A heightened number of calls, between Friday 7 and Sunday 9 October 2022, placed significant demand upon reactive patrols, with officers also needing to prioritise responses to other serious collisions, some of which sadly proved to be fatal.
During the period, Kent Police dealt with several significant incidents around the county including a crash on Romney Marsh in which a man and a woman were pulled to safety by officers after a car drove into a water-filled ditch following a collision at 11.00 on Friday 7 October.
Shortly after 2am on Saturday 8 October, a firearms unit was sent to an address in Dartford, where a man was alleged to have assaulted a woman with a knife.
A man aged 35, was arrested and has since been charged with attempted murder and remanded in custody.
He appeared before Medway Magistrates’ Court on Monday 10 October and was remanded in custody. His next hearing is at Woolwich Crown Court on 7 November.
On the same day, firearms officers were called to Canterbury to reports a man had been seen in possession of weapons.
A man aged 19, was arrested and charged with possessing an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, threatening to damage or destroy property, assault and with possessing cannabis.
He appeared before Folkestone Magistrates Court on Monday 10 October and was bailed. His next hearing will be at Canterbury Crown Court on 7 November.
The busy period also saw a reported 13 assaults on emergency workers who attended incidents, including police officers and ambulance staff.
Four of these suspects have now been charged with offences, with a further five bailed pending further investigation.
Call 999 only for emergencies
Superintendent Andy Gadd from the Crime and Incident Response Command, said: ‘The number of 999 calls was around 25 per cent more than we would normally expect for this period, placing significant pressure on our control room staff and police officers.
‘Some of these calls were connected to a number of very serious and indeed tragic incidents on what has been a particularly challenging weekend.
‘It is important to remember, that to deliver the best service possible people must only dial 999 for a genuine emergency. It should only be used when you need immediate assistance and not simply because you cannot get through on non-emergency numbers.
‘If you misuse the service, you risk those in genuine need of urgent help waiting longer to get through.’
Report non-urgent calls online
For any matters that are non-urgent, members of the public are encouraged to use our online reporting portal.