By Local Democracy Reporter Simon Finlay
Almost £1m has been earmarked to combat the scourge of anti-social behaviour (ASB) on the county’s streets, the Kent Police and Crime Commissioner (KPCC) has announced.
Half of the funding will support an “immediate justice” programme, starting in the autumn, to force ASB offenders to undertake community “payback” within 48 hours.
KPCC Matthew Scott has secured £932,000 from the Home Office to provide extra, visible policing in hotspot areas.
He says this is to augment Kent Police’s new Neighbourhood Policing Model, which is seeing officers deployed to local communities and schools.
Mr Scott said: “Anti-social behaviour is a blight on victims and our neighbourhoods.
“Whilst it has fallen in recent years, I know that this is not everyone’s experience. These plans will see more visible policing to tackle these offences and deal with the drug use that so many complain about.
“And those caught will rightly face justice, through my plans to make offenders pay back to the community.”
However, Mr Scott, who is up for re-election in May, says maintaining Kent Police’s record numbers will come at a cost to residents – roughly £13 for a Band D council tax payer, although he says savings will still be required to balance the budget.
Mr Scott added: “I do not ask for this rise lightly and I do so because it is needed to help balance the budget. If I did not ask for this, we would need to find another £11m on top of what we already need to save.
“I will always make sure that taxpayers’ money is well spent and is focused on making Kent safer. I will also continue to drive forward reforms to procurement and boost collaboration to make sure we are doing everything we can to save money.”
The final proposals will be published ahead of the Police and Crime Panel meeting on February 6.
