Kent weekly round-up: 20 July - 26 July 2024
PC Phil Smith has patrolled Tunbridge Wells for 16 of his 23 years of service
- Published
The story about a Kent Police officer retiring to set up a retreat for people with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) proved a popular read this week.
A variety of local issues featured on the BBC News website, BBC Radio Kent and BBC South East Today.
We have picked five stories from the past week in case you missed them.
Knives seized after attack on Army officer
A forensic officer and sniffer dog look around where a moped was stopped
A British Army officer who was stabbed near barracks in Kent is in hospital in a serious but stable condition, said police.
The uniformed soldier, in his 40s, was attacked near his home on Tuesday in Gillingham. A 24-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder shortly afterwards.
The stabbing is not being treated as terror-related, the Home Office has indicated.
Police have now said that a number of knives had been seized at the scene and that it was exploring the possibility that the incident may have been "mental health-related".
Kent sheds vie to become UK Shed of the Year
Zoe Bleach's shed bar was built to celebrate the England Women's football team
Four South East sheds, three from Kent and one from Sussex, are in the running to be the UK's top shed for 2024.
They are a bar built to watch the England Women's World Cup campaign, an almost completely upcycled hut, a prefab allotment hut, and a bathroom and kitchen that was once a van.
The shortlist was narrowed down from 160 entrants.
The entrants are divided into nine different categories, with the winner decided by a public vote.
Former wrestler swaps headlocks for priesthood
Steven Horne, a former wrestler and wrestling referee, was ordained for ministry in June
A former wrestler has swapped headlocks and takedowns for weddings and baptisms after being ordained at Canterbury Cathedral.
The Rev Steven Horne, 43, from Ashford, is among a new cohort of deacons and priests ordained by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of Dover last month.
He told BBC Radio Kent that he had been drawn to the sport as "escapism" after growing up "in quite a tough environment".
But he said he decided to switch his wrestling singlet for a dalmatic after getting a "call" from God in 2022.
Shoplifters being targeted in Kent - police chief
Tim Smith was in the hot seat on BBC Radio Kent
The Chief Constable for Kent has said that his force has "significantly increased" punishments for shoplifters.
Tim Smith told BBC Radio Kent that while there has been an increase in the number of offences, the number of arrests are up and charges and cautions have also risen by 20%.
There were 15,135 shoplifting offences recorded in Kent over the last year - a 19% increase from the previous year.
Mr Smith acknowledged that the number of shoplifting offences across the county need to come down.
Artist to paint every GB Olympic winner in real time
As the medals come in, artist Ben Mosley will add them to a canvas mural in Paris
An artist will live with the Team GB athletes at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and document their medal successes with daily paintings.
Ben Mosley, who lives in Halling, is the artist behind the mural in Carnaby Street, London, depicting every British medal won at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
He will be based at Team GB’s accommodation and paint in real time throughout each day, adding athletes to the canvas as the medals roll in.
“It’s a terrific honour to represent my country through these paintings which hopefully can become a bit of history,” said Mosley.
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