Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
City centre is one of worst areas for crime in Kent
A quarter of 665 offences involved violence
An area of central Canterbury is officially one of the most crimeridden in Kent, latest figures reveal.
More offences are recorded in Westgate ward than any other this side of Dartford, with just two in the county suffering a higher crime rate.
Home office statistics reveal more than 20 crimes a day are committed on the patch, which takes in the high street, Dane John gardens, London Road Estate and St Dunstan’s.
Worryingly, more than a quarter of the 665 offences recorded in Westgate ward in June were violent.
A further 132 were reports of anti-social behaviour, 75 criminal damage and 62 burglaries.
Just five police officers – three of them PCSOS – cover the area.
Admitting the figures are “concerning”, ward councillor Cllr Simon Warley (Lab) has called for more investment to help police tackle crime.
“There is a particular problem with anti-social behaviour in the Dane John Gardens and other parts of central Canterbury,” he said.
“Conservative austerity meas- ures mean police resources are stretched and the decision to make the warden of the Dane John gardens redundant means anti-social behaviour there usually goes unchallenged.
“Unfortunately the so called night-time economy’ has been allowed to develop in an unregulated manner, leading to behaviour which blights the lives of some local residents.
“The council needs to invest resources so that there are sufficient wardens and community support officers in place to support the police and take measures to control the excessive behaviour taking place in the city centre at night.”
Kent Police sends its crime figures to the Home Office every three months, with the latest period covering April to June.
In June, only Bluewater and Stone, and Town, both wards in Dartford, recorded higher crime figures than Westgate.