Speakers:

Kent Fire & Rescue Service

Area Manager  - Steve Appleton

Station Manager -  Stuart Albon

Kent Police

Chief Inspector – Peter Steenhuis

The Head of Community Development spoke on the Community Plan priority of building safer and stronger communities, advising that the Community Safety Partnership was key in realising this objective. 

The Chairman welcomed Police Inspector David Coleman and Stuart Albon, Risk Reduction Manager West Group, Kent Fire and Rescue Service.

Inspector Coleman gave a presentation setting out the Kent Police response to the financial challenge faced over the next four years.  In response to questions he advised that the Police were always seeking and encouraging new volunteers.  At the moment there was a working party looking into rebranding and invigorating recruitment for special constables.  He reassured the local Member for New Ash Green that whilst there was not the budget to have more Police walking the beat to make residents feels less vulnerable, New Ash Green had recently had enhanced patrols between 8 pm. and 6 a.m. in light of recent activity there and there had been an arrest.  Whilst it was desirable to have more Officers on the beat the budget just wasn’t there.  He further advised that the crime figures in New Ash Green were down from the same period last year.  

In response to a question as to how useful CCTV was, and whether he had a view as to how the service would be affected if unmanned during the day, he advised that whilst working in Maidstone he had found the manned CCTV Control Room invaluable.  However he understood the necessity for cutbacks.  The Director of Community and Planning Services and Deputy Chief Executive advised that the CCTV station was currently unmanned during the hours of 9a.m. and 1 p.m. which had been agreed at the last budget round.  Inspector Coleman said that the District currently had a 30.1% crime detection rate but he was not able to give figures for convictions arising from that figure. He also clarified that the Probation Service ran Community Service and there was access to use them for community projects.  The Head of Community Development confirmed that they were interested in ‘one-off’ projects and well as ongoing work such as graffiti removal.

The Chairman allowed a member of the Public to address the Committee.  He commented that his residents association was participating in a community speedwatch initiative and urged everyone to take part.  He pointed out that it was only operational in daylight hours which was therefore restrictive this time of the year.  He asked whether the Police were doing anything about the speeding problem in his area and around Sevenoaks general during the night and early morning hours.  Inspector Coleman explained that the tactics used were to engage,educate, engineer solutions and lastly enforce.  Owners would be written to; the Highways Authority were urged to address problem areas with adequate road engineering/speed restrictions; Licensing Officers should liaise with taxis etc; and enforcement action was only taken when all else had failed.  There was an Officer receiving speed gun training that weekend and he would ask him to contact the member of public concerning his area.  However he highlighted this was not a sole Police issue and the Highways Authority should also be contacted.

The Chairman thanked Inspector Coleman for attending and the Committee showed their appreciation.  Inspector Coleman informed the Committee that the relationship here with the Community Safety Unit was the best operation he had seen and was an excellent model.

The Chairman welcomed Stuart Albon, Risk Reduction Manager West Group, Kent Fire and Rescue Service, gave a presentation explaining Kent Fire and Rescue Service’s four key focus areas: Reducing the number of killed or seriously injured in road traffic collisions; Reducing casualties from fire; Preserving the Gateway to the Garden of Eden; and mitigating the risk to business.  During the presentation he asked Members to consider places/events suitable for safety education days.  He also requested that any Members who were able to help promote the school education service provided into grammar schools in the area would be very much appreciated.  

In response to questions concerning an incident in the Seal and Weald area he responded that even if the Seal Fire Station had still been operating it would not have been that crew who would have attended the incident.  The particular incident referred to had been fully investigated and the satellite navigation system duly updated.  It was a county wide service and there was never a guarantee that an incident would be attended by the local crew.  Therefore crews did not always have local knowledge and relied on the equipment supplied to them. 

The Chairman referred to the minutes of the last meeting where the Chief Executive of Sencio had advised that the emergency services had stopped responding to automatic fire alarms between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. and that from 2013 it would also cease at night.  Mr. Albon responded that it had been a staged withdrawal of response since 2005.  They still attended where there was risk to life, or automatic alarms were confirmed.  He advised that there were excellent fire safety guidelines for premises available on the following website: http://www.communities.gov.uk/fire/firesafety/firesafetylaw/.

With reference to the planned New Ash Green Fire Station he advised that this was still with planning.

The Chairman thanked Mr. Albon for attending and the Committee showed their appreciation.