A huge part of feeling safe is about help being there when you need it.
Anti-social behaviour affects law-abiding residents in Maidstone and Faversham. Graffiti and vandalism spoils public spaces and facilities like parks, playgrounds, footbridges and subways.
Shops in both towns – and village shops too - lose revenue through shop-lifting, and some shopkeepers have suffered horrible attacks and abuse.
People have started to worry about walking home after dark along routes that have been used for generations. And villages across Faversham and Mid Kent have often felt overlooked, with slow police response times and rising rural crime such as fly-tipping, illegal hare coursing and the reckless use of catapults damaging property and harming wildlife. Tool and equipment theft is a constant threat for farmers, rural businesses and residents as well.
That isn’t good enough.
With 20,000 more police officers recruited since 2019, I want this area to see the benefit. I’m working closely with local councillors, Kent Police and our Police and Crime Commissioner, Matthew Scott, to crack down on crime hotspots, and improve response times for rural crime and make sure crimes are investigated and perpetrators brought to justice.
