Local News

A weekend of action in Sittingbourne town centre has resulted in drug seizures, arrests and other sanctions.

Residents and business owners saw a heightened police presence in the High Street area and retail parks, while officers also targeted knife crime and drugs through checks at the town’s railway station.

A dispersal order was imposed on Friday (19th Decemeber) afternoon until 4pm on Sunday (21st December), with Kent Police "aiming to combat concerns around antisocial behaviour on one of the busiest shopping weekends of the year".

Two people were ordered to leave the area due to their behaviour and officers seized alcohol and a bike. Others received strong words of advice.

Also local officers worked in partnership with the British Transport Police targeting those seeking to visit the town to commit crime. The effort resulted in 15 stop and searches and two arrests.

Joshua Kennedy, 30, of Bridgewater Road in Sheerness, was detained on Friday (19th December) and charged with four counts of shoplifting. He was remanded in custody until his first court appearance at Medway Magistrates’ Court.

Harry Burgess, of Prince Charles Avenue in Minster-On-Sea, was stopped for not paying a train fare and had been wanted for breaching a court order. He was also remanded until his first court appearance at Medway Magistrates’ Court.

Further to these arrests, the searches uncovered four people in possession of drugs including cannabis and one of cocaine. They received community resolutions and the drugs were seized.

Patrols at the station also distributed anti-spiking kits to women arriving by train to enjoy the town’s night-time economy.

Chief Inspector Vanessa Foster told SFM News: "This weekend has seen excellent results, offering us several opportunities to target those who are intent on crime or anti-social behaviour, whilst reassuring the local community. This enforcement took place due to concerns raised by local people of action and will continue on subsequent weekends."

Swale Borough Council has earned a national 'gold standard' for its work supporting residents facing domestic abuse.  

The Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance (DAHA) awarded the council its top accreditation, highlighting its effective procedures for responding to abuse. 

This work is seen as a critical part of the council's services.

Domestic abuse is a factor in 22% of all homelessness cases the housing team manages, showing the complex challenges staff support residents with every day. 

The DAHA accreditation confirms the council's ability to: 

• identify domestic abuse early 

• prevent further harm to those at risk 

• work with partners to help hold perpetrators accountable

To achieve the standard, DAHA assessed the council on three key areas: 

• Procedures - having strong policies, well-trained staff, and accurate record-keeping. 

• Partnership - working closely with other local organisations and sharing information safely. 

• Response - providing an excellent, risk-focused response for survivors

Cllr Hannah Perkin, chair of the council’s Housing, Health and Communities Committee, told SFM News: “The number of people dealing with domestic abuse is deeply concerning, and we are committed to tackling this issue through all our services. We want to make sure our teams, particularly in housing, are best equipped to offer compassionate and effective help. This recognition from DAHA shows that our approach is working. Our staff are increasingly dealing with more complex and distressing cases. This award is a credit to their hard work, providing vital support to people on a very difficult journey.” 

Jonathan Nelson, DAHA Regional Lead – North West, told SFM News: “Congratulations to Swale Borough Council on achieving DAHA accreditation, this is a huge success, and we are thrilled to welcome them to the ever-growing team of DAHA accredited members. Swale has shown exemplary practice throughout the assessment processes and have exceeded expectation of the accreditation in some areas, particularly around Safety Led Case Management and Partnerships & Collaboration, creating a best practice model for accreditation".

Mr Nelson went on to add: "It’s widely known that this is not an easy accreditation to pass, so we want to acknowledge the work that everyone at Swale Borough Council put into ensuring that this project was successful. The assessment process highlights that the response that you have adopted in providing a survivor led, trauma informed, co-ordinated community response not only saves lives but improves the quality of lives for service users and staff.” 

Donna Hearn, SATEDA's (Swale Action To End Domestic Abuse) Senior Community Independent Domestic Violence Advisor, told SFM News: “We have developed a great relationship with Swale Housing team and have worked together with many families and victims of domestic abuse. The team are always very supportive to help those hard-to-reach victims - offering more flexibility with appointments.  Swale (Borough Council) are very knowledgeable of domestic abuse; they recognise the limitations and barriers victims face and offer a trauma informed approach. We feel very lucky to have such a supportive and understanding housing team, which gives us confidence when we refer or signpost victims to get support when fleeing or require housing support or advice.” 

You can find out more about this accreditation by visiting:- https://www.dahalliance.org.uk/membership-accreditation/what-is-daha-acc...

Quick actions by local Kent Police officers saw a delivery van stolen in Sittingbourne recovered and two men arrested within 40 minutes.

Kent Police was called at 11.28am on Thursday (13th November) to a report of a vehicle being stolen while its driver delivered a parcel in Cherry Close.

The vehicle was spotted on camera in Iwade and patrols were dispatched to conduct a search of the area, quickly finding the van.

Kent Police’s Rural Task Force immediately deployed a drone and obtained witness accounts from nearby residents.

Two men were located on A249 Maidstone Road and were subsequently arrested at 12.03pm.

Stephen Liddell of Ravens Way, Blackheath, London, and Kieron Murphy, 46, of no fixed address, were later charged with aggravated taking of a vehicle. Mr Liddell, 44, was also charged with dangerous driving and using a vehicle without insurance.

The latter has been remanded in custody until his next appearance at Thanet Magistrates’ Court on Friday (21st November). Mr Murphy has been bailed until his next court appearance at the same court on Wednesday 10th December 2025.

A team of local police officers have been given a national award after recovering more than £4million worth of stolen property.

Kent Police’s Rural Task Force were named 'Best Team' at the annual Construction Equipment Security and Registration (CESAR) Awards, held last Thursday (6th November) evening at JCB’s World Headquarters near Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire.

Run by the Construction Equipment Association, the awards recognise organisations tackling theft and fraud in the agricultural and construction industries.

Between January 2024 and October 2025, the Rural Task Force arrested 210 suspects and conducted 375 stop searches on people or vehicles.

Over this period, the team worked hard to recover stolen goods with 39 vehicles, 29 caravan/motorhomes, 12 trailers, 12 excavators, 11 quad bikes, four horse boxes, three tractors, 10 generators, a telehandler and numerous tools returned to their rightful owners.

Other efforts by the team to support Kent residents have included offering crime prevention advice, site visits and property marking, making more than 5,900 items more identifiable if they are stolen.

Alongside their strong work countering criminality in Kent, the Rural Task Force has also targeted the movement of stolen items from across the country to mainland Europe through the Port of Dover.

Sergeant Ross Haybourne told SFM News: "This award is a testament to the relentless dedication and professionalism of the team. These efforts have not only led to the recovery of millions of pounds worth of stolen property, but have also made a real difference to communities across Kent and beyond. We’re proud to see the hard work recognised on a national stage."