Polly has written to the Home Secretary to request more support to help Thanet tackle summer crime and antisocial behaviour. In her letter she said:
Dear Home Secretary
Tackling outbreaks of summer crime and disorder in Thanet
I am writing to you regarding the ongoing problems we are experiencing in East Thanet with serious spikes in crime and antisocial behaviour during the summer season.
Thanet has long welcomed visitors to our beautiful towns and beaches, and most who visit do so responsibly and respectfully. However, a small minority of troublemakers are causing serious problems for local businesses and residents during the summer months, by engaging in drunken and loutish behaviour, fighting, stealing from local businesses, and vandalising property.
I strongly welcome the measures put in place by the Home Office so far to help Thanet deal with this problem, including the recruitment of additional police and PCSOs in Kent, and the introduction of tough new measures through the Crime and Policing Act. In particular, I welcome the £500 million in additional support provided last summer to target crime and ASB hotspots across the country – including Thanet – that suffer from seasonal spikes in bad behaviour. The local police tell me these measures have made a real difference in helping them fight crime and disorder in our area.
However, despite the progress we have made, the past month has seen repeated outbreaks of drunken and violent disorder during spells of hot weather, which continue to blight our community and undermine our vital seaside economy.
Therefore, I am writing to ask for further support from your department to ensure that Thanet is able to prevent and cope with summer disorder, so we can continue to invest in responsive community policing, tackle crime and antisocial behaviour, and keep our communities and businesses safe.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Kind regards
Polly Billington MP