Residents in one town are fed up of delinquent teens egging shop windows, harassing vulnerable people and drinking alcohol hidden in McDonald’s cups.
Shop owners in Ashford, Kent, have said that anti-social behaviour has become a huge issue in the area, throwing up fresh problems every week.
One trader faced racist abuse as others have warned thieves are “killing his business”.
Ganesh Rai, the owner of an off-licence, said his shop was egged after he refused to sell alcohol to an underage boy.
The war veteran said: “A couple of months ago, really small kids, maybe between eight to 12 years old, came in saying ‘give me vodka’.
“They went to the fridge and grabbed alcohol. I said you can’t do that and asked them to leave the store.
“They left and after a few minutes they came back with eggs and threw them at the window. Through the door and they were swearing and shouting.
“There are incidents almost every week.”
Shop owner Dhan Rogu has faced repeated racist abuse, being told to "go back to his country" and says shoplifting is a huge issue too.
Anti-social behaviour encompasses a whole host of crimes including nuisance animals, noise complaints, rubbish, problem parking and rowdy gatherings in public.
Kay Lay, a worker at a local cafe, said youngsters would come in and ask for takeaway cups for alcohol or they’d go to McDonald’s.
She said the trouble was mostly between the youngsters themselves but sometimes it spilled out.
Kay explained: “They think nobody can touch them because they are under 18, but one day I had to tell one of the girls off.
“There was a vulnerable lady and the kids, maybe [aged] 14, started to pick on her.
“Parents just let them go out and don’t know what’s happening.”
Dispersal orders have been issued covering the town centre to try and deal with some of the problems.
Two have been issued this year, but 11 were put into place in 2020, and six in 2021.
Ali Sasmaz, who works in a local cafe, agrees with the orders but thinks they’re not tough enough.
He said: “I think it is a really good idea for police to be able to issue them.
“But it is a waste of police time because they shouldn’t have to deal with drunk people, or teenagers. They should be dealing with real crime.”
Shop owner Geoff Mathews agrees and wants a stronger police presence in the town.
He singled out the problem of e-scooters, which dangerously whizz around the town, and three areas in the town which attracts the troublemakers.
Mr Mathews said: “Trouble is also attracted to the bandstand, the fountain and McDonald’s, that’s where anti-social behaviour develops.
“If the town had been maintained better over the years, it wouldn’t be this bad.”
He also said the vacant Bino Hall, which fell into disrepair, is also a reason that attracts this kind of behaviour.
The most common antisocial behaviour over the past four years in the town centre have been drunken or rowdy behaviour, nuisance gatherings in public and disputes between neighbours.
In 2019 in the Victoria ward, which encompasses the town centre, there were 494 incidents of anti-social behaviour, which rose to 627 in 2020, and 687 in 2021.
But in 2022, that dropped to 583 reported incidents.
However, some crimes have seen a rise, including shoplifting, bicycle thefts and possession of weapons.
Ashford Borough Council said it has introduced a number of measures to help improve safety and reduce anti-social behaviour.
A spokesperson for the authority said: “We work with our partners in the community safety partnership, including Kent Police, to develop and implement strategies to protect our communities from crime and to help people feel safe.
“Ashford town centre has a Public Spaces Protection Order that allows us to tackle anti-social behaviour which takes place in a specific area, covering particular activities, meaning that anyone carrying them out in an area under one of these orders can be prosecuted or issued with a £100 fixed penalty notice.
“The innovative Ashford Streetwise app identifies the areas and routes in the town centre with the best safety provision and the town centre also offers a network of Safe Spaces - premises people can go to if they need help and support when out in the town centre (look out for the window sticker or find them on the app).”
Chief inspector Sarah Rivett, Ashford district commander at Kent Police, said: “Our statistics show that reported anti-social behaviour has fallen in Victoria ward, which includes Ashford town centre, in the last year and I believe that is due, at least in part, to the hard work of my officers.
“Despite the fall, however, we are not complacent and continue to build on our work with partner agencies and businesses to help ensure the town is a safe place to live and work.
“Ashford has a very proactive town centre team and we have worked with the borough council to introduce a range of community safety schemes over the last year.”
Chief Inspector Rivett added: “Dispersal orders are one of the many tools open to us to help prevent anti-social behaviour and they allow us to move on and disperse anyone causing trouble in the town centre before any potential offences take place.”
