Sittingbourne police crack down on anti-social behaviour

KentOnline / KMTV

Police in Sittingbourne have been given new powers to try and stop constant anti-social behaviour in the high street.  Finn Macdiarmid has been speaking to businesses in Sittingbourne.

Transcript

00:00Verbal harassment, loitering, and in some cases property damage.

00:04These are all things that sitting-born residents say they see in their high street every day

00:08from groups of young people.

00:10So this weekend, Kent police are placing a dispersal order covering all open spaces,

00:15alleyways and footpaths around the high street, retail park, train station and recreation

00:19ground.

00:20This will give police extra powers to force people engaging in anti-social behaviour to

00:24leave the area and not to return for a certain time.

00:27While some businesses believe the order might help change things, others aren't so optimistic.

00:31The people that are causing all the problems are youngsters anyway that the police can't

00:37do anything about.

00:38So, no, I don't think it will have any effect.

00:41It's a real pain.

00:43You see the kids coming up and down the high street, stealing from the food shops, ripping

00:48off the foam off of the scaffolding and generally being a nuisance.

00:55Back in the day it would never have happened.

00:57Proper policing, proper parenting and the kids wouldn't behave the way they do.

01:02I've been speaking to businesses across the high street all day today and there's certainly

01:06been a range of opinions.

01:08Some believe that the problem is actually being blown out of proportion and it's just

01:11kids being a nuisance more than anything.

01:13But others have reported direct damage to their properties such as smashed windows or

01:18produce being kicked over.

01:19The high street is also under a public spaces protection order for drinking alcohol in public.

01:24But similarly, locals say that it isn't enforced, leading them to doubt the dispersal

01:28order's effectiveness.

01:30It's necessary, unfortunately, but it won't have a lot of impact because they don't take

01:35any notice.

01:36In fact, it could bring a few more in just to be devilish.

01:42I think it would.

01:43I think with them getting scared of the police, I think then things should work for the best.

01:51I think it's a very good idea.

01:53If the police could really crack down on it, it's bad round here.

01:59According to Kent Police, the areas in this dispersal order are already being regularly

02:02patrolled every day of the week.

02:04Anyone causing a nuisance and instructed to move on can be arrested if they return to

02:08the area.

02:09Whilst dispersal orders are only a temporary measure, I'd like to reassure residents there

02:13is a great deal of other work ongoing to tackle anti-social behaviour in Sittingbourne.

02:17This includes officers working closely with youth organisations and schools and we also

02:21visit the homes of young offenders to issue warning notices and encourage parents to

02:25take a proactive role in supporting the police.

02:27Despite the frequent anti-social behaviour, some locals still spoke of their love for

02:31the town, its history and its people, and hoped that the police's order might make

02:36the town centre safer.

02:37Finn McDermid for KMTV in Sittingbourne.

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