News


Scents leave a bad smell


ROGUE traders are selling fake or stolen perfume in Maidstone. Kent Police and Kent County Council Trading Standards are warning shoppers not to buy from a group of men in the town centre at lower than retail prices. Inspector Rachael Cumberland,


of Maidstone’s Community Sup- port Unit, said: "If something seems too good to be true, it probably is. "You may be buying stolen or counterfeit goods. Buyers will often find that their purchase turns out to be poor quality and this may make the product unusable.” Clive Phillips, KCC trading stan-


dards operations manager, said: "If you buy an item from a stranger, whatever they are selling will have no traceability, so the goods could turn out to be stolen or counterfeit. In addition, you will probably be unable to contact the seller again if you have any complaints. "We always advise the public to purchase from a legitimate outlet." If you think you have been sold counterfeit goods, or if you suspect somebody is selling fake goods, call the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 03454 04 05 06. Alternatively, report it to Action


Fraud online or call 0300 123 2040. If you suspect you have been of-


fered stolen property call Kent Po- lice on 101.


Drink driver


A MAIDSTONE man was banned from driving for 18 months after he admitted being drunk in charge of a vehicle and being drunk and dis- orderly. Tomasz Franczak (38) was sen- tenced at Mid Kent Magistrates’ Court onAugust 9 . Magistrates heard that Franczak,


of Dover Street,was drunk and dis- orderly in Angel Lane, Tonbridge. He was also in charge of a Mazda vehicle and gave a breath test of 105mg of alcohol in 100ml of breath. The legal limit is 35mgs. He must carry out 150 hours of unpaid work and must pay £85 costs and an £85 victim surcharge.


Baery thefts


THREE men, including one from Maidstone, were arrested and dozens of batteries were recovered by police after stopping a vehicle on the M25 inWesterham. Patrols halted the van on Friday,


August 11, after suspecting it was overweight. A number of batteries were found inside, which have since been linked to thefts from mo- bile phone masts inWest Kent. Three men, a 52-year-old from Maidstone, and a 33 and 31-year- old, both from Sevenoaks,were ar- rested on suspicion of theft. All three have been released on bail until Tuesday, September 8.


22 Maidstone September 2017


downsmail.co.uk


PCSO changes leave cover ‘spread thinly’


THE latest changes to Maidstone’s Police Community Support Officer network has sparked fears for a community presence in the future.


The introduction of specialist PCSOs, with dedicated responsibil- ity for domestic abuse, vulnerable adults, youth engagement and the exploitation of missing children is understood to have spread the service even more thinly. An email from Kent Police to


parish councillors, who have long expressed concerns about frequent staff changes and the infrequency of officers attending their meetings, read: “The changes to the policing model means Kent Police has gained some specialist PCSO roles and these changes do leave a tem- porary shortfall of PCSOs to man- age the district demand.” It is a service that has faced in- creasing pressure since the intro- duction of the uniformed civilian section in 2002. In 2009, 16,814 PCSOs were employed in England andWales, but three years later, in light of budget cuts, this had slipped to 15,820 across a division of officers representing 6.8% of all police employees. Commenting on the move to cre-


ate specialist roles, Superintendent Tim Cook, head of Kent Police’s Strategic Partnerships Department, said: “The PCSO role is critical to delivering a first class service to our communities, particularly for the


most vulnerable. To further protect the people across West Kent, from September 12, PCSO posts will be- come dedicated to supporting these groups. “Work is on-going to recruit PCSOs into any vacant roles at the earliest opportunity and where the areas covered by PCSOs alter as a result of the changes, our commu- nities and partner agencies will be informed accordingly.” Cllr Richard Ash, a former bor-


ough representative with Maid- stone council is among a growing number of parish councillors con- cerned about “no shows” by PCSOs at their meetings. He told fellow parish councillors in Bearsted that the Kent Associa-


Ownerswarned after thefts of motorbikes


A SPATE of motorbike thefts has prompted a warning from Kent Police. The force is reminding bike and moped owners to park their vehi- cles securely after reports of thefts in the south Maidstone area. Between 8.30pm on Sunday,Au-


gust 13, and 10am on Monday,Au- gust 14, a Honda WW 125 and clothing were reported stolen from an address at Wootton Close. Over the same night, between 9.30pm and 6am, a YamahaVirago 750 motorbikewas reported stolen from the front garden of an ad- dress in Hastings Road. Police also received a report that


a Yamaha WR 125X had been stolen by two people from a front garden in Highcroft Green at 2.48am on Monday, August 14. It was later found burned out in Park Wood Walk. Two teenagers


were also reported to have stolen a Honda CB125F motorcycle from CumberlandAvenue at 4.45am on Monday,August 14. Theywere de- scribed as wearing a hooded top and a black jacket. The motorbike was abandoned nearby. A Sinnis Harrier moped was


also reportedly stolen from a driveway in Quarry Road between 2am and 2.18am. Inspector Rachael Cumberland,


of Maidstone Police’s community support unit, said: “I would urge motorcycle and moped owners who cannot park in a garage or other building to secure their mo- torbikes and mopeds to an anchor point in the ground.” Anyone who can help can call


Kent Police on 01622 604100, quot- ing reference YY/23091/17, or Kent Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.


tion of Local Councils advised him PCSOs must attend one in every three meetings.A PCSO has not at- tended meetings in recent months. Superintendent Tim Cook said: “PCSOs remain at the heart of com- munity policing and work at times of the day when they can provide the most effective service to the public.


“PCSOs will attend community


and parish council meetings when- ever possible, but this will be sub- ject to other competing operational demands. “If they are unable to attend, any


issues can still be raised via parish council clerks, with whom the PCSO has frequent contact.”


Discover new


board games FANSof board games are invited to ditch their Smartphones for “an evening with the experts” to redis- cover the latest coffee table teasers at Maidstone Museum. The Games Night on Thursday,


August 31, follows the success of the museum’s first games event in July.


Leading board game publishers Thames and Kosmos are sponsor- ing the evening, which ties in with the Museum’s Game Plan: Board Games Rediscovered exhibition, which runs until October 1. Joanna Drage, from the sponsors,


says the first games night at the mu- seum attracted a wide audience: “The players varied from grandpar- ents looking for games to play with their grandchildren to millennials mixing with middle-aged parents.” The museum will be open from 6-


9pm. The event is for over 18s only. Tickets are £5 per person and can be booked online at www.maidstone- museum.org, or simply turn up.


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