Maidstone town centre has been bedevilled by crime and anti-social behaviour in recent years, concentrated in one small section of the upper end of Week Street.

But a transformation is occurring that is drawing attention from other parts of the county. Local democracy reporter Simon Finlay headed down there to find out more...

As a “gentleman explorer”, Julius Lucius Brenchley travelled the world in the 19th century collecting artefacts and natural curios from far-flung lands in an untiring search for knowledge.

Such was his passion for wandering and collecting, he never married and even his devotion to the church dimmed.

Brenchley, born in Maidstone and educated at the boys’ grammar school before Cambridge University, was so revered for his celebrated work that the authorities named a park after him.

Brenchley Gardens in the county town is a nice enough spot, the sort of green lung you’ll find in many once well-to-do English shire towns.

Today, its reputation has little to do with endeavour or a thirst for learning.

The place has become so synonymous with crime, drug taking and dealing, anti-social behaviour and weapon carrying, it is shut at night. Some local people, particularly young women, are terrified to go near the park after dark.

This winter's afternoon, on the other side of the Brenchley House cut through, at the top end of Maidstone’s busiest shopping street, hangs a curious odour - peculiar, tangy with sweet herbal notes. It’s not immediately apparent where it is coming from.

But a few yards down Week Street, there is a group of shifty-looking individuals outside a shop - dishevelled, untalkative with eyes darting here and there.

One passes a joint to another without a word but with an obvious, unacknowledged understanding.

This has become the “problem” end of town, a place where shoplifting has been a boom business and drug deals so ill-concealed it makes locals’ blood boil.

Abusive drunks would stagger and brawl in broad daylight beside zonked addicts lying prone in vacant doorways.

But a quiet, almost imperceptible, shift has taken place in recent months. The latest figures seem to suggest anti-social behaviour (ASB) is down by a third.

The One Maidstone Business Improvement District (OMBID) has three ambassadors, who act as a visible warden presence, and a business crime manager.

The town centre support organisation runs a 185-strong shop radio scheme and monitors the town centre’s CCTV 24 hours a day in an effort to keep on top of the town’s criminal element.

Before OMBID got involved, one of the major gripes was that the cameras did not work, let alone get monitored.

Its chief executive Michelle Woodland says crime levels are “encouragingly down”.

Her ambassador team works the daytime hours and locals do acknowledge they are visible, friendly and reassuring.

Whereas once the retailers would not have reported shoplifting because the police would rarely investigate, the ambassadors now have a system of logging recovered stolen items (£4,000 worth in December). They also have the power to make a citizens’ arrests and hold suspects until they are scooped up by Kent Police.

In December, according to OMBID’s business crime manager, Steven Pankhurst, the ambassadors clocked up 1.3m steps around town, made 11 arrests during 1,120 hours on patrol.

They are part of the Maidstone Task Force, comprising the BID team, the borough council, police, retail security and the violence reduction unit.

They meet and speak regularly, sharing a rogues’ top 10 of regular and persistent offenders for the task force to look out for.

Mrs Woodland says towns across Kent are now looking at the Maidstone model as a way of replicating the success.

She adds: “No one is saying there is no crime or anti-social behaviour but the approach is working.”

This, incidentally, comes at a time when Kent County Council is looking to slim down its own respected community warden team to save money in the face of falling income and rising costs to general alarm.

Week Street McDonald’s franchisee, Ali El Hajj, is encouraged, noting the ASB issue has become a much less prominent feature of everyday life in Maidstone.

Youths, aged between 14 and 18, were the main problem for him in the late afternoons and early evenings. Weekend trouble has also abated.

Once among the loudest critics, Mr El Hajj is now one of the most vocal supporters of the task force and town ambassadors.

“It was very, very bad for a long time,” he says, “but this past three or four months, things have got better.”

Borough councillor David Naghi has bemoaned the lack of police for years and the damage “lawlessness” causes to local businesses.

Casting his eye down Week Street, Cllr Naghi says: “I am, and always have been, a supporter of the police but there are just not enough of them.

“Having said that, the traders are seeing change for the better. We’ve got to beat the trouble-makers into retreat.

“The lawlessness appears to be coming under control but I would like to see some more police. The last thing we need is the kind of anarchy this area has put up with for years.

“The ambassadors are clearly doing a good job with a joined-up approach that is catching the eye of other places. But we cannot let our guard down for a moment.

“The ills of society are so deeply ingrained that the task force cannot be expected to do anything other than contain it, but they cannot solve it.”

Year on year (October to October) 2022 to 2023, Kent Police figures show violence against the person down by 7.4% and robberies fell by 12%.

There were 197 more in criminal charges, an increase of nearly 8% and a near 10% rise in the number of “solved outcomes”.

“We have officers dedicated to identifying and pursuing these criminals to ensure our parks, other public spaces and shops are safe and welcoming places for everyone”

Due in part to the work of the task force, the number of reported shoplifting crimes rose by 12% with a 21% increase in the number of charges brought.

Maidstone Chief Inspector Mark McLellan said: “We are acutely aware of some long-held concerns from residents and businesses around the Brenchley Gardens area, as well as nearby Week Street and over the past year it is pleasing to see that targeted enforcement, along with other measures to deter criminality and antisocial behaviour, are having a positive impact.

“Many of the problems in large towns like Maidstone are caused by prolific and repeat offenders and we have officers dedicated to identifying and pursuing these criminals to ensure our parks, other public spaces and shops are safe and welcoming places for everyone.

“The introduction in 2022 of the Maidstone Neighbourhood Task Force has further bolstered our efforts to reduce crime and we have also instigated measures to tackle antisocial behaviour. These include public space protection orders in Week Street and Brenchley Gardens to deter problems such as people drinking in the streets and begging. Plans to open a police hub in Brenchley Gardens are also well under way.”

The Kent Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Scott helped secure funding for the police hub in Brenchley Gardens and safety improvements under a government funding scheme.

A £565,000 cash boost has seen the former public toilets converted into a police building with roller shutters.

At the time the award to the county town was made, the commissioner said: “I’ve seen the difference previous Safer Streets programmes and have made to our communities and I’m thrilled we can expand that good work across Kent and Medway.

“From new safe spaces to improved lighting and CCTV, we want to make our town centres feel safe for everyone.”

The government-backed Safer Streets Fund has enthusiastic support from the police-funded Secured by Design (SBD) initiative which can offer many solutions to everyday problems in towns and cities.

Chief executive Guy Ferguson, a former senior officer in the Metropolitan Police, is “pleased” to hear of Maidstone’s turnaround.

SBD sees the Safer Streets fund as a means to reduce neighbourhood crime, bolster residents’ feeling of safety and ultimately reducing demand on stretched police resources.

It can also “build evidence to strengthen the case for future investment in targeted crime prevention and grow the local capability to undertake data-driven, problem-solving approaches to crime prevention”.

Mr Ferguson says: “It sounds as if what is happening in Maidstone is definitely on the right lines. I’ve always advocated the partnership approach because it has been proven to work.

“A good thing to look at is bringing in the voluntary agencies, too. CCTV and monitoring it is also a key factor.”

Kent county councillor Chris Passmore says: “Police presence, or lack of it, is a perpetual issue in the town. I know one business owner in town who still sees drunks outside her Maidstone business.

“If we are going to create a business-focused town rather than a residential dormitory for London, you have to make it attractive for them to come here and flourish.”

While the town is apparently getting to grips with crime, not all businesses tell the same story.

Further down Week Street, owner of The Value Store, Kumar Ashwani, has been a victim of shoplifting on so many occasions, he can barely put a number on his losses.

“Police presence, or lack of it, is a perpetual issue in the town. I know one business owner in town who still sees drunks outside her Maidstone business”

His shop, filled to the rafters with every conceivable item - from balloons and household goods to gloves and toys - has been something of a success story in Maidstone since he opened four years ago.

Mr Ahwani has built up a loyal clientele, charmed by a friendly, family atmosphere and because he seems to keep just about everything.

Thieves use their coats, bags and prams to steal his stock.

He says: “They come and they just steal the smallest things, sometimes of very little value. It is a problem for me and the business.”

His supplier of kids’ stuff, stationery and Christmas goods, Ray Tenent, jokes: “Crime hasn’t gone down, the thieves are getting better!

“The truth is that independent shopkeepers like Kumar hasn’t got the time to keep a proper stock take, so he probably cannot be absolutely sure how much he is losing.

“Shops use CCTV but that in itself doesn’t tell you how much you are not losing. But I’ll tell you one thing, though, the crackling sound of a shop radio does wonders to put a shoplifter off.”