Personality Profile


A force to be reckoned with …


Mid Kent Living’s Dawn Kingsford met with the arresting Matthew Scott – the young champion of the public and the police when it comes to serving justice in Kent…


of age, Mathew Scot is no ordinary thirty- something kinda guy.


A


Kent’s Police and Crime Commissioner – the country’s youngest PCC – has come far with his seize-the-day atitude.


“I was never what you’d call a rebel, nor did I run through fields of wheat, but I was brought up with a good moral code and a belief that as long as you strive to do the right thing, you won’t go far wrong,” he says.


Appointed in 2016, the self-confessed romantic, with a taste for real ale and a very palatable humour, he is the public’s voice on


devoted dad, with a love of rock music, and a £300million budget - at 34 years


law and order in Kent and, more importantly, he’s a good listener.


I met him aſter one of his many public meetings – this time, in Leybourne near Maidstone – finding out exactly what people think of their police force and what they want from it.


He admits crime-fighting in the last decade has changed massively. Budget cuts have seen the thin blue line stretched too thin, with an overwhelming workload on officers courting criticism from the public. Unfortunately,


for him, the public feel


powerless, too, unaware of their right to influence action through him. Everyone has the right to vote for their PCC, but many still do not understand the role and the dismal 15% turnout at the polls backs that up.


“My approach has been to ‘get stuck in’ and talk to people to understand what they want from their police force”


“My role is to keep Kent Police accountable Mathew with Kent’s Police Chief Constable Alan Pughsley


and to set the direction of how crime is tackled in the county. Unfortunately, as a relatively new role, (PCCs replaced police authorities in 2012) many people don’t realise how I can influence policing in Kent, on their behalf. “My approach has been to ‘get stuck in’ and go and talk to people to understand what they think should be happening and how we can endeavour to meet that need.”


Mid Kent Living 7


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