Safer Kingston Partnership Plan 2024-2029

Cross cutting themes

We will consider six cross cutting themes as part of a holistic approach to improving community safety. They will be considered in each of the priority areas and integrated into the strategies and delivery plans:

Vulnerability:

  • Someone is considered vulnerable if, as a result of their situation or circumstances, they are unable to protect themselves or others from harm or exploitation. 
  • Involvement in the criminal justice system can stem from peoples past experience of trauma and vulnerability, including experience of exploitation, whether as a victim or a perpetrator. 
  • Vulnerable people are often at greater risk of being a victim of crime - targeted by criminals who exploit vulnerabilities and take advantage through financial, sexual or criminal exploitation. 
  • The nature and extent of someones vulnerability can change over time, in response to social, environmental and personal factors.

Reducing reoffending:

  • Many people who come into contact with the criminal justice system have also experienced victimisation and trauma.
  • Estimates suggest that neurodiverse conditions are three times more common in the criminal justice system than in the general population.
  • Reoffending has substantial costs, both financial and harm related. Research has shown that an offender’s likelihood of reoffending is significantly decreased if they have a home, a job and access to healthcare. Therefore it is imperative that we tackle these criminogenic needs to keep our communities safe. 
  • We need to better understand the impact of specific interventions to prevent/reduce reoffending. CAPRICORN provides a useful framework to prevent offending and re-offending and join up action between organisations at a local level.
  • We need to divert individuals from offending by providing prevention and early intervention initiatives as well as targeted and desistance based interventions to rehabilitate individuals effectively. 

Substance Misuse:

  • Substance misuse can be a factor in a range of crimes, as a driver behind a range of offences; from acquisitive offences to fund addiction and organised crime, to serious violent offences relating to feuds over drug supply activity, in addition to drug specific offences relating to possession and supply
  • It is also a factor that increases an individuals vulnerability to victimisation and/or exploitation

Mental Health:

  • Mental health links to a range of other vulnerabilities and trauma
  • Many with mental health needs appear in other high-risk cohorts; including those with drug and/or alcohol challenges, those who are socially isolated and living in poor quality housing, as well as young people and adults who are at risk of exploitation
  • As well as those with existing mental health conditions being at risk of experiencing crime, experiencing crime itself also exacerbates and can create considerable mental health challenges for individuals. 
  • Many types of crime are judged to pose a substantial or severe risk of psychological harm to individuals; in particular, but not limited to; domestic abuse, serious violence and sexual offences, stalking and harassment, hate crimes and criminal exploitation
  • People in contact with the criminal justice system have higher rates of suicide and self-harm behaviour than the general population
  • Research on intimate partner violence, suicidality and self-harm showed that past-year suicide attempts were 2 to 3 times more common in victims of intimate partner violence than non-victims

Unmet housing needs/homelessness:

  • Unmet housing needs and homelessness are vulnerabilities that increase the likelihood of being a victim of certain crimes
  • It is well documented that spending time in prison increases an individual’s chances of becoming homeless. Prisoners who have problems securing accommodation on their release are significantly more likely to reoffend than those individuals who do not face these challenges
  • It can be a factor that escalates the risk to domestic abuse victims and individuals fleeing violence

Cyber/Online crime:

Last Modified: 07/02/2024 11:55:06