Issue - meetings

Community Safety Plan 2019-22

Meeting: 19/03/2019 - Communities, Housing and Environment Committee (Item 182)

182 Community Safety Plan 2019-22 pdf icon PDF 85 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Mr Martyn Jeynes, Community Protection Manager, stated that the Safer Maidstone Partnership (SMP) had considered the Community Safety Plan (CSP) after the document had been published on the Communities, Housing and Environment (CHE) Committee agenda.  The SMP had requested amendments to the document, which had not yet been reflected in the report.  In order to incorporate the amendments of both the SMP and CHE, it was suggested that the Head of Housing and Community Services be delegated authority to finalise the CSP prior to the document being considered by Council.  Mr Jeynes outlined that a survey with young people was planned to better understand recent trends in knife crime.  This helped to identify specific actions to meet the priorities within the CSP. 

 

Councillor Gooch spoke as a Visiting Member.

 

The Committee commented that:

 

·  Consideration was to be given to the inclusion of alcohol and tobacco, alongside reference to the supply of cannabis, within “Keeping Children and Young People Safe” on page 27.

 

·  While Maidstone did not have any established criminal gangs, there were instances of youths forming gangs.

 

·  It was beneficial to include information regarding the integration of school exclusions data.  This data informed strategic measures that were undertaken to tackle crime.

In response to questions from the Committee, Officers stated that:

 

·  The Committee were to be notified of the amendments that had been made under delegated authority before the document was considered at Council.

 

·  To effectively conduct a survey with young people, work was being undertaken to ensure that the most appropriate ways to reach the target audience had been identified.

 

·  Specific points relating to the supply of cigarettes and alcohol were included in the Action Plans that underpinned the CSP.

RESOLVED: That:

 

1.  The Head of Housing and Community Services be granted delegated authority to finalise the Community Safety Plan 2019-22, in consultation with the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Communities, Housing and Environment Committee.

 

2.  Council be recommended to adopt the Community Safety Plan 2019-22.

Voting: Unanimous