Thousands sign petition calling for safety improvements at Kent park

More than 3,000 people have signed an online petition calling for urgent action to combat crime and anti-social behaviour at Faversham Recreation Ground. 

Residents claim, despite a recent £1.6 million renovation, the park doesn’t have any CCTV cameras or adequate lighting. 

It follows the stabbing of a teenage boy there on Sunday, 11 October. Detectives have since arrested a 15-year-old boy, from Sittingbourne, on suspicion of assault.

Petition organiser, Daisy Courtney, told ITV News Meridian she’s no longer letting her children walk home from school through the park.

“Parents are scared to let their children play in the park. It’s just had a massive renovation, funded by the lottery, and it’s just going to waste because no one wants to come here because they’re too scared. We really need better lighting, CCTV cameras and more security – even if it’s community officers walking around after school and at night time, especially at the weekends.”

Local Conservative MP, Helen Whately, didn’t respond to our request for an interview but in a statement posted online she admitted the recent stabbing wasn’t a “one-off incident”.

Ms Whateley said: “Reports of crime and anti-social behaviour in the Rec increased during the summer. I met Kent Police… to raise people's concerns and ask what is being done to tackle crime in known trouble spots. Despite the best efforts of the police, it's clear more needs to be done.”

Kent Police and Swale Borough Council say they’re working together on tackling the problems. 

Cllr Eddie Thomas, Deputy Cabinet Member for the Environment at Swale Borough Council, Lib Dem, told ITV News Meridian it’s “very concerning” that some residents are worried about using the park. He’s promised a security camera will be installed in the coming weeks, with a review of the park’s lighting already underway.

When asked whether it was a mistake not to install CCTV cameras during recent renovations, Cllr Thomas said: “I guess with hindsight it most certainly is something that the council should’ve done.” 

Chief Inspector Alan Rogers, Kent Police’s District Commander for Swale, said: “We are aware of concerns about crime at Faversham Recreation Ground and are working closely with our partners, including Swale Borough Council, to prevent further incidents. 

"My officers are taking a proactive approach to prevent offending, such as increasing their patrols to the area, carrying out knife sweeps and using dispersal orders to move on groups of people who are causing, or likely to cause, a disturbance.” 

For more information on the local campaign, see the online petition.