Safety plan on target
Sevenoaks District residents are benefitting from the latest plan to help make the area a safer place to live.
An end of year assessment of the first year of the latest Sevenoaks District Community Safety Partnership Strategy and Action Plan shows that 93% of the actions set out by the plan are on target to be achieved.
The strategy and action plan, which covers a three year period from 2005 to 2008, is made up of 75 projects that aim to tackle criminal damage and anti-social behaviour, target known offenders and work with residents to improve their local communities.
Some of the successes achieved by the projects over the last year include:
• During 2005/06 Sevenoaks District had the lowest number of crimes in the County for criminal damage, drug offences, robbery and violence against the person.
• The Anti-Social Behaviour Co-ordinator dealt with 161 reports of anti-social behaviour during the year. Interventions included for example, arranging contact with the local PCSO, organising physical or environmental changes, co-ordinating activity with a range of agencies and referring individuals to the Anti-Social Behaviour Task Group.
• Using the Partnership’s Grimebuster equipment, the Probation Service cleaned over 150 areas affected by graffiti
• During 2005/6 five residents won Taking a Stand awards, each receiving £1,000 for community projects of their choice.
• The CCTV control room, linking to schemes such as the Safer Shopping Initiative, Pubwatch and Shopsafe, instigated 65 arrests, assisted 67 arrests and monitored 75 arrests.
• 85 older people were referred to the Help the Aged Handy Van scheme so that they could benefit from security improvements to their homes.
• There are now 16 wardens and PCSOs on patrol in the District. Many of the PCSOs are funded in partnership with town and parish councils.
• Shed alarms, timer switches, safe cans and personal alarms were sent to all PCSO’s & KCC Community Wardens to deliver to vulnerable people in the District.
• The Sevenoaks District Council website was updated and re-structured to include an Anti-Social Behaviour reporting form and updated graffiti form to help people report incidents easily.
• The Partnership has worked with local key workers, local people, youth workers, health visitors and others through its Task Groups. Geographic Task Groups focus on Swanley, Edenbridge and New Ash Green. Thematic Task Groups focus on the night time economy, substance misuse and anti-social behaviour
• The Power Project, an initiative to reduce the number of young people entering the Youth Justice System, has worked with 45 young people in the District who are at risk of offending. During this time, only three of the young people referred to the project have offended. The project is being rolled out to other community safety partnership areas.
Robin Hales, Chairman of the Community Safety Partnership, says: "Making sure the District is a safe place to live, and that people feel safe is of the utmost importance to us. The fact that so many of the projects are on target is fantastic news, but we must strive to ensure that we maintain the work that is being done and tackle those areas that could still be improved so people can continue to feel safe in their communities."
The Sevenoaks District Community Safety Partnership brings together all of the agencies who can have an effect on reducing crime and the fear of crime. It includes representatives from Kent Police, Sevenoaks District Council, Kent County Council, Kent Probation Service, Youth Offending Service, local health providers, housing associations, the voluntary sector and Kent Fire & Rescue Service.
The monitoring figures were discussed at the Council's Cabinet meeting on Thursday 6 July. |
