Regular readers of my column will know the focus I have placed on ensuring residents of Sevenoaks can feel safe, when out and about locally.
- Last year, I carried out a local survey, on how we can make community safer. I received hundreds of responses and there were some key take away points which I have since been following up on; more visibility of police in key places; a dedicating women’s safety team; improved facilities at local train stations so that passengers feel safer, and improved CCTV and lighting on popular pathways.
- I successfully campaigned for the establishment of a Nightingale Court in Kent, so that all victims caught in the Covid backlog of crime can see swifter justice, and to help cases with high risk of attrition, such as sexual violence, and last week secured additional funding from Government so this site can continue.
- And, in Parliament I have repeatedly called for standard determinate sentences (where you are automatically released at a point in your sentence) to be ended for rape, and for parole boards to always to be involved before a perpetrator is released.
Throughout all of this, I have worked alongside out excellent Police and Crime Commission Matthew Scott, who at the end of last year also ran his own survey across the whole of Kent looking at how safe residents felt. Matthew has now shared with me the district level results, which I wanted to report back.
I am firstly pleased to tell you that Sevenoaks ranked the highest in Kent for feeling safe at both day and night in the following locations: town centre, public transport, local railway stations and parks and open spaces. Following the work, I have been leading alongside Matthew, Kent Police, and Sevenoaks District Council, I was particularly pleased to see improved feedback on our railway stations. As you may know, at the end of last year our local rail operator agreed to upgrade the lighting on the platforms at Bat and Ball and Otford stations and were looking at the lighting in the car parks. Over the next two years, all older CCTV across the whole estate will also be upgraded – this amounts to around 70% of all CCTV cameras currently in use. And, with safety very much in mind, they are employing a specific safeguarding manager who will be responsible for all aspects of safety at stations and will work closely with the British Transport Police. A very welcome development.
However, we sadly ranked significantly lower for feeling safe near our school or colleges - when compared to the rest of Kent during the day and at night.
Our schools and colleges play a pivotal role in the day to day lives of residents and families across the constituency. It is vital that people can come and go with confidence. Lots of work is going on an to address this, not least in a series of 20pmh zones. I will report back with the full plan, but in the meantime, if people have thoughts then please do email me.
