Local News

A by-election, to elect a new councillor for the Murston ward, is to be held following the Full Council meeting on Wednesday 2nd October.

Swale Borough Council have confirmed that it is due to be held within 35 working days of Friday 4th October and "is due to Cllr James Hall being unable to attend meetings of the council for a period of six consecutive months from the date of his last meeting. This means that the seat is now vacant under the Local Government Act 1972".

Cllr Lloyd Bowen, Leader of the Conservative group and main opposition on the council called for the by-election, with others, and in doing told SFM News: "Murston residents need to ensure they have a voice representing them at Swale Borough Council. There a some very important issues due to come to the council in the coming weeks and months and Murston residents should have their voices heard at the earliest opportunity".

Newly installed CCTV cameras in Sittingbourne and Sheerness Town Centres have gone live.

Swale Borough Council have purchased nine new public space CCTV cameras as part of their 'Safer Streets' Project which aims to tackle antisocial behaviour, and violence against women and girls.

Six pan, tilt and zoom cameras have been installed, five in Sittingbourne and one in Sheerness, to bolster the network of existing cameras already monitored 24/7 by the council’s CCTV control room.

An additional three rapid deployment cameras, which are mobile and can be installed in the event of an emergency or in locations that see a spike in crime, have also been purchased.

The cameras allow the control room to radio in any incidents to the police through Swale Link, act as a visual deterrent against anti-social behaviour and gathers evidence which helps the council catch and prosecute offenders.                             

Other measures that aim to improve the visibility of the town centres include trimming trees and improving the lighting of public spaces, like Beachfields’ play area.

In addition to the increased monitoring there has also been security improvements made to anti-social behaviour hotspots such as shutters and fencing at the empty Sheerness Library.

Cllr Richard Palmer, Chair of the Community and Leisure Committee, told SFM News: “Our CCTV control room works incredibly hard to monitor the borough’s cameras, and have had success stopping anti-social behaviour and helping catch and prosecute criminals. Adding to this network of cameras will undoubtedly help keep people safe, and it is the communication between our officers and Kent Police, through Swale Link, that makes these resources so effective. The rapid deployment cameras are also great for responding to emergencies or adding security to locations that start to see more crime, it allows us to have a pair of eyes anywhere in these town centres.”

Cllr Elliott Jayes, Vice Chair of the Community and Leisure Committee, said: “Safer Streets has been working to add physical deterrents and measures such as these cameras and the street marshals. But we are also trying to tackle the root causes of anti-social behaviour, through our youth work, community engagement like the gardener clubs and through education in our local schools. We are proud of the efforts we have made to make everyone feel safer in these two towns -Sittingbourne and Sheerness have a lot to offer and we should all feel proud to call them home. Of course, we would have liked to implement these measures elsewhere in the borough, but unfortunately the government’s safer streets guidelines required us to be targeted in order to successfully bid for these funds".

The council, through the Community Safety Partnership, worked with the Kent Police and Crime Commissioner to secure the funding needed for the campaign from the Government’s Safer Streets Fund.

The council say the Safer Streets project is also implementing other measures to help people feel safe in the towns, such as:

• funding youth programmes such as Vibe's Sheerness Youth Club
• offering free active bystander training and “train the trainer” events
• educational workshops at a local secondary school focusing on subjects such as anti-social behaviour, drugs, alcohol, knife crime and vaping
• working in partnership with Sheppey Matters to help fund Community engagement events, such as the community gardener
• street marshals to patrol the high streets
• teaming up with domestic abuse charities to give out a personal safety app to vulnerable women

More information can be found at:- kent-pcc.gov.uk/what-we-do/commissioning/safer-streets/

It's been reported that a 31-year-old man, who was part of a small group of inmates released from HMP Swaleside on Tuesday (10th September) , has been arrested folowing an attack in Sittingbourne.

The man has been accused of sexually assaulting a woman at Sittingbourne Railway Station just an hour after being released from prison under the government’s early release scheme, according to the MailOnline website.

The website reports that the man then got on a train to London and was arrested in Croydon on Wednesday (11th September).

A British Transport Police spokesman has confirmed that the released prisoner was recalled to prison after the incident and that he has been charged with sexual assault and is due to appear at Crown Court next month.

Swale Borough Council have teamed up with Kent Police to implement measures to tackle anti-social behaviour, such as street drinking and youth nuisance, in Sittingbourne High Street.

Public Space Protection Orders (PSPO) are in place to address street drinking and give officers from Kent Police and the council powers to give fines or take court action, to make the high street a safer place.

The police are taking enforcement action against offenders and are building cases to prosecute individuals who are found to be committing acts of anti-social behaviour. Swale Borough Council’s Rough Sleepers Team have been working closely with the police to help any individuals who are homeless, however, many offenders have been found to not be rough sleepers.

Local charities, Forward Trust and Brogdale CIC, are also working to tackle the root cause of this behaviour by engaging with these groups and offering the support they need to change their behaviour.  

The council’s licensing team have been working with licensed premises on the high street to make sure they are selling alcohol responsibly and looking after the welfare of their customers through limiting their alcohol consumption.

The council’s Safer Streets project, including uniformed marshals patrolling the high street, bolstering the council’s Swale Link project and additional CCTV, has also contributed to tackling these issues.

Cllr Richard Palmer, Chair of Swale Borough Council’s Community and Leisure Committee, told SFM News: “We want people to feel safe when visiting Sittingbourne High Street, and sadly some individuals who carry out anti-social behaviour are going against that aim. That is why we have created a robust action plan, working with multiple agencies, to tackle things like excessive public drinking and all the negativity that comes with that. We have already been working towards a safer community through our Safer Streets project, but it is great to get the backing of the police and other agencies to this behaviour, that frankly has no place in Swale. We will continue our efforts to tackle anti-social behaviour, but we need your help. If you witness anything please contact the police on 101 or report it online – together, with the police, we can create a safer community for everyone.”

Swale Inspector Vanessa Foster told SFM news: “Kent Police is committed to tackling anti-social behaviour and will not tolerate intimidating or nuisance behaviour. As well as ensuring officers regularly patrol the area, we are also working closely with partner agencies, including the council, to ensure there is a joined-up approach in tackling ongoing issues. This close working partnership allows the police to utilise their powers where appropriate but also means the council can ensure they are taking action where they need to. We are all committed to making sure that residents and visitors feel safe and enjoy all the area has to offer when they are here.”