Joining forces to create Maidstone Task Force
Golding Homes are working in partnership with Kent Country Council, Maidstone Borough Council and Kent Police to create Maidstone Task Force.
The Task Force will help identify and tackle crime hot spots and trends, providing protection and support to local communities. Strengthening local communities and keeping people safe will be at the heart of the work carried out by the multi-agency team.
They will focus initially on the Shepway area, building relationships with the local community and helping to reduce crime.
Stephen Timms, Community Safety Lead at Golding Homes said: “We are delighted to be working in partnership with Kent County Council, Maidstone Borough Council and Kent Police on this task force. We want our communities to be places where people can thrive and we believe this task force can help to make a real positive difference to people.“
To hear from members of the Task Force and to issues local residents are faced with watch the short video below.
Martyn Jeynes, Community Protection Manager at Maidstone Borough Council said: "We put partnership at the heart of everything we do, and it's working! We want to ensure Maidstone is a place where people feel safe and are safe. We are really looking forward to working with local communities to help understand their concerns and to utilise the strengths from within those communities and with the combined strengths of the Task Force, bring about sustainable positive changes.
“The Maidstone Task Force will be supported by many other agencies, such as the Kent Violence Reduction Unit and Kent County Council Children Services. Working with local services within our focus areas, such as religious groups, charities and support services, we want to address those issues that increase crime and deprivation and drive health inequalities.”
Kent Police Maidstone Task Force Sergeant Tony Nolan said: “There is a solid Community Safety Partnership in place in Maidstone and the Task Force provides an opportunity to focus our combined resources to get under the skin of issues that have plagued some of our communities for decades. We want to work with those communities to make changes that will not only protect the vulnerable now but will protect generations to come.”
The Task Force will be governed by an Executive Board consisting of senior leaders from statutory bodies and commissioned services and joint chaired by the Chief executive of Maidstone Borough Council Alison Broom and the West Kent Divisional Commander, Chief Superintendent Robert Fordham.