Government pulls funding for Kent antisocial behaviour campaign

Funding for an “immediate justice” programme to swiftly tackle yobs and antisocial behaviour in Kent has been pulled by the new Labour government.

The county’s Crime Commissioner Matthew Scott, who was re-elected to a third term in the commissioner’s role, announced the scheme in January and was due to start this autumn.

Kent was earmarked for £932,000 of Home Office cash to enhance neighbourhood policing, particularly focusing on so-called “hot spot” crime areas, with half to be devoted to the “immediate justice” programme.

This would mean perpetrators would “pay back” to the community within 48 hours of being caught committing acts of antisocial behaviour (ASB).

But a Home Office official wrote to all police and crime commissioners in the country on July 31 saying that only ten pilot forces, not including Kent, would carry on testing the immediate justice model.

The official is understood to have told the commissioners that the full roll-out “would not be sensible” but no reasons were given for the decision.

More than £450,000 would have been spent forcing ASB offenders to undertake community “payback” work within 48 hours.

Mr Scott has vowed to press on with the immediate justice concept despite the financial setback.

Mr Scott said “I am naturally disappointed with the decision that the Home Office has chosen to make. This is not the time to be scaling back schemes that will reduce re-offending and prevent crime.

“That said, I will not be deterred from my commitment to Kent residents to take the action that is needed to make those causing antisocial behaviour pay back to our neighbourhoods.

“I am working with a number of groups on an immediate justice and reform programme so that perpetrators are held to account for their behaviour. I will announce my plans later this year.”

The commissioner was enthusiastic about the project when he announced it in January.

Mr Scott said at the time: “Antisocial behaviour is a blight on victims and our neighbourhoods.

“Whilst it has fallen in recent years, I know that this is not everyone’s experience. These plans will see more visible policing to tackle these offences and deal with the drug use that so many complain about.

“And those caught will rightly face justice, through my plans to make offenders pay back to the community.”

The commissioner’s role is to ensure the smooth running of Kent Police, set budgets and hold the Chief Constable Tim Smith accountable for his performance. He has the power to hire and fire the chief officer.

The Home Office said: “The previous government’s immediate justice pilots demonstrated that it takes significant time to get projects up and running, and only six months of funding was available to other police forces new to the scheme.

“This would not have been an effective nation-wide programme for tackling anti-social behaviour, nor would it offer value for taxpayer money – even more so in the light of the state of public finances which this Government has inherited.”