News


170weapons off streets in


police amnesty RESIDENTS surrendered more than 170 firearms and nearly 4,000 rounds of ammunition dur- ing Kent Police’s


firearms


amnesty. The initiative, which ran be-


tween Monday, January 21 and Wednesday, February 6, allowed people to dispose of unwanted or illegally held weaponry or am- munitionwithout fear of prosecu- tion. Police say they recovered a


range of pistols, revolvers, shot- guns, rifles and air weapons as part of the initiative. These included a deactivated


Kalashnikov AK-47 assault rifle, which was handed in to officers on January 24, along with maga- zine and dummy rounds. Three Italian starting pistols and a James Bond-styleWalther PPKblank fir- ing replica pistol with blank roundswere also surrendered. On the first day of the cam-


paign, a Colt ‘New Service’ .445 calibre revolverwas handed over. Police say it was made in 1898 and had been used by British and Commonwealth forces until the end of the SecondWorldWar. On January 22, 12 firearmswere


taken to police stations including a Hopkins and Allen, a Webley Second World War service re- volver and a Colt revolver,which were viable, live firing guns. Detective Chief


Inspector


Patrick Holmes said: “We had an excellent response to this year’s surrender. Many firearms are held innocently, with owners un- aware of their illegality, or are overlooked heirlooms forgotten in people’s homes. “The initiative gave residents


the chance to hand in unwanted firearms, ensuring they were safely removed fromthe streets.”


downsmail.co.uk


Town to get one of three stroke units


HEALTH bosses have earmarkedMaidstone Hospital as a site for one of the county’s three newhyper acute stroke units.


In a decision announced on Feb-


ruary 14, the NHS said the Her- mitage Lane unit would join Dartford’sDarent Valley andAsh- ford’sWilliamHarvey hospitals to provide 21st century specialist care. Butwithurgent stroke treatment


currentlyprovidedby six hospitals in Kent, the ruling was met with anger by protestors,who claimthe move is a reduction in countywide cover thatwill put people not local to the three hospitals at risk. The Joint Committee of Clinical


Commissioning Groups met at Maidstone’s Hilton Hotel tomake its final decision. But proceedings had to be adjourned for an hour “after repeated interruptions from


members of the public”. An NHS spokesman said: “The


decision comes after a five-year re- viewofurgent strokeservices, ledby local specialists. The data and evi- dence shows centralising stroke services inthreehyper acuteunits is the right thingforpatients. Itwill re- duce disability and is expected to save a life every otherweek. “At themoment, despite the hard


workofNHSstaff, stroke services in Kent andMedway are some of the poorest in the country. That iswhy the stroke review has worked so hardto bring about change.” The newservicewill give patients


expertcarefor72hoursafterastroke, as well as providing clinics for as- sessing and treating transient is-


chaemic attacks ormini strokes.Ur- gent stroke services will cease in other hospitals in Kent and Med- way, theNHS says. Rachel Jones,director for theKent


and Medway Stroke Review, said: “The reviewhasbeenadetailedand robustprocess, ledbystrokespecial- ists dedicated to improving care for patients.We areworking to address issues such as travel and transport and putting plans in place tomake sure that rehabilitation and support services are closer to home and bet- terplanned.” TheNHSanticipates thenewserv-


icewillbeginatMaidstoneandDar- entValleyhospitals in a year’s time, and atWilliamHarveyHospital in the spring of 2021.


Run for good cause and better health


THE Stroke Association’s “Resolu- tion Run” returns to Mote Park in March. The annual 5k, 10k or 15k event


promotes healthy living. It is esti- mated that peoplewhowalk, jog or run regularly are likely to reduce their chances of a stroke by 20%. ProfessorTomRobinson said: “You


don’t have to be an athlete to re- duce your stroke risk –we can all do it as part of our daily routine. “Simply taking part in 30minutes


of activity which helps you break a sweat three or four times aweekwill help. Remember, the more you do, themore you can reduce the risk.” He added: “It is equally important


that you need tomaintain this level of exercise to keep stroke risk low. If you start small, training in short bursts and build up gradually, you aremore likely to succeed.”


Training and running can reduce your risk of a stroke, says Professor Tom Robinson


The next Resolution Run atMote


Park is on SundayMarch 24. It costs £16 and participants receive a medal and aT-shirt. For details go to www.resolutionrun.org.uk.


Fund to prevent youth gang crime


THE Government is pumping £1.3mintoKent to prevent young- stersbeingluredintoalifeofcrime. ThemoneywillbeusedbyKent


Police and the county council for mentoringandcommunitysupport workers for those at riskofbecom- ing caught up in knife crime and gangviolence. Policewill alsoreceive resources to counter county lines drug traf-


16 Malling March 2019


fickingandexploitation. Some funds will be earmarked


for training multi-agency staff, young people and parents about the threat of criminal child ex- ploitation. Roger Gough, KCC’s cabinet


member for young people, said: “TheexploitationofsomeofKent’s most vulnerable youngpeople is a seriousissueandonewhichcannot


be tackled by organisationswork- inginisolation. “By working closely with Kent


Police and other authorities across Kent, we have created a good frameworkfor tacklingthis issue.” Communities Secretary, RtHon


James Brokenshire MP, added: “Carryingaknifeshouldneverbea rite of passage. For too long, it has beennormalisedbehaviour for too


many teenagers in our communi- ties. Every violent incident, every injury, every young life lost is a tragedythathasdevastatingconse- quences for all involved. “The early intervention strate-


gies set out by the projectswe are funding offer real alternatives to children and young people whomay otherwise become in- volved in gang crime.”


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