Police accused of ignoring vandalism to cheat figures

‘Inspector: We always seek to make arrests’

POLICE are ignoring thousands of pounds worth of criminal damage in residential areas to massage their crime stats, according to a councillor.

Cllr Nick Eden-Green (Lib Dem) said there had been a number of incidents reported to police close to Worthgate Place that have not been investigated despite evidence gathered by residents.

Speaking at the Canterbury Area Member Panel, he said an Age Concern minibus, a car and front door had all been damaged by vandals in the past weeks, costing an estimated thousands of pounds worth of damage.

He said the problems were caused by people on their way to, and leaving, the Chemistry nightclub.

In a stinging attack, he accused police of failing to investigate the incidents to produce more favourable crime stats.

He said: “We have a major problem with people going to and coming from the nightclub.

“However, the buck is being passed around by the police and the community safety unit.

“Police have refused to log incidents and give incident numbers.

“They are now saying ‘stop going on about this, there is nothing we can do’.

“As far as they are concerned no crime has been committed.

“If police are refusing to record crime to fancy up their statistics then that is not acceptable to me.

CCTV cameras catch yobs jumping on and damaging a car

“I have been prattling on about this for eight months now.”

On Tuesday, a resident in Dane John Gardens reported her wall had been partly damaged and residents across the city have outlined concerns during Freshers Week with new students arriving in the city.

Cllr Eden-Green said areas in and around Worthgate Place are hotspots for noise disturbances as it links the city to the nightclub – up to 1,000 people can pass through during the night.

He has called for more enforcement in the area, urging police and Canterbury City Council to step up patrols.

The city council’s community safety officer, Douglas Rattray, said a lack of police resources meant it was unlikely to see action taken.

He said: “We speak to the police all the time regarding rowdy behaviour. If you are to ask the police, they do Chief inspector Stephen Barlow rejected Cllr Eden-Green’s claims. He said: “I am aware there are certain residents who have strong feelings about the club and problems with noise and antisocial behaviour. “We have investigated and continue to investigate all allegations made and have, in the past, made arrests for damage. “We actively encourage people to report suspicious activity and the statistics are made public.” Louise Jones, manager of the nightclub, said: “We have been very quiet over the summer. We do seem to get the blame for everything whether we are open or not. “We have worked very closely with the safety unit. Our doormen have high-viz jackets to help people disperse quickly and safely.” not consider the problems are a priority for them to take dedicated action.

“They are not going to call a review, they do not think it is a significant enough problem.

“There is no question that some of the people causing anti-social behaviour are patrons of that club.”

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