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Life in Sittingbourne where ‘all windows are smashed’ and people avoid the area at night
Dispersal orders, reckless cycling, and feeling of insecurity, residents living in Sittingbourne have complained about the deterioration of the high street over the past few years. Some have said they avoid the area at night as it can be rough and unsafe.
This comes after Kent Police had to take action by putting in place a dispersal order two weekends in a row in a bid to tackle an increase in antisocial behaviour in the town centre. This meant police officers were given additional powers to move “anyone causing a nuisance”.
“Terrible” was the word used by Mary Downs to describe the high street as she no longer feels safe in the area. The 86-year-old, who has lived all her life in Sittingbourne, added: “Shops are shutting, and it’s not clean at all.
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“It used to be lovely. But they smashed all the windows here. All bus stops windows are all broken. I don’t come down here at night. It’s too violent. It’s terrible because Sittingbourne was a well-known town.”
This was echoed by Barry, who did not wish to have his full name published. He said: “The scooters and motorcycles going through, that’s the annoying thing. Other than that it’s okay. I mean, it’s a very old high street.”
‘It can be a bit intimidating’
The 70-year-old, who lived in the town for around five decades, added: “At night it can be a bit intimidating. Certainly, if you’re on your own. I can’t say it’s overly well-lit.”
For Peter, a resident who moved to the area in 1972, the real “menace”, as he described them, are those on bikes and electric scooters. He said this is one of his main concerns in the high street.
He told KentLive: “There are signs everywhere, ‘no cycling’, and you see people on bikes and electric scooters. They are a menace to everybody because you don’t hear them coming.
“I’m in my 70s, and I can’t get out of the way of some scooters. And also I’ve seen the rubbish from take ways and instead of putting their rubbish in the bin they just chuck it on the floor and that is unsightly and needs to be sorted.”
He added: “It definitely got worse over the years. With all the shops closing, you get like rough sleepers lying in the doorways. They’re always begging for money or cigarettes.”
Julia Quinlan moved to the area 30 years ago and said: “I don’t come out on Saturday night because there are problems. But it’s a friendly town.”
‘They come and create some trouble’
The owner of Trade Counter, Vishal Wadhwa, has raised similar concerns since he opened his shop in March. “We have had a few bad experiences here. And that is happening pretty regularly here. But in general, people are pretty cool,” he said.
In this shop, where he sells anything from kitchenware to airsoft guns, he said he had a few incidents where people have tried to steal a few products, including a lady who he said managed to nick an air fryer.
He said: “Teenager issues are everywhere. Over the weekend when they have nothing else to do, they do come by or they have holidays, they do come and create some trouble.
“We have to either push them out. And then there are certain legalities. We can’t be very harsh with them. So we have got this security membership here. You have to call the local council CCTV unit, if it’s a big issue, they send someone, otherwise once they leave, then they follow them through the camera and stop them.”
Vishal said they try to steal super glues and vapes when they come to this store. He added: “So all the vapes and some of the glues, we don’t let them pick. And even sometimes in general, they just go and pick stuff even when you tell them not to do it. Then obviously they argue and they try to throw away some stuff.”
“It is definitely not getting better. The other day we had one lady, I would say she must be in her 50s. My colleague was on his own and I was out for lunch but I was still at the back. And then the lady came, and we have this on the camera. She came here, went all the way to the back, picked one air fryer from the top shelf and then she ran away. He [my colleague] was on his own. He couldn’t run after her.”
Airsoft guns are being sold at the shop and Vishal said he won’t stop selling them despite the increase in antisocial behaviour in the town centre. “The only thing I can do is be responsible while selling them. We don’t sell them to anybody who is under 18. They are toys, they can hurt someone, but when we say it’s for adults only, we expect adults to be responsible.”
What is Kent Police doing to combat antisocial behaviour?
Inspector Vanessa Foster, from Swale’s Neighbourhood Task Force, said: “Antisocial behaviour is often caused by a minority but can affect a whole community.
“We are aware of concerns from local stakeholders and residents who have reported a recent increase in nuisance behaviour in the area. We have been working closely with partner agencies, including local schools, to ensure there is a joined-up approach in tackling the issue.
“Additionally, to this we have implemented two dispersal orders over the past two weekends, which gave our officers additional powers to move anyone on who was deemed to be causing ASB.
“Throughout June we will have a dedicated team of officers patrolling the area and we will not hesitate to put dispersal orders in place once again should they be needed.
“Anybody who wishes to report instances of anti-social behaviour should report it online via the Kent Police website. If a crime is in progress, please don’t hesitate to call 999.”
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