Open Letter: Street Pastors

Dear Sir or Madame,

While I have been saddened to follow the murder trial on behalf of the victim Ben Neilson, and would like to send my regards to his family, the idea of the introduction of Street Pastors Raises serious concerns.

We already have a significant network of Community Safety Specialists in Ashford. This includes Police Officers, Police Community Support Officers, Community Wardens and Community Forums. In spite of this, Ashford has one of the highest levels of Antisocial behaviour in the country.

The continuous issues regarding the Churchyard are indicative of this. Because of this, I am confused as to what the Street Pastors will be able to bring, where police and other Community Safety Specialists are failing.

In addition to this, like a lot of the network of Community Safety Specialists, the Street Pastors will not have any powers in order to act against crime or protect themselves or others.

The scheme may inadvertently create additional targets of violent behaviour which will put not only the Street Pastors but also members of the public as a higher risk.

We are still awaiting proposals by Ashford Borough Council to make the town centre an alcohol free zone during the evenings. I would hope that Ashford Borough Council do not anticipate utilising volunteer Street Pastors to maintain this regulation.

Kind regards,

Kelly-Marie Blundell