Thanet Community Safety Partnership

Thanet Community Safety Partnership’s (TCSP) first Knowledge is Power: “Once is all it takes” family event took place at Ramsgate Football Club on Friday 30 August 2024, 10am and 3pm.

Partners including Thanet District Council community team, Kent Police, Kent Fire and Rescue Service, South East Coast Ambulance Service, Network Rail, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, Violence Reduction Unit, KCC Trading Standards, Oasis Domestic Abuse, KCC PREVENT, Ben Kinsella Trust and many more promoted the safety message that ‘Knowledge is Power: Once is all it takes’.

The aim of Knowledge is Power “Once is all it takes” is to raise awareness of serious issues including tombstoning, driving while under the influence of drink or drugs, knife crime, rail safety, online safety and what to look out for and promoting healthy relationships. Taking part in dangerous activities like these just ONCE, can result in serious harm or death.
There was a range of free activities including sport activities for people of all ages and workshops on specific safety issues run throughout the event. Bookable workshops were available and proved popular. The workshops were:

• Knife Crime Awareness family workshop – delivered by the Ben Kinsella Trust. Open to everyone over the age of 13. Young people between the ages of 13 and 18 were accompanied by a parent, carer or responsible adult. What to look out for as a parent. Where to go for support.
• Online Risk of Radicalisation – delivered by Kent County Council’s PREVENT Educational Team. Resources and support provided.
• Healthy Relationships – delivered by Oasis Domestic Abuse Service- What is an unhealthy relationship and how to spot the signs. Support and advice provided.

Knowledge is Power “Once is all it takes” will take place again on Saturday 26 July 2025 at Dane Park Margate, 11am to 3pm.

Knife Amnesty bins have been in Thanet since March 2020. Thanet started off with 4 Knife Amnesty Bins across the district. We currently have 17 bins now in the district and they are extremely successful. Since they were installed we have retrieved 2699 knives in total (figures correct 22/01/2024) The Knife Amnesty bins are placed around the district and are moved as and when there is a need to capture as many knives as possible. The Knife Amnesty Bins are emptied every month throughout the busier months of July, August and September and cleaned and emptied every three months throughout the year.

From September 2023 to June 2024 students from East Kent College in Broadstairs, through their coursework created a sculpture design, which is currently being made by a local Broadstairs Blacksmith. This Knife Sculpture will be made from all the knives retrieved from the Thanet Amnesty bins and will be used as an educational tool in addition to the popular Knife Crime Awareness Programme we have in Thanet. The sculpture when not being used in schools will be on display across the district for local communities to see. We want Thanet residents to feel proud to live in Thanet and take ownership and responsibility for their communities. Taking a negative thing such as Knife Crime and turning it into a positive learning tool will allow communities to consider what is acceptable within their community.

October 2024 Thanet District Council ran a Knife Crime Poster Competition in Thanet Secondary Schools. We had over 50 entries. Winners were chosen and the lucky winners all received a £40 voucher (part funded by the Violence Reduction Unit) , a certificate and their winning posters are now on display on the front of the Knife Amnesty bins across Thanet. These posters act as a visual message to those who see the posters, as well as raising awareness within communities and our schools.

• Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy (PDF)
• Plain text Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy
• National DA helpline
• Oasis Domestic Abuse Service
• Kent and Medway Violence Reduction Unit
• End Violence Against Women
• Victim Support
• Women’s Aid
• Thanet Girls Can
• CrimeStoppers
• NCDV
• Claire’s Law

Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) is a National Problem. Thanet Community Safety Partnership is committed to ending VAWG. In early 2025 TCSP will be going out to various groups across the district talking about VAWG, asking these groups what their concerns are ? What would they like to see change/ happen to improve the safety of women and girls in Thanet ? How can we support women and girls better in Thanet ? From the findings in these groups a conference will be held on 14 May 2025 which will report back all these findings to professionals working in and around Thanet. Agency pledges will be made during the conference and taken back to work offices and colleagues so that changes can be made at a grass roots level.

No woman should suffer violence.

“Break the silence end the violence”

The partnership delivers Community Conversation to identify the issues around crime and anti-social behaviour that matter most to residents in our local communities.

The Community Conversation is attended by police sergeants and PCSOs for that area and district council representatives. Members of the community are free to pose questions or make observations about their area, even down to street level.

The district is divided into North, East, South and West geographical areas – with those living in more rural areas attending whichever location is closest and most relevant to them.

Future Community Conversation will be scheduled as follows:

The below engagements are being held during existing community events to try and meet as many people as possible and share the good work that the Community Team are doing.

During COVID-19 restrictions, we held virtual Community Conversation via Facebook Live. To access our virtual Community Conversation and recordings of previous physical Community Conversation, please go to our Facebook page @ThanetCommunitySafetyPartnership.

TCSP works with the below agencies as well as many others on a regular basis. For more information, or to contact an agency, use the links below or use the telephone numbers provided.

Our main statutory partners are:

• Thanet District Council 01843 577000
• Kent County Council 03000 414141
• Kent Police 101 In an emergency: 999
• Kent Fire and Rescue Service 01622 692121 In an emergency: 999
• Kent Probation Service Thanet Office: 03000 473218
• Probation Services – Kent Surrey and Sussex Community Rehabilitation Company or the National Probation Service
• Integrated Care Board

We also work closely with:

• HM Revenues and Customs 0800 59 5000 (to report smuggling of goods)
• Hyde Housing Association 0800 389 3576
• Forward Trust 01843 233600
• Kent Drug And Alcohol Action Team (KDAAT) 01622 221676
• National Domestic Violence Helpline 0808 2000 247
• Oasis Domestic Abuse Services 
• Orbit South Housing Association Thanet Office: 0800 678 1221
• Porchlight 0800 5677699
• Serious and Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) 0370 496 7622
• Southern Housing Association 08456 120 021
• Town and Country Housing Association 0845 873 1321
• Turning Point drug and alcohol support service 01843 298355
• Victim Support Supportline: 0845 3030900

We are always interested in speaking to community groups delivering projects relevant to community safety and can potentially assist in financially contributing.

We also work with a large number of public and private sector partners as well as voluntary and community groups to collectively implement and deliver initiatives that will help all areas of Thanet become a safe place to live, work and visit.

If you are part of a community organisation and are interested in discussing how we can potentially support your project:

Contact Thanet District Council’s Community Safety Team email: Community.safety@thanet.gov.uk