New


downsmail.co.uk Watch ‘needs more volunteers’


MAIDSTONE and District NeighbourhoodWatch Association could be disbanded if more volun- teers do not come forward.


The scheme, which has been run-


ning since the 1980s, provides crime and safety awareness and ad- vice throughout the borough. There are currently 485 coordina-


tors who disseminate information to 14,000 households – yet the group’s committee is consistently unable to make decisions on strat- egy because of too few members. Due to departures in late 2014 the committee has spent the past year with a total five members, the min- imum needed for meetings to be quorate. Despite the best efforts of chairman Jim Wilson, no one has come forward to sit on the commit- tee.


He said:“We can’t be sure that all


five members will turn up for meet- ings; when they don’t, we cannot make decisions, which causes prob- lems with the police becausewe are not being represented properly. “We are like a ship without a rudder. You need numbers to have


proper dialogue, discussions and to agree on strategy.” Jim (pictured) says the organisa-


tion will grind to a halt in its cur- rent form because there is not enough man- power


to


monitor coor- dinators’ de- tails or for the authority to target areas, many urban, not yet cov- ered


by


Neighbour- hoodWatch. He needs at


least six people: a treasurer, secre- tary, database manager, products manager (dealing with purchasing and selling), website manager and anyone else prepared to give up two hours for meetings on the last Wednesday of every month. Should the group be forced to


close, it would be likely to amalga- mate with West Kent Neighbour- hood Watch and thus lose its independence. Jim said: “By keep- ing it local we know the area, where the problems are and what needs more attention. “We are trawling the same pool


for the same fish; the same person who volunteers joins a lot of the same organisations. Unfortunately they are getting old and less mo- bile.We are not getting young peo- ple interested. Society has changed and people’s time is much more limited.”


Neighbourhood Watch is strug-


gling to become established in some urban areas in Maidstone. Jim added: “In the past we used to have residents’ associations, butwe have very few of them now. “Neighbourhood Watch brings


the community together; neigh- bours get to know each other as well as problems such as burglaries


and anti-social behaviour at regu- lar meetings. “The coordinator receives crime messages covering a particular area from police on a regular basis. It brings people together and rein- forces the need to help vulnerable people. “In many places you have elderly people living by themselves, and if they know there is a system where people will look in and help them it will give peace of mind – espe- cially as there are more and more frauds and scams taking place at the moment.” Supt Phil Hibben, deputy com- mander for West Kent Police, told the Neighbourhood Watch AGM that coordinators are the eyes and ears of the community, providing vital communication, community reassurance and support. Anyone who would like to join


the committee should call Jim on 01622 693346.


Online crime ‘needs new approach’ Annual award


POLICE inWest Kent are evolving their approach todeal with increases in online fraud, phone scams and rogue traders. Supt Phil Hibben, deputy com- mander for West Kent Police, told the Maidstone and District Neigh- bourhood Watch annual meeting: “We have traditionally dealt with crimes such as burglaries but the newchallenge is the online criminal. “For many generations we have focused on the same crime types but nowwe are having to look at evolv- ing crime types. “We need to identify vulnerable victims and work with trading stan- dards.We need to get the message out to families and the elderly who


IT donation


LEEDS and Broomfield School is planning to upgrade its IT equipment following a donation of £2,000 from Leeds Parish Council. The money will go towards a


new server, wi-fi and new com- puters. Head teacher Julie Wellman


said: “The donation will help us to buy essential equipment such as laptops and tablets to support the delivery of the curriculum. I am sure the children, via our school council, will enjoy hav- ing a say in how some of the money is spent. Thank you to everyone who has made this possible.”


28 Maidstone East January 2016


may have been victims of phone scams “Everyone has to take responsibil-


ity for protecting vulnerable people. “Please continue with what you


are doing as an association and evolve aswe are trying to evolve.” Supt Hibben said there were four


main areas in which crimewas caus- ing a concern in Maidstone: Seasonal burglaries From Octo- ber to the New Year burglaries are higher than the rest of the year. Several arrests have taken place as part of Operation Castle. Theft of tools from vans “This has been going on for a while now. It is about protecting tradespeople’s livelihoods; they might go out of


business if their goods are stolen and some struggle to get insurance because of the risks.” Theft of cars Therewas a partic- ular spike in thefts of Land Rover Defender vehicles due to them no longer being in production. Stolen vehicles are sold off in Britain and abroad. Theft of mobile phones The new Iphone 6 is a particular target. Those who are out socialisingwere warned to be vigilant. Supt Hibben also announced that


the borough of Ashford would join the West Kent Division in 2016. “I get more staff and more responsi- bility to deal with criminality,” he said.


Fines for M20 parking


ACRACKDOWNon illegal parking in Kent has led to fines for 58 lorry drivers and sevenHGVs clamped. It follows the latest sweep by po-


lice of roads including the M20 over the illegal use of hard shoulders and slip roads by truckers for rest breaks. Officers issued 28 graduated fixed penalty notices on the M20 at loca- tions including junction 8. Graduated fixed penalty notices


allow officers to issue accumulative fines, measured against the number of offences and their severity. Superintendent Ian Hall, from


Kent Police, said:“We are operating a zero-tolerance approach to unsafe illegal parking on the hard shoulder and slip roads. “Hard shoulders are for vehicles that break down and are in need of


assistance, and for the use of the emergency services. “Parking on the hard shoulder


and slip roads for a rest is simply not acceptable – it is unlawful and un- safe.We try to educateHGVdrivers about the dangers that parking at these locations poses to them and other motorists. If they fail to move on or we find repeat offenders, we look at escalating the matter to a criminal offence, where tickets are is- sued and/or lorries are immo- bilised.” Amulti-agency group has been set


up that includes the police, High- ways England, local authorities and transport groups to take action where possible and educate compa- nies and drivers, or where necessary take enforcement action.


A BARMING woman who pro- duced her own guidance docu- ment for local Neighbourhood Watch coordinators has won an annual award. Heather Coppock, of South


Street, was named Neighbour- hood Watch Co- ordinator of the Year. The free- lance manage- ment trainer created a book- let to help coor- dinators in their


duties and encourage them to net- work. She hopes to attract funding to run training sessions using the principles of the document.


Ban for driver


A DOWNSWOOD woman caught drink-driving has been banned from driving for two years after being stopped while almost three times the limit. Natalie Carmichael (23), from Bournewood Close, admitted driv- ing her VW Golf in Church Road, Maidstone on October 29 when over the limit. A breath test showed she had 103mg of alcohol in 100ml of breath. The legal limit is 35. She was given the driving ban at


Mid Kent Magistrates’ Court on November 23, and ordered to carry out 60 hours of unpaid work in the next 12 months. She must also pay a £150 criminal


courts charge, £85 costs and a £60 victim surcharge.


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