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.


Hospital to open 24hr helicopter site


MAIDSTONE Hospital is to open a new 24 hour helipad after a pledge of £300,000 from a spe- cialist fundraising charity. Medics are currently using a


temporary landing site at the rear of the oncology unit, but it is fre- quently waterlogged. The newhelipad, says the hospi-


tal, will bring a round-the-clock safe landing site back to Maid- stone. The cash injection, to be paid in two £150,000 tranches, comes from HELP (Helicopter Emergency Landing Pads) Appeal – the only charity in the country dedicated to funding hospital he- lipads.


Leigh Curtis, executive director


of service delivery at Air Ambu- lance Kent Surrey Sussex, said: “Having access to hospitals, like Maidstone, is vitally important to Air Ambulance Kent Surrey Sussex, as it gives us the ability to reduce our patients’ journey time, giving them access to critical care quicker. This one is particularly meaningful to us, as it allows us to serve our founding community at its very heart.” Robert Bertram, CEO of the


HELP Appeal, said: “We go where we are needed most, and Maid- stone Hospital needed our help. “Seriously ill patients need hos-


pital care in amatter ofminutes to increase their chances of survival and recovery. “Building a helipadwith zero risk


of becoming waterlogged will en- sure this happens, saving time and saving lives.” JohnWeeks, head of emergency


planning and response at Maid- stone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust, added: “We are extremely grateful to the HELP Appeal for agreeing to fund the landing site, which will make a real difference toMaidstone Hospital.” The helipad is expected to be


finished and ready for use by the spring of 2020.


Fund to prevent youth gang crime


THE Government is pumping £1.3m into Kent to prevent youngstersbeing luredinto a life of crime. The money will be used by


KentPolice andthe county coun- cil formentoringandcommunity supportworkers for those at risk of becoming caught up in knife crime and gang violence. Police will also receive re-


26 Maidstone April 2019


sources to counter county lines drug trafficking and exploita- tion. Some fundswillbe 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: “The exploitation of some of


Kent’s most vulnerable young people is a serious issue and one which cannot be tackled by or- ganisationsworking inisolation. “Byworking closelywithKent


Police and other authorities across Kent, we have created a goodframeworkfor tackling this issue.” Communities Secretary, Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP,


added: “Carrying a knife should neverbe a rite ofpassage. For too long, it has been normalised be- haviour for too many teenagers in our communities. “Every violent incident, every


injury, every young life lost is a tragedy thathasdevastating con- sequences for all involved. “The early intervention strate- gies set out by the projects we


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40