The Vine is one of the jewels in our crown in Sevenoaks. However, I have been deeply concerned that in recent years it has become a location for anti-social behaviour.
As many of you will know, Sevenoaks District Council commenced consideration of a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO), which I and many residents wrote in support of, and I was delighted to see it bought into force in February this year. For those of you unaware, PSPO’s are aimed at dealing with problems in a particular area which are causing nuisance or detriment to the quality of life.
Last week, 6 months on from its introduction, I met with Matthew Scott for Kent Police and Crime Commissioner, Divisional Police Commander Chief Inspector Elizabeth Jones and Inspector Stubberfield at the Vine, to hear how it has impacted incidents of crime in the area – and I was delighted at the results. Since being implemented there has been remarkable 93% decrease in anti-social behaviour. And, police have also carried out great work with the schools to ensure that the message is very clear; anti-social behaviour is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.
It was a shame that the Liberal Democrat district councillors did not support the Order’s implementation, a decision I hope they now regret. One of their arguments at the time was that its introduction would push problems elsewhere. I raised this point very specifically at our meeting, and was pleased to be assured by the Kent Police and Crime Commissioner that there was absolutely no evidence that this has occurred.
Everyone has the right to feel safe on our streets. Antisocial behaviour is not a ‘low-level’ crime and that’s why I am determined to bring it to a stop.
