Kent Police update August 2012 - Cheriton and Morehall

On Wednesday 1st August 2012 PCSO Mark Ball attended a report of a vehicle obstruction to a residential driveway. The owner of the vehicle, who was the manager of a local works garage apologised and agreed not to park any of his vehicles in this section of the road again in order to avoid any further upset.

As a result of on going issues surrounding ASB and Criminal Damage in Chilham Road and Cheriton Park, PCSO Mark Ball scheduled and chaired an emergency meeting, which was attended by local councillors, a SDC representative and residents from Chilham Road. Concerns were discussed and action points raised.

On Monday 6th August 2012 PCSO Mark Ball responded to a call from security at Tesco Stores in Cheriton High Street, for an individual who had been stopped for stealing from the store. All items were recovered and the suspect was made to pay for them due to being partially damaged. Due to other factors the individual was not arrested but escorted from the premises and Banned from the store.

Responding to an anonymous call regarding Anti-social behaviour and youths drinking alcohol in Cheriton Park, PCSO's Sarah Wallace, Vanessa Baber and Mark Ball attended and engaged with various groups of young people. Alcohol was seized from one group, who moved on from the area.

On Sunday 12th August 2012 PCSO's Vanessa Baber and Mark Ball attended Cubbitt House in Blackbull Road in relation to a report of young persons throwing stones and waving lumps of wood at people. A group of youths were stopped, admitting to what had occurred. Their details were recorded with words of warning/advice provided. Parents/guardians of each youth have been spoken to regarding their child's behaviour by the local officer.

On Monday 13th August 2012 PCSO Mark Ball was approached by a local resident in relation to a family member stealing from her. Officer Ball set a meeting with all parties at Folkestone Police Station where suitable restorative justice was introduced with a set log of action points resulting from it.

On Saturday 18th August 2012 whilst conducting a scheduled welfare check in the area of Blackbull Road following a violent incident, PCSO Mark Ball stopped 2 males who were threatening each other. Both parties were separated, but due to their continued conduct additional patrols were called who assisted in suitably dealing with both persons.

On Thursday 23rd August 2012 there was a report of a 4yr boy wandering around the streets of Lydd with no sign of parents present. Officers Janet Rumley and Mark Ball travelled from Folkestone, where they promptly found and identified the child. Upon returning the child to his home, officers discovered that parents were at work and the standard/cleanliness of the property was very poor and a potential health hazard. The appropriate partner agencies were informed and the parents spoken to when they returned home later the same day.

On Tuesday 28th August 2012 a report was made to Police regarding a stolen wallet which contained over £200.00. Surprisingly, PCSO Mark Ball was approached by a member of public regarding the wallet and was able to locate it along with its full contents.

A suspected group of repeat offenders who have been targeting the BP Petrol Garage in Cheriton High Street over the past 2 months have now been arrested. The group is potentially being linked to various other reports of Theft/Shoplifting in south Kent.

High Visibility Patrols:

Current crime statistics are: When compared with last years crime figures Cheriton is down by 15.4% and Morehall is also down by 13.6%. Despite these very encouraging statistics there still remains an on going issue with Theft/Shoplifting and Criminal Damage, which are both higher than last years recorded figures.

The majority of criminal damage is the subject of people under the influence of drink and/or drugs, especially surrounding groups between the ages of 14 - 17 yrs old. Reports of Theft/Shoplifting have come predominantly from Tesco Store, BP Petrol Garage, The Coop and One Stop. As a result targeted patrols are being conducted in:

• Cheriton Park
• Stanley Road
• Chilham Road
• Alleyway between Stanley Road and Somerset Road
• Alleyway between Narrabeen Road and Phillip Road
• Cheriton High Street
• The Coop
• One Stop
• BP Petrol Garage

Local officers Karen Tappenden and Mark Ball will continue to liaise with partner agencies, local Neighbourhood Watch coordinators, shop managers and their respective teams.