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News ‘No roomfor knife crime’


KENT’S Chief Constable haswarned that knife-carryingwill not be tolerated inMaidstone. Themessage fromAlan Pughs-


ley came as the force carried out a series of dawn raids, one ofwhich yielded a deadly weapon in the county town. In the operation a total of 38 ar-


rests have been made following 33warrants,whichwere executed across the county sinceMarch 20. Numerous weapons were


seized, including 11 knives, along with quantities of heroin and crack cocaine. Mr Pughsley said: “There is ab-


solutely no place inKent for knife crime or the culture around it. “These warrants demonstrate


we are taking a robust, proactive and zero-tolerance approach to people who choose to break the law, and this will continue in the comingweeks.” Various properties acrossMed-


way,Maidstone, Thanet andCan- terbury were targeted during the


raids and among the noteworthy findswere a Samurai-style sword froma property inMaidstone and a crossbow from a property in Dover.


As part of the clampdown,


which started onMarch 11, more than 250 weapons have been seized from properties across the county, alongside more than 400


wraps of classAdrugs.More than 95 arrests have also beenmade. In total, more than £100,000 in


cash, which is suspected to have been gained fromthe proceeds of crime, has also been seized. Plain-clothed and uniformed


officers will continue to target those suspected to be involved in organised crime involving knives and drugs in the comingweeks. The Chief Constable added:


“We are committed to keeping the county safe. Aside from our en- forcementwork,wework closely with local authorities and schools to educate people on the dangers of this type of offending and chal- lenge themistaken belief that car- rying a knifewill give you added protection. “If you carry a knife, you are


more likely to become a victim and can also expect to be arrested and brought before the courts.”


Asteep challenge formarathonman


PETERKerly (63) has been train- ing hard in the hills around Ul- combe to take on the streets of London. As DownsMail went to press,


hewas due to start his fifth Lon- donMarathon onApril 28. Peter said: “Anyone who


Kent showvolunteer call


THE people behind Kent’s biggest agricultural event are hunting for volunteers to support this year’s Detling extravaganza. The Kent County Agricultural So-


ciety’s recruitment drive comes ahead of its 90th county showthis July. Manager LucyHegarty said: “We


have been working to support the county’s farming community since 1923 through our events and edu- cational programmes. This long- standingworkwould not have been possible without the people and volunteers who support us. “Now that we’re celebrating our


90th show, we’re launching an ap- peal for volunteers and stewards to help us support Kent’s farming


communities long into the future.” The show, which attracted


74,000 visitors last year, offers vol- unteers a chance to get involved in a range of activities involving its equine and livestock rings, heritage and garden life sections, and trade areas. The society is also calling for sup-


port for the Living Land, a free event for Kent’s primary school chil- dren, held in May. It gives young- sters an insight into how the county’s food is produced. Guides are needed to lead visitors through the exhibition. For more details, call Meghan


Rice-Wilson on 01622 633057 or email her at meghan@kentshow- ground.co.uk.


knows Ulcombe will know it’s pretty hilly and, while challeng- ing, I’m hoping it will pay divi- dends on the day.” His running career began after


he heard a radio appeal while sitting in traffic on the M25 in 1997. He said: “There was an appeal


for people to run for Princess Diana’s newmemorial trust, and I thought,why not?” This year, the head of business


development for the Metropoli- tan Thames Valley Housing As- sociation says he is raising money to prevent blindness in children by supporting Orbis UK. The charity uses planeswith onboard operating theatres to provide screening and treatment for youngsters overseas. Peter, who has four children, was hoping to go the distance in


four-and-a-half hours and raise more than £2,000 for his worthy cause. He said: “I have run for some


great causes, but Orbis takes clinical support to patients and doctors to ensure the good work continues.” Peter has told his wife Tracey


– amarathonwidowfivemonths of the year – that this will be his last LondonMarathon, but he in- tends to run 10k races to stay fit. He said: “Formuch of the year,


our diary revolves around my training, so I think Tracey will be glad to seeme stop.”


Maidstone East May 2019 19


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