It isn’t every person on the police wanted list who gets to chat to an MP while being arrested – but that is what happened to one man yesterday (October 4).
South Thanet MP Craig Mackinlay was spending the day with officers in Thanet when they spotted a man in St Peter’s who was wanted on warrant.
An arrest was promptly made with the MP in tow.
An incredible day out with @kent_police #Margate #Thanet . Great opportunity to speak to the different teams & a spell in patrol car. Fantastic, dedicated staff. Our pledge to increase officer numbers by 20,000 is exactly the right thing to do.That means about 500 more for #Kent pic.twitter.com/t9NX9JQ8Gt
— Craig Mackinlay MP (@cmackinlay) October 5, 2019
Craig said: “I had a day with Kent Police, including time with each of the teams at Margate police station. I had a tour in a patrol car and the chap in question had not attended court yesterday. The magistrates had issued a warrant for arrest; so it just a routine pick up. I have no powers of arrest!”
Kent Police confirmed the arrest. A spokesperson said: “Officers attended Church Street in Broadstairs during the afternoon of Friday, October 4, where they arrested a 36-year old man from Margate who was wanted on warrant for failing to appear in court. He currently remains in police custody.”
Mr Mackinlay added: “By spending some time with hardworking Police officers in Thanet, I got a first-hand insight into how the Police help to safeguard vulnerable people and people suffering from mental ill health. While policing and crime continues to change, it’s clear to me that the commitment of our Police to prevent crime remains unaltered. I found the experience overwhelmingly positive and would like to thank local officers for inviting me to spend a day with them.
“Both the public and the Police alike want to see more officers patrolling our neighbourhoods to protect people and property, and cut crime – and so do I. That’s why we’re in the process of an unprecedented drive to recruit 20,000 more officers over the next three years to make our streets safer and make it simpler for officers to use stop and search powers.”
