News J8 plan ‘could


bring crime’ Continued from page one


the opposite side of the road atWa- terside Park. John Grant, crime prevention ad-


visor for Kent Police, cites a long list of potential problems which could arise if commercial development is permitted near Woodcut Farm. In a letter to the Maidstone plan-


ning department, he said: “The huge collateral impact of a site such as this can bring many different types of crime such as theft from vehicles in- cluding curtain-slashing, theft of ve- hicles, theft of fuel, trailer theft, illegal immigration, off-site parking issues (overnight parking), prostitu- tion, littering and fly-tipping.” Mr Grantwarned there could also


be an impact on the night-time econ- omy, as shift workers arrived and left the area – some by public trans- port and others by private vehicles. Mr Grant added that the force’s counter-terrorism department would need to be consulted, as it might be necessary to include lanes for vehicle-checking and searching. Mr Grant said Roxhill had not demonstratedhowitwould “design out” crime and hoped to meet the applicant to discuss crime preven- tion and community safety. See Comment – page 43


‘Illegal immigrants’ spark police search


POLICE were called to Bearsted Woodland Trust after sightings of suspected illegal immigrants. Twomenwere spotted on a bench


in a field belonging to the trust, just off Ashford Road, and were later joined by a third. The area is popular with dog


walkers and the trio alerted suspi- cions shortly after8amon Thursday, June 25. When police arrived on the scene,


the group ran off in the direction of the Mariott Tudor Park Hotel. The dog walker who called the


police said: “The men were clearly not English, possibly Turkish or Iranian, and seemed very nervous around the dogs. They were sitting on a bench and as soon as they caught sight of the police, ran off.” Police confirmed they had re-


ceived reports of two possible illegal immigrants, sighted in Ashford Road. Patrols were deployed to try and find them, but the police could not confirm whether this had been successful. Three hours later that morning, there was a further report of a po-


Maidstone


Suspected illegal immigrants spotted on Bearsted Woodland Trust land


tential illegal immigrant in Lower Street, Leeds. This man was appre- hended by the police, taken into cus- tody and later conveyed to immigration services in Dover. The incidents occurred within


weeks of a number of illegal immi- grants being discovered in a lorry parked in Royston Road, Bearsted. The dog walker said: “People in


the village are generally very trust- ing and often leave their doors and windows open, particularly in the hot summerweather. “This incident made me realise


thatwe are actually living in quite a vulnerable area, being positioned close to the motorway and between junctions 7 and 8.”


The resident has now written to


Mid Kent and FavershamMPHelen Whately suggesting that those who are fit and active and registered un- employed could be deployed to Dover to stop and search all vehicles coming into the country. “If not, I am sure there are many people out there who would be happy to volunteer. We have reached the point where this is a se- rious issue. We cannot just have anyone coming into our country, particularly if they pose a threat to our residents and security. “People who come from a ‘safe’ country cannot be considered asy- lum seekers and we need to start closing the door.”


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