It was my pleasure to welcome the Home Secretary, Rt Hon. James Cleverly MP to Rochester with the Kent Police and Crime Commissioner, Matthew Scott to discuss the Safer Streets funding that the constituency has benefited from and hear how this has had a positive impact across our area.
I am pleased to see that victim-based crime is down 8% year on year with fewer robberies, burglaries, thefts and criminal damage. Chatham has seen victim-based crime fall by 16% year on year, with an 18% drop on violence and anti-social behaviour down 10%.
The Home Secretary said “I’ve been thoroughly impressed by the hard work and commitment of Kent PCC Matthew Scott to keep people in his community safe. I am committed to tackling knife crime and giving the police the powers, they need to get weapons off the streets. The work that is going on in Kent to reduce violence and support young people is making a real difference. I welcome the action being taken by Matthew and Kent Police alongside excellent local MP, Kelly Tolhurst. The plan that the local Conservative team are delivering is clearly working.”
The Home Secretary spent the afternoon, speaking to local residents and businesses discussing their concerns and views of the further funding given to Kent and our area to help everyone who lives and works in Rochester and Strood ensure that they feel and actually are safe.
The Home Secretary’s visit gave me and Matthew Scott a great opportunity to raise our concerns and vision for Kent, ensuring that Kent continues to get the vital funding that it needs, given its close proximity to London. Kent and particular areas in North Kent such as ours, face increased pressure on our police services due to our location, where we see London based crime spilling out into the home counties.
Last year, the Home Office announced that Chatham Town Centre would receive £284,523.65 from Round 5 of the Safer Streets Fund tackling a number of crimes such as anti-social behaviour, environmental ASB – litter and fly tipping, sexual offences, retail theft, robbery and criminal damage.
The funding will be used to increase CCTV in the High Street, establishing a new Neighbourhood Watch area, increasing training for security staff relating to drink spiking and vulnerability, removing graffiti and raising awareness for Violence Against Women and Girls (VWAG).
I therefore welcome the increase in police officers across Kent, including the 38 extra officers in Medway, 14 school officers and an increase of officers in the taskforce. Additionally, new PCSOs have been assigned to wards across Medway, this is with the aim of building a working relationship with the communities that they serve, helping to deter and combat crime within local areas.
I will continue to push to ensure that Medway continues to get the support and funding that it needs and look forward to working with the Home Secretary, PCC and Kent Police to make our streets safer for everyone.
