Swale Community Safety Partnership Community Safety Plan 2008 – 11
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Swale Community Safety Partnership Community Safety Plan 2008 – 11 Making Swale a Safer Place Community Safety Partnership SWALE Foreword by the Chairs of Swale Community Safety Partnership Swale Community Safety Partnership is committed, through partnership working, to ensuring that Swale is a safe and enjoyable place to live, work and visit. The partnership comprises key agencies who serve the local community, including Swale Borough Council, Kent County Council, Kent Police and the Police Authority, Kent Fire and Rescue Service and the Primary Care Trust, together with Housing Associations, Youth Offending Service, Prison Service, Probation Service and representatives from the voluntary sector. As a result of previous community engagement we understand that you want to feel safe and be safe in Swale. This Community Safety Plan shows how we will be working with our partners to address as many key issues as possible in the first year. After further public consultation, this plan will be refreshed and refocused as necessary throughout its life. We are here to work together to tackle the root causes of crime and antisocial behaviour and thereby improve feelings of safety and well-being for the community. As joint Chairs of Swale Community Safety Partnership we commend this plan as a continuing step along the road towards a safer Swale. Alasdair Hope and Barbara Thompson Chairs of Swale Community Safety Partnership 2 Contents 2. Foreword 3. Contents 4. Introduction 5. The Borough of Swale 6. Key Drivers / Priority Areas 7. Priority One: Domestic Abuse 8. Priority Two: Crime & Disorder in the Night Time Economy 9. Priority Three: Reduce Re-Offending 10. Priority Four: Anti-Social Behaviour 11. Priority Five: Working With Young People 12. Priority Six: Tackle Substance Misuse 13. Priority Seven: An Active and Engaged Community 14. Swale CDRP Structure 15. Keeping You Informed 16. Contact Details 3 Introduction Local authorities and the police were first required to work together to produce a crime reduction strategy every three years by the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. In 2002, as a result of the Police Reform Act, the requirement to focus jointly on crime and disorder reduction priorities were extended to include the Police Authority, Fire and Rescue Authority and Primary Care Trust, together with much closer liaison with Drug Action Teams to incorporate strategies to combat the misuse of drugs. This is the fourth strategy produced by the Swale Community Safety Partnership, following ten years of experience and sustained success in reducing priority crimes and antisocial behaviour in the Borough. The Home Office recently published their annual report, “Cutting Crime – A New Partnership”, in which tribute was paid to the hard work of partnerships, resulting in a reduction of crime by almost a third from the levels seen ten years ago, effectively reversing the trend of rising crime throughout the 1980s and into the 1990s. Swale Community Safety Partnership now includes a wide range of statutory and voluntary partners who all contribute their time and expertise for the benefit of residents and visitors to Swale. This Community Safety Plan is the result of consultation to discover what matters most to people in Swale and its successful delivery will make a real difference to the lives of all who live, work or spend their leisure time in the Borough. 4 The Borough of Swale T Swale Borough is situated on the North Kent However, we do not expect the age profile to Coast between the Medway Towns and change significantly as incoming younger people Canterbury. It has a fast growing population and families will be offset by a growing percentage of approximately 127,000 people and contains of the existing population living longer. New jobs in some 57,000 households within an area of the knowledge and creative sectors are expected 37,387 hectares. Stretching 18 miles (28.8km) to benefit the Swale economy and provide new east to west and 15 miles (24 km) north to opportunities for skilled local people to find south, Swale is part of the Thames Gateway. rewarding work in the Borough. London 2012 has It is also one of a small number of English added a further dimension and may bring new Authorities that has a populated island within challenges and opportunities for the borough to its jurisdiction. Swale’s 44-mile (71 kilometres) embrace in the run up towards the Olympics. coastal boundary is longer than that of any other Kent authority. A detailed breakdown of the Swale population shows the following: The Borough comprises four areas: Faversham, • The population of Swale is predicted to the Isle of Sheppey, Sittingbourne and the rural grow by 5,300 persons (4.3%) between hinterland. Transport links have improved with 2001 and 2011 and by 8,000 persons the opening of the new bridge to Sheppey but (6.5%) between 2001 and 2016. further road linkages are required and some of the rural areas are remote. The chalet and • People with diverse ethnic and religious caravan parks situated on the Isle of Sheppey backgrounds rose from 1.9% of the contribute to significant seasonal variations in total population in 2001 to an estimated population. 3.9% of the population in 2005. This is still considerably lower than in the South Swale is a diverse area with urban areas in East (4.9%) and England (9.1%) but it is about the Sheerness East and West being amongst the same as the Kent average (3.5%). most deprived in the south east and some of the rural areas being the most isolated in Kent after • Around 8,200 (0.6%) of the population in Romney Marsh. There are a large number of Kent is from a Gypsy or Traveller conservation areas in Swale and approximately community. one third of the Borough is within a designated • 18% of people living in Swale consider Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Some 75% themselves to have a long term limiting of the land area is covered by environmental illness. This compares to 17% for Kent, designations. 16% for the South East and 18% for England. Recently, Swale has seen significant The age distribution for Swale is very similar to improvements within its economy and its that of the County of Kent, the South East and communities. Through major investment, England. progress against key projects has been accelerated and long-held priorities, in particular the new Sheppey Crossing, have The average age in Swale is 38.2 years; been achieved. Swale is attracting investment 20.7% of the population are aged 1-15 years, as part of the Thames Gateway regeneration 16.1% are aged 16-29 years, area. Housing growth, which is planned to rise 22.1% are aged 30-44 years, to approximately 58,500 households by 2016, will continue to change the character of the 22.8% are aged 45-64 and Borough. 18.2% are aged 65 and over. 5 Key Drivers T In formulating the Community Safety Plan The Strategic Assessment identified the for 2008-11, the Swale Community Safety following four themes to be tackled in Swale: Partnership was guided by a number of key • Reduce the level of anti-social behaviour drivers. These include the Government’s and crime committed by Youth on Youth National Crime Strategy and National groups. Community Safety Plan, which both cover the same three year period • Promoting Educational opportunities across partner agencies The Police and Justice Act 2006 and its • Reducing the use of and harm caused subsequent Regulations have changed the by Alcohol crime and disorder reduction landscape by introducing a range of reform requirements • Reducing the fear of crime and promoting and by identifying six hallmarks of effective feelings of safety partnerships. The success of partnerships Members of the partnership reviewed and will now be measured through a new process discussed the Strategic Assessment along of Assessments of Policing and Community with other key drivers at a strategic away day Safety, which will commence in April 2008. and concluded with the priority areas for the Partnership to tackle in the coming years. At County level, the second Kent Agreement will be published during the first few months of The resulting plan is intended to be easily this plan and this strategy will include actions understood by those responsible for its delivery relating to selected national indicators. These and those who are affected by the success priorities are expected to be reflected in targets or otherwise of the process. The plan is also set for local partnerships to deliver within their designed to have at its heart the wishes of the own plans. community and it seeks to actively engage and involve the people of Swale in both its The most important driver for the priorities implementation and subsequent evaluation. selected in the Swale Community Safety Plan 2008-11 were the local community, whose views were represented through consultations at Priority Areas Partners and Communities Together meetings. The main outcome that we aim to achieve over Further information was also received from the next three years is to make the residents a number of strategic partners including of Swale feel safe and be safe. In order to Swale Housing Association, Hyde Housing achieve this we are targeting seven priority Association, KCC Education, Kent Fire and areas. These priority areas are: Rescue Service, Eastern and Coastal Primary • Domestic abuse Care Trust, Sheppey Prison Cluster, Mid Kent Police and Swale Borough Council. • Crime and disorder in the Night Time Economy The plan was also informed by a detailed • Reduce Re-offending Strategic Assessment, which helped to identify the main issues of concern and emerging • Anti-social Behaviour trends in Swale.