A house in Ramsgate has been ‘closed down’ following repeated complaints about drug dealing and anti-social behaviour at the address.
Thanet Community Safety Unit applied for the closure order at the property in Margate Road, Ramsgate following repeated calls to the address.
In the last two months, residents have reported loud music, shouting, drug dealing and assaults in and around the property.
Local police officers successfully applied for a closure order under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 at Folkestone Magistrates’ Court on Thursday (February 25).
The order, which was supported by Thanet District Council and East Kent Housing, bars anyone except council employees or contractors from entering the premises until Wednesday 26 May.
Anyone who enters the premises in breach of the order could be liable for a fine or a prison sentence.
Inspector Paul Robson, of the Thanet Community Safety Unit, said: “Kent Police fully understands the impact that anti-social behaviour has on those living near properties like this one.
“We are committed to working with partner agencies and using every tool available us to ensure Thanet continues to be a safe and happy place to live and work.
“My officers will continue working in communities where anti-social behaviour concerns have been raised to ensure we take action against offenders.”
The involvement of East Kent Housing suggests that yet again its a closure associated with social housing
What’s your point LC?
Your point being what, exactly?
That if you look back over the years at the number of such closure orders they are predominantly social housing. There should be a way in which the tenancy can be terminated much earlier when problems like this occur. The security of tenure is social housing is all well and good but there needs to be changes so that the council/housing association can evict much faster.
Whilst its all well and good saying that everyone has to live somewhere it doesn’t take into account the adverse effects of such behaviour on the local community.
In addition will we see headlines saying that social housing has disproportionate levels of crime and antisocial behaviour linked to it? An foi request to kent police showed that in cliftonville 2011-16 there was twice as much crime associated with social housing as private rented (self contained ) housing on a per unit basis.
Hmo’s, bail hostels, childrens homes had 36 times the amount of crime associated with them. But such facts aren’t presented.
Are you suggesting that all social housing should be closed? All rented housing done away with? All tenants chucked out on the street?
I’d just point out that the big money financing drugs operations is not sourced in council flats, but grand houses on gated estates.
Maybe we should close them, too.
Completely agree with you Andrew. Probably one of the most genuine things you’ve posted on here that hasn’t been trolling.
Surely LC is merely suggesting that there should be a faster method of dealing with such problems when related to social housing.Your extrapolation of what the original post says is massively off the mark.
If you want to conjure up absurd conclusions from what i said, go ahead but its got nothing to do with what i’mm getting at. There are those in social housing that don’t deserve to be there they cause untold misery for those around them , just look at the idiocy with fires at Invicta house, how mmay millions is meant to be spent by the council/police/fireservice etc for the actions of a few idiots?
If the dealers went about their business in a quiet manner ( like the “big money” on gated estates) we’d be none the wiser and no one would care, but they don’t. My comparison to private rentals was that the council blamed high levels of crime and antisocial behaviour on the excessive numbers of private rented flats in cliftonville where as the foi request showed the opposite in respect of self contained accomodation, there was a massive problem related to hmo’s etc. But the council wasn’t interested in fact just the income from selective licensing. As an aside another foi from the fire service showed that one ofthe biggest user of their services were care homes , usually getting people out of stuck lifts or false alarms for fire. Again the big picture was used rather than the detail by the council.
But worry not as and when section21 is done away with the problems associated with problem tenants will become more common in the private rented sector as it will be much harder to move trouble makers out.
Does that give you enough detail to see that i’ve no desire to see the end of either social or private rented property, both of which fullfill a need, most certainly far from perfect which is where changes are needed.
It would be interesting to know what percentage of social housing tenants have been found guilty of drug-dealing. I lived in social housing for over 30 years and in my experience most tenants were not involved with drug-dealing. Anecdotal evidence like mine is not necessarily representative,that’s why I’d like to see a comprehensive and impartial survey result.
The vast majority do not , just as the vast majority of people are not involved no matter where they live. Its the protracted timescales in dealing with problems that need addressing. You’ll find a majority of closure orders are used by social housing providers as social housing tenure is too secure and getting trouble makers out very difficult. As we all know it takes very few bad apples to bring an area down. Such behaviour only attracts the wrong sort of people to an area and the problem soon spirals.
At one time there was an excellent “beat bobby” in cliftonville , he once said that if he could get the 5 most prolific offenders locked up for 5 years , it’d halve the crime in the area and remove the criminal role model that others looked upto and wanted to emulate. He reckoned that by the end of the 5 years he’d have crime in the area well under the national average and be able to do his job properly.
Obviously it never happened and cliftinville 20 years later is just the same, parts of ramsgate have suffered the same demise.
I fully agree with LC why should other residents be expected to put up with yobbish behaviour drugtaking drug dealing fighting loud music another disturbances from the in uneducated and unwashed yobs of course not everyone in social housing causes problems the majority don’t but those who do should be kicked out within weeks not allowed to run riot for months.
Marva sweetheart dearest blossom, I guess you mean well but do you think that if a survey was sent to all those in social housing and private housing for that matter asking Do you take illegal drugs Or Do you sell drugs. I don’t think you would get honest answers. They would probably use the survey paper to light another joint. There used to be good citizenship classes in all schools to show kids the best way to behave and what the effects were if they got into trouble with the police or drugs those classes were done away with by the Tories saying that they weren’t on the national curriculum so they shouldn’t be taught so the government have a responsibility in how all children are brought up and educated as well as the parents / guardians of the children. Society reaps what it sows.
I am nobody’s”sweetheart ” or “dearest blossom” so leave out the sexist condescension, please. Obviously the kind of survey I mean would not depend on asking people individually.
It’d be pointless , i can take you to a flat where the tenant has dealt drugs for years, but keeps the “goods” in a communal cupboard ( that they’ve put a lock on) whole building stinks of the constant cannabis smoking. Will the council do anything , no. They say that although it would be a breach of tenancy , unless the police get a warrant for a drugs search they’ll do nothing, they can only ask the tenant if they use drugs, can’t enter the flat to see if thats where the smell comes from , can’t ask any tenant to take a drugs test as its a breach of their human rights.
Fortunately the dealing is low level and almost civilised, the stench of cannabis not quite as easily ignored and the tenants behaviour is becoming a tad erratic probably as a result of a lifetimes cannabis use. But just a guess.
Totally agree with LC
Nothing a horse whip couldn’t sort out, or bring back Birching!