The isle’s next round of Neighbourhood Engagement Meetings (NEM) are due to take place.
The meetings aim to identify the issues that matter most and are affecting the lives of residents.
NEM meetings are attended by police sergeants and PCSOs for the area and district council representatives. Members of the community are free to ask questions or make observations about their area, even down to street level.
Meetings in Ramsgate and Margate in August brought up issues of drug dealing, nuisance bikers and motorists and vandalism.
In Ramsgate one resident dumped carrier bags full of drug paraphernalia, including dozens of nitrous oxide – known as laughing gas – canisters on a table in front of police and council staff to highlight the area’s drug problems.
In Margate residents said they were plagued by ‘feral’ youths drug dealing and speeding on quad bikes and moped.
The next meeting dates and locations are:
Margate
14 November, 7pm, Trinity Resource Centre, CT9 3TN
Monkton to Ramsgate
7 November, 7pm. The ELMS Club, Elms Avenue CT119BD
St Nicholas to Westbrook
1 November, 6.30pm Garlinge Primary School, Westfield Road, Margate CT9 5PA
Nuisance, noisy, speeding bikers are still plaguing Northdown Road, Cliftonville riding illegal bikes.
The meetings made no difference regarding this as there are no police ready to stop them. They say they have to prioritise policing to more serious offences.
And the filth of Surrey Road where dogs foul pavements daily,camper vans used as extra bedrooms,matresses dumped in gardens and on pavements, stinking overfilled bins left out permanently, overcrowded flats with hundreds of cigarette ends outside,open boasting of racial abuse, drug dealing youths, uninsured, untaxed cars, dvlc clamps removed…
Police and council reaction – “Nothing we can do guv”.