Police are closely monitoring crime levels before deciding how to deal with county-wide complaints about street lights being turned off, says Kent’s Crime Commissioner Ann Barnes.

The scandal-hit chief made the announcement during a meeting with the public at the UKP Leisure Club in Sittingbourne on October 28.

When asked if she had any views on Kent County Council’s decision to implement the money-saving scheme, she said she would wait to examine the “final data” to see if there had been a spike in crime.

She revealed she had recently spoken to two women about the issue – one who said she felt unsafe and the other that she could sleep better because of the reduced light pollution.

Her official spokesman Jane Walker was unable to say when such figures would be available, but said she was aware “switching off street lights has bothered many people” as they had written to Mrs Barnes.

The commissioner later added: “Currently there does not appear to be any evidence that makes a strong case for leaving them on or switching them off.

“Certainly, there is research to say that people are more afraid that they are going to become victims of crime when it is dark. But there is also research indicating that burglars like some light to see what they are doing rather than using a torch, which draws attention to what they are doing.”

The spokesman confirmed that if Mrs Barnes saw there was a rise in crime associated with street lighting, she would “be taking this to Kent County Council.”

KCC’s decision to switch off many lights across the county has sparked county-wide e-petitions asking the authority to re-evaluate its decision.

It has also received more than 150 complaints about the scheme.

Sittingbourne schoolboy Rian Leggett, 13, has been among those campaigning against the move.

He started collecting signatures for a petition after his mother’s car window was smashed by vandals on August 29 when his street was plunged into darkness.

Dozens of people attended the ‘Meet the Commissioner’ question-and-answer session, raising issues ranging from waiting times when calling 101 to the number of officers patrolling.