Police Matters

Our Beat Officer PC Andy Howe writes -

Cannabis use in the play park and meadow. It has been noticed that adults attend the play park area and meadow to smoke cannabis. Cannabis is a Class B controlled drug and whilst many people believe it has been de-criminalised, it has not. The use of cannabis or any other drug in a children’s play area is an exacerbating factor and reduces the discretion of police officers to deal with this non-custodially. I will be conducting both uniformed and plain clothes patrols of the area.

Littering. I would also like to point out the littering issue in the play park, this very much looks to be linked to youngsters. This offence sits with Thanet District Council, but I would ask that parents remind their children to either use the bins provided or take it home. I know we have some litter pickers at the village hall and would be happy to assist if you wish to have a litter pick event at any time.

Speeding. I am aware of the speeding issues along Sandwich Road and will be conducting some checks and enforcement at various times. Please don’t get caught out. I know its easy to fall into the trap of thinking the road is a 40+ road, as it is long and straight, but it remains 30mph from the bottom of Chalk Lane to the Nature Park.

I will be conducting some uniformed foot patrols in the village over the next week, so if you see me about, by all means come and tell me some gossip or let me know your concerns. I also attend Campuccinos at the Pegwell Nature Park on a regular basis (during the mornings) to engage with the public and grab a drink, please don’t think you are interrupting me if you want to speak to me there, its what I’m there for.

I will be conducting Police Surgeries in the village at some time in the future, this will likely alternate between Cliffsend and Pegwell on a monthly basis, and I hope to advertise them via My Community Voice, Cliffsend Parish Council and the various notice boards around the village.

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We have seen a worrying increase in the number of fly tipping events in the rural areas. If you live or work in the villages you may well have noticed the deposits on the lanes and tracks. We believe that some of these are linked to the breaking down of cannabis grows and so we are very interested in the details of any suspicious vehicles/vans during the early hours of the morning.

We are working together with Thanet District Council to identify and clear these deposits.

If you find some fly tipped material, please use the TDC Fly Tipping form via their web site to log the instance. If you have any information regarding the persons tipping, please email PC Andy Howe [email protected].

Please do not place yourselves at risk by challenging the persons tipping, if it is in progress, get to a safe place, call 999 and report it to Kent Police as soon as you can, and if you can provide a vehicle registration, we would be especially grateful.

Kent Police will be conducting additional early patrols in these areas.