Safer Kingston Partnership Plan 2024-2029

The Safer Kingston Partnership has used an evidence based approach, to conduct a combined strategic assessment (SA) and a serious violence strategic needs assessment (SVSNA) to help us to understand what we need to prioritise. This has included:

• analysing levels and patterns of crime, antisocial behaviour, offending and substance misuse to provide an understanding of the key community safety issues impacting on the borough.
• using the Cambridge Crime Harm Index (CCHI) to assess how harmful different crimes are in proportion to the others. 
• using the Problem Analysis Triangle to inform solutions to specific problems.
• previewing the feedback provided by people who live, work, study and visit the borough, including those who have been affected by crime and those who are accessing our services.  
• utilising the expertise and views of professionals and organisations working in the borough.
• ensuring learning from safeguarding reviews and domestic homicide reviews informs our approach.
• reviewing the effectiveness of local services and identifying gaps in provision.
• evaluating the extent to which the previous priorities have been implemented.

This has ensured that this plan is informed by research and evidence and assisted the Safer Kingston Partnership to:

• Systematically pinpoint areas where they can make a distinct and significant contribution and which areas should be of highest priority to the Safer Kingston Partnership.
• Identify the root causes and contributing factors of serious violence.
• Identify population groups that are most vulnerable to being affected by violence, as victims or perpetrators.
• Understand the risk and protective factors in the local area and identify opportunities for prevention and early intervention.
• Allocate resources and identify activities to be prioritised.
• Highlight gaps in information and guide further in-depth analysis of priority areas.

In deciding our priorities, our considerations covered a range of crimes and vulnerabilities where we looked at the level of harm caused to victims and how different crimes affect the wider community. The frequency and scale of crimes was another important consideration, for example, how often each type of crime is happening and whether it is predicted to increase or decline over the next 12 months. When considering key risks, we also looked at the reliability of the knowledge and data the assessment was based on, how well-placed partners are to mitigate the risks, including the resources available. This comprehensive analysis has helped to identify the most significant current and emerging crime and community safety issues, which have been explored further through consultation with our partners, including voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations, business representatives and feedback from the local community.