A POLICEMAN who orchestrated and presided over the county’s Neighbourhood Watch scheme has retired after 36 years with Kent Police. PC MickWright (61), who lives off Sutton


Road, Maidstone, says he would have con- tinued working but police rules dictate that he had to retire. Instead Mick, who helped resuscitate Kent’s disbanded NHW scheme in 1991 and became the county watch liai- son officer 12 years later, will now devote some of his spare time to volunteering for the scheme. “While it would be lovely to stay on and


carry on working, it will always be in my blood,” he said. Mick joined the police force in 1975 and


served as the beat officer for Park Wood, Shepway and Senacre as well as stints at Maidstone CID and the regional crime squad. He then breathed new life intoNHW as the liaison officer in a pilot scheme for the Maidstone and Mallings area, winning a national NHW award in 1994. But it was NHW’s achievements abroad


WORK was due to start on replacing the zebra crossing in New Hythe Lane, Larkfield, as the Downs Mail went to press. KCC said it hoped the new light con- trolled puffin crossing– an upgrade on the pelican – would be brought into operation between February 28 and March 4. The new crossing is to improve the


safety of those using the road near the fire station, especially children going


that gave him most pride. In 1995, he began working with the large Belgian city Ieper (formerly Ypres) to help establish a scheme modelled on the one he had developed in Kent.


Mick said: “Helping that become estab-


lished was the biggest achievement. We were the catalyst for changing the course of history in Belgium. This saw two forces join together and helped combat the previous


Work begins on new Larkfield crossing


to the schools in Swallow Road and from the area known as the trees es- tate.


The installation follows a local cam-


paign supported by a 500-name resi- dents’ petition that was submitted to the KCC last year. The scheme was nearly postponed


due to KCC spending cuts, but KCC Cllr Trudy Dean agreed to contribute £25,000 towards the costs from her local members highway fund.


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Police officer Mick retires after 36 years… ... but he promises to carry on volunteering


mistrust between the public and police.” In 1997, Maidstone NHW was named the


world’s best NHW scheme by the Interna- tional Society of Crime Prevention Practi- tioners in an awards ceremony in Milwaukee, USA. “I have been so lucky to be able to say that


I have enjoyed every single minute of every- thing I have done at work,” said father-of- two Mick, whose wife Marion recently retired as a bank clerk for Natwest branches in Headcorn, Staplehurst and Maidstone. “I learned a lot of lessons about intelli-


gence gathering and how to deal with peo- ple who had information during my CID years.” As for the future, Mick added: “My wife


and I aim to have a little bit of time out and spend some time with the two grandchil- dren. “But to ensure I keep the brain cells tick-


ing over I will continue to do some volun- tary work for NeighbourhoodWatch.”


More school places on way


ATHIRD primary school is not expected to be needed at Kings Hill until 2012, parish councillors were told. With an increasing number of new homes and a


higher than national average birth rate, the demand for primary places in the area has grown faster than expected. Both the estate’s primaries – the Discovery School


and Kings Hill School – have waiting lists and calls for a third school have been gathering momentum. County Cllr Richard Long told the parish council


that, meanwhile, it was likely that more places would be provided at the existing schools.


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