships with young people. Respectful conversations were facilitated between security officers and young individuals who had caused concerns.
  2. Targeted Support: Specific support was provided for young people with challenging behavioural issues.
  3. Youth Clubs: We ran clubs for young people, including sessions focused on LGBTQ+, music, and other specific interests.
  4. Gym Memberships: Collaborating with a local gym, we provided over 50 short-term gym memberships, funded through the VRU. This initiative encouraged young people to engage in fitness and overcome any reservations they had about going to the gym.
  5. Increased Engagement: During spring, the 326 Youth Hub saw up to 40 different young people per day. This number surged to nearly 70 during the summer.
  6. Continued Operation: Despite significant changes in delivery elsewhere, the 326 club continues to operate within the KCC delivery model.

7.    Sustained Funding: The club has secured additional funding from SIL monies and will be staffed by KCC personnel from the Family Hub team.

 

Best Bar None (Safer Socialising NTE scheme) including awards evening.

 

To support the rollout of Best Bar None, which aim to encourage NTE (Night-Time Economy) businesses to enhance safety within their venues and the broader NTE, funding was sought to make Maidstone’s “the Best” Best Bar None in Kent.  Through the initiative, Businesses would be asked to implement measures beyond their licensing requirements to improve safety. Amongst our objectives for introducing Best Bar None to Maidstone were:

1.    Reducing Crime: businesses actively incentivised participate in crime reduction.

  1. Reputation Repair: The scheme aimed to challenge negative perceptions the town had faced in recent years.

Public Reassurance/Safe Spaces: By increasing awareness among staff, the initiative reassured the public about safety and built on both “Ask Angela” and “Ask Ani” to get help or find a safe space in the NTE`

During the funding period, officers from One Maidstone and Kent Police received assessor training and collaboratively devised the bespoke Maidstone assessment criteria. Following this, venues were invited to apply for assessment and accreditation under the Best Bar No scheme.

In November 2023, One Maidstone hosted the inaugural Best Bar None awards evening, recognizing that 9 venues had achieved accreditation under the scheme. These venues underwent assessment by trained assessors, focusing on various aspects of improved safety, including overall safety and efforts to reduce violence against women and girls. The assessed venues ranged from pubs to some of the larger clubs and bars in the town.

 

Staff members were invited to join representatives from the Safer Maidstone Partnership in celebrating their individual and corporate commitments to making Maidstone’s NTE a safer and more secure space.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Maidsafer” Safer Streets public education and awareness Campaign (including advertising and digital media)

 

The “Maidsafer” campaign aimed to raise awareness and promote long-term behavioural change. Key objectives included:

  1. Challenging Social Norms: ensuring that the unacceptability of VAWG as a social norm and recognising unacceptable behaviour was showcased as everyone’s responsibility.
  2. Service Awareness: Raising awareness of available services for those experiencing VAWG directly or indirectly.
  3. Tailored Outreach: Utilising online digital channels to reach a wide audience in Maidstone postcode areas.
  4. Outdoor Publicity: Complementing digital efforts with outdoor messaging to flood the area and prompt discussions.
  5. Sustained Campaign: Running the media campaign over 12-18 months to encourage longer -term behaviour change.
  6. Shared Responsibility: Reinforcing that everyone shares the responsibility for making public places safer.

 

Although developed as part of the delivery of this funding “Maidsafer” has become synonymous with the delivery of this campaign, which now features on artwork beyond the Town Centre as part of the broader Community Safety Message for the Safer Maidstone Partnership.  The campaign, started with the conceptualisation of the “Maidsafer” brand and the associated artwork, which has featured across a variety of platforms in the last 18 months.  

The campaign combined a mixture of direct advertising, utilising advertising space on transport networks, including trains and buses and in the public realm, utilising lamp-post banners which ran for several weeks either side of the King’s Coronation, for which they were temporarily removed.  This was complemented by the provision of two gazebos and feather banners, which are utilised by the TCTF and others to deliver awareness and engagement activities in the town. 

Paid editorial pieces promoting the work of the Town Centre Task Force and digital campaigns on the Global and KM Network.  This includes a KM Media 8-week website takeover for the “Enough” campaign, which dominated their advertising space for those accessing the site in the Maidstone area.

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Control Tools (Merchandise and Materials)

The objective of securing these control tools was to provide:

·         Reassurance and Protection: enabling officers to provide reassurance to women and girls while potentially protecting them from harm.

·         Engagement Opportunity: By distributing these items, we create an opportunity to engage with recipients, listen to their experiences, and gain insights into prevalent Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) concerns.

The chosen items, in combination with the wider campaign, were selected to empower girls and women to be more self-aware and better equipped for safety during socialising or travel. Although not identified as a specific concern in Maidstone, drink spiking/tampering was one area that had been highlighted through engagement. 

Through the funding we were able to secure:

·         5000 Personal Alarms- discrete alarms shaped as ladybirds.

·         5000 NightCap Drink Cover Scrunchie: Disguised as a hair scrunchie, it discreetly protects against drink spiking.

These items have been distributed to women and girls in the Day and Nighttime economy, and where appropriate to older students in schools at a range of engagement and awareness raising events.  This includes women who work in the town. Recipients are grateful for the discreet protection offered by these items offer.  

 

Supporting Nighttime Economy (NTE) volunteers

The existence of both Street Pastors and Urban Blue faced challenges after the pandemic. However, with additional funding, we aimed to support them in training and equipping new recruits. These dedicated volunteers play a vital role in ensuring safety and well-being within the Nighttime Economy (NTE), and our efforts were directed toward sustaining and enhancing their impact as providers of support, first-aid and as guardians in the NTE.

 

 

 

 

 

As with many operating in the charity sector, the sustainability of these vital partners is under continuous threat.  Funding was used to help with delivery of training, uniform, and equipment as they continue to provide a presence in the NTE, for as long as they are able. 

Hollie Guard App (paid option vouchers)

Women who have been subjected to stalking or abusive behaviour may fear going out into public spaces. This can be the case even if a perpetrator has been caught. The Hollie Guard App can be downloaded onto the user’s mobile phone. Whilst free to download, the funding sought to secure vouchers to give access to the enhanced version of the app.  The objective was to, through the Maidstone Domestic Abuse Forum, to identify and support vulnerable victims of crimes such as stalking.

 

Awaiting update from Charlotte King, but the vouchers have been purchased and are available for use. 

Improved public realm and mobile CCTV across the Town Centre

As part of the continued maintenance and development of the CCTV coverage in the Town Centre a selection of options were identified to improve the public realm (static) and mobile CCTV. 

Issues with connectivity and some operational blind spots around Lockmeadow presented an opportunity to source funding to improve this area.  A new radio antenna and camera at Lockmeadow has improved the connectivity of 4 cameras on the west side of the river. 

To mitigate concerns around the displacement of issues after the closure of Brenchley Gardens at night, several locations were identified, but these areas where areas were the static system cannot be linked to.   Mobile solutions in these areas provide a suitable alternative, and two cameras with 4G access were secured and have been deployed in the Brewer Street cemetery, outside Mote Park and in St Peter’s Street so far.