COMMUNITY POLICE

Policing Your Neighbourhood

Enormous strides in the way we police rural communities have been made in the recent past with our officers making great efforts to work closely with communities to improve the quality of life for all.

Despite the media's portrayal of an image of hard-living, tough-talking, high-speed-chasing, door-battering cops, there is another reality.

Very often, our officers can be found listening to vulnerable people and giving them real support and help.  On many occasions this can be followed by a visit to the intimidators and their parents in an effort to show them how their behaviour can affect others.

Believe it or not, this type of ‘soft' policing can be very effective and our local officers know of many of today's responsible young adults who were successfully turned away from crime and anti-social behaviour. 

Where necessary of course, the armoury of the law is at their disposal as many of our tearaways also know to their cost.

And if required, our officers can call on support from other Kent Police resources to offer a more direct solution to some of the problems we occasionally experience. 

In addition to our highly experienced neighbourhood officers, PCs Anthony Wiles and Daphne Allen, we also have two Police Community Support Officers, Mark  and Kim Hockey.

Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) provide a visible presence in the community, helping the police to tackle anti-social behaviour and offering reassurance to the public.

They support our local officers by helping to increase public safety contributing to the regeneration of local communities, dealing with truants, graffiti, abandoned vehicles, litter, missing persons enquiries and helping to support victims.

They can also assist with house to house enquiries, be involved in patrolling major public events and ceremonies as well as helping to control crowds and protecting the public from security threats.