Around 100 representatives from local community groups including the Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara, Asian Retired People’s Association, Soroptimist International, Rethink Mental Illness, Asian Women’s Group and the Dartford and Gravesend Muslim Cultural Centre attended a meeting on October 9 organised by KECC (Kent Equality Cohesion Council) around the work of Kent Police and its Partners which took place at the Civic Centre. This was part of the KECC “Promoting Cohesion and Engagement Project”

The main speaker was the Deputy Chief Constable Alan Pughsley who spoke about the work of Kent Police at a County Level and the importance that the force puts into listening to the communities it serves and how committed he was to providing a first class service protecting and serving the communities of Kent. He was followed by local Gravesham Commander Chief Inspector Philip Painter and North Division Commander Chief Superintendent Mathew Nix who spoke about the work taking place locally and how important it was to maintain good relations between the local community and the Police.

In addition there were presentations by Kultar Nayyar from Victim Support who explained the role of the organisation and how is supports victims of crime and Detective Chief Inspector Tom Richards from Kent Police who spoke about Human Trafficking and provided some recent examples of cases in Kent including successful prosecutions in North Kent.

Gurvinder Sandher the CEO of the Kent Equality Cohesion Council who organised the event commented “I was very pleased that so many different community groups attended. We wanted to provide a platform for these groups to better understand the work of Kent Police and its partners while at the same time allowing them to provide feedback and share their own experiences. It is important that the community have confidence in the work of Kent Police and its partners so that Kent remains a safe place to live, study and work.”