A man was arrested in Canterbury during the operation
Kent Police has charged a man with shoplifting and fraud in Margate, after he was detained by officers during an operation to keep people safe while out socialising.
Uniformed and plain clothes officers were operating in the town on the evening of Friday 7 June 2024, looking out for anyone displaying suspicious or predatory behaviour. Several stop-and-searches were completed and intelligence reports gathered as part of the police activity.
During the evening, officers spotted a man whom they had wanted to speak to in connection with a reported theft from a premises on Canterbury Road. It had been reported that food, drink and laundry items were stolen from the business on 1 May.
A man from Ramsgate, was arrested and later charged with one count of theft and another of fraud. The 37-year-old is due before Margate Magistrates’ Court on 21 June.
Patrols were also out in Folkestone and Canterbury on Friday evening as part of the same operation, where they visited pubs and venues and completed licensing checks.
In Canterbury, one man was arrested on suspicion of breaching court bail not to enter the city centre between 7pm and 7am, and another was issued with a Community Protection Warning (CPW) for anti-social behaviour (ASB). Groups of people behaving in an inconsiderate manner were also spoken to by officers.
Two men in Folkestone, who were found to be in possession of a class B drug after they were stopped and searched by officers, were offered a Community Resolution.
East Kent Superintendent Daniel Carter said:
‘Deploying plain clothes officers in areas that become busy in the evening can help us spot anything suspicious – from predatory behaviour towards women and girls, to anti-social behaviour, to people we believe may be linked to offences previously reported to us.
‘Operations such as this support our work to remove criminals from the streets of Kent and ensure our county remains a safe place to socialise – for the benefit of our residents, visitors and businesses alike.’