Police put 48-hour dispersal order in place at Westwood Cross and surrounding roads

Westwood Cross

A 48 hour dispersal order has been put in place at Westwood Cross today (May 6).

Kent Police put the order in place following reports of teens abusing shop staff, shoplifting and nuisance scooter issues.

A Kent Police spokesperson said: “Following reports of anti-social behaviour in the Westwood Cross area, Kent Police has introduced a 48-hour dispersal order, which came into effect at 11am today (May 6).

“The order gives police additional powers to move on anyone causing a nuisance and, if necessary, to arrest those who return to the area once dispersed.

“The order was imposed following reports of nuisance scooters and teenagers being abusive to shop staff, entering construction sites and shoplifting over the last week.

“The boundaries of the dispersal area are Star Lane, Poorhole Lane, Northwood Road, Coxes Lane and the New Haine Road.”

39 Comments

    • Until the parents are held accountable for their kids actions nothing will change. If your old enough to have a kid your old enough to take responsibility for it.

      It’s time to stop blaming the government and the schools for the rise in antisocial behaviour, the blame lies solely with the parents/legal guardians.

    • With all the extra housing estates up there it is not surprising really, especially when they forgot to put any parks in for them. Jackie bakers as a green is reducing in size and there is nothing there to do. WWX is the alternative playground. Blame the planners for the rubbish situation.

    • You need to report it to the police if it hasn’t already so they can follow up up as they know who it is

    • I have a stone dent on mine too, same place. They hide behind the fencing then jump out throw a stone at the cars then hide again. If you stop and get out they are on their heels across the green. Sainsburys say their CCTV doesn’t reach across the road.

    • There’s 2 McDonalds in Westwood so it’s the place with the most police at any given time in thanet…crime fighting consists writing letters asking about what the hoped outcome should be…worst police in kent, THANET!

  1. There has been some low life moved into the Westwood new housing area since it’s been built the vandalism and criminal behaviour has increased 100 fold smashed bus shelters smashed store windows smashed bottles over the road. The police 48 hour order is a sick joke the police should base police officers in the area out of school hours.

    • The wonders of affordable housing being bought up by housing associations and boroughs elsewhere. Other areas are hardly going to export their most productive and law abiding.

      • Ahhh the old “it’s the outsiders we must fear” narrative. Hahahaha.

        Loving the cliches.

        • OMG a Guardian reader saying it’s wonderful everything is vandalized. I don’t suppose you live in that area or even know anyone in social housing, the last thing we need is people like you. We need are areas safe and law breakers punished, not protected.

        • Not just the outsiders but we had both enough of our own and a lack of social housing for those on local housing lists without needing to add to the numbers of undesirables in the area. Especially those that really don’t want to be here. Try talking to some of those working in the agencies dealing with problematic children , dysfunctional families etc.

  2. How is 48 hours of policing going to make any difference?? All it shows is the police are incompetent of doing what they are supposed to do. Yobs are causing so much damage in that area and the graffiti in poor hole lane is so depressing.
    Where are the police?? Where are the councillors??? Where are the yobs parents ????

    • It’s not 48nhours of policing it’s a 48 hours dispersal order so the police say go away and if they go away they’re not allowed back into said area again within 48 hours, the police can only do so much but I agree they do seem to be targeting the wrong people and aren’t where they should be when needed.

    • Gives the yob’s a chance to revisit other areas, seems to be an unusually high presence of youth yob’s around my area.

  3. Youths were this bad right the way back. The narrative is always “youths today” nonsense.

    It doesn’t make it any better but there will always be a % of youths that cause issues and they come from all types of back ground.

    • Agree with #not impressed also at the age of these young people it is not practical or fair to blame parents! The young people are finding their feet and have no real options for entertainment. They also missed out on 2 years of social interaction in their most formative years. Opportunities for work are negligible so what have we as a society left for them? We get what we sow. We give nothing we get nothing!

    • 👍 spot on had this before with someone when they was talking about the 70s and someone said something about the park buildings always being vandalised I questioned it tounge in cheek and said hold on that sort of thing didn’t happen in those days

  4. sainsburys car park is not much better , and no one ever bothers to do anything about it

    • I use to work at sainsburys as a trolley collector,and the same thing happened to me. Had stones rocks and abuse thrown at me. That was 4 years ago, nothing changes,but left my job. Management did not give a monkeys.

  5. Unfortunately the people of this once proud country are now subject to daily abuse ( and worse ) . No respect is the byword and discipline is non – existent

    • I agree with you. I have seen what I call kids having kids and saying ‘my parents wouldn’t let me do ?????? my children will do what they want and I certainly won’t be giving them a smack or ground them’ How are they to learn discipline if this is how the parents treat the kids.

  6. If police don’t do anything the only thing to do is take matters into your own hands ,you watch the police act then , more than likely related to the police and know they can get away with it.

  7. Need to take matters into your own hands police won’t do anything probably related to police and know they can get away with it.

  8. There is a bigger picture here, ‘it takes a village to raise a child’ parents who have had poor rolemodels pass on their learned behaviour. Some parents have their own issues such as substance abuse or alcoholism which means they do not have the capacity to raise their children appropriately and often siblings raise each other. The government should also take responsibility for not investing in programmes to help young people to have aspirations. Closing youth clubs and taking away funding has led to some people rebelling against systems and having a lack of respect for authority because they don’t see the value of community. When it is left to schools to hand out dinners to make sure their pupils do not starve, during school holidays that says something about the society we live in. It starts from the ground up, we all need to work together, it is easy to blame certain groups but we all have a responsibility and all need to work with each other to change perceptions and build a more well rounded society. Of course I am not saying that antisocial behaviour should be accepted and for the victims it is terrifying, but in some cases there needs to be behaviour programmes to support rehabilitation. So perpetrators know the impact that their behaviour has on others. I know we will not reach everyone because for some it is ‘nature’ not ‘nurture’ but it would be a good place to start.

    • I recently had a meeting with a “ child development professional”, they produce guidance and interventions for identifying problematic behaviour /traits and dealing with them. When asked why in a country with better health care, access to a good diet, good education etc etc, we are seeing a huge rise in the numbers of children being diagnosed with behaviour issues and was it just greater realisation of said issues that would previously have been ignored.The answer was blunt, yes there was greater appreciation of issues but that the huge rise in numbers waslargely the result of poor parenting and early years development. The lack of proper parenting from 18 months to 3 years can cause mayhem with brain development and the behaviours children develop. Poor language skills but an ability to use a smartphone/tablet at the age of 4 is an instant red flag. The parents view often being its the states job to sort things out. During the lockdowns the nhs moved much of its speech therapy for young children online , many sessions were missed , the excuse often being that no one had reminded the parents of the appointment, this despite the emails and text messages sent.
      Asked what the future held was even blunter, the battle is pretty much lost and that there are indications that there is the start of a rise of teenage pregnancies where one or both parents were mentally ill equipped to bring up a child and the cycle is repeated.
      As a result some children grow up with genuinely no idea of what’s acceptable behaviour , they have no sympathy or empathy for others and exist in their own weird world with other similarly mixed up kids. It’s this that drives the touchy feely softly softly interventionist style of law and order, punishment and harsh treatment is what they see as normal from their early years and as such is not seen as a deterrent.
      The obvious question then arose as to how to deal with the issue, millions of social workers , specialist behaviour mentors, removal of young children from families on a massive ( and socially unacceptable scale ). A total rethink in respect of the criminal justice system, willingness to apply such measures to every ethnicity and religion , turning a blind eye to nothing. Obviously the costs of doing so are beyond comprehension and so what resources there are are directed at the most serious cases.
      It was an interesting meeting. Hearing the view of those involved with the issues was enlightening.

  9. Bring back national service..get these yobs off the streets. If these youths are old enough to do the damage then they are old enough for prison. Get tough with them..can you imagine the problems of parents trying to deal with this kind of scum.. and comments about Westwood Cross new housing undesirables being moved to the area are correct.

    • I am assuming you didn’t do National Service then Greenfield, because after the war only men were called up, not women, and many of todays delinquents are female! In any case teaching a young thug how to kill isn’t the best option is it? I have been trying to get Thanet police to confiscate E-Scooters, because they are all illegal in Thanet! Last week I was having lunch at a family restaurant where I go at least 4 times a week, and a child came in with an E-Scooter, who ordered a drink.

      I said to the boy did he understand E-Scooters come under the Road Traffic Act, and did he have insurance for the scooter? He said no, and I said what if you crashed into someone and caused them serious injury, and they sued you for it, what would you do? He replied and said he is very careful! I asked him how old was he, and said 12, but he looked younger! I told him E-scooters can only be used Off Road, and certainly not on pavements, but he just shrugged, and went on his way! These machines can do 15 mph, or more, whilst my Mobility Scooter is limited to 8 mph! On many occasions I have seen young children on these machines, sometimes two at a time! This is blatant anti-social behaviour, and the riders are putting two fingers up at the police!

      • Come to Cliftonville where mothers and fathers take their children to School on these illegal machines two or three up. Nothing is done about it. Same people every day !

  10. theres too many do gooders , they are looking for excuses for them all the time – deprieved area , bad parenting , no work , its nonsense – there is no deterent to stop them doing as they like . come down on them like a ton bricks – that will stop the little s**ts

  11. Get the army to patrol Westwood should be called wild Westwood its a law less place.. only the army in armoured vehicles should venture there .. stay away .. stay alive .. its got that bad .. help us !!

  12. I have a good idea catch the little low life.tell this government to pass a law if they are caught estimate the total damage cost and make there parents pay in full.if they don’t have the money take goods cars computers etc to pay for damage.see if the little darlings are then flavour of the month with mummy and daddy.oh god I can hear allthe wokies screaming no it infringes there human rights in my day we’d have had our arses kicked.no law and order.its tragic.

  13. Typical thanet white chav behaviour. Uneducated thickos in tracksuits that londeners stopped wearing decades ago. Embarrassing teens in an embarrassing area they call thanet.

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