Fed-up residents are forming ‘road crews’ to act as a deterrent to the “out of control” anti-social behaviour and violence in their streets.

The anonymous bands, made up of men living in Sittingbourne, are being set up on the WhatsApp messaging platform.

One of the men who is part of a group, which has around 10 male members, told KentOnline he joined as he “has had enough” of “car mirrors being smashed and people being scared to go out on their own”.

He says the issues in his street are mainly to do with youths. He would not disclose the name of his road but said it is not in the town centre.

The idea of the two separate crews is that when there are issues, the members will message each other in the group chat and all go out together to confront the perpetrators.

“But we are not vigilantes and will not be using violence,” the crew member explained. “But if we hear anything, we will go out in our street in seconds and call the police.

“As there is a group of us, we will be able to confront the people as it is harder to confront them when you are on your own as the kids are normally in groups of 10 to 15.

“Our anonymity will mean people who want to cause trouble will not know what street we are in and will be scared off.

“No one wants to have to form something like this, but crime is out of control.

“I can see the road crews really taking off as people are really angry because anti-social behaviour seems to be getting worse and worse.

“We feel a bit let down by the police as they are slow to respond or the people have left the scene before they show so the perpetrators get away with crime.”

It is an opinion held by other residents who have spoken to KentOnline.

One witness to youths ripping foam from scaffolding and hitting cars along the High Street said: “The police station is a three-minute walk away, but there are never any police around.”

Another recent incident saw a youth climb onto the roof of a High Street corner shop and firing a catapult at passers-by below.

In that case, officers on patrol in the town quickly attended, but the boy had gone when they arrived.

Police have taken action by putting in place dispersal orders during school breaks, which have given the cops greater powers to move on troublemakers.

For example, during the January order, youths who were “verbally abusing and throwing items” at people in the High Street were kicked out of the town centre by officers.

The force can also point to a general decrease in the number of reported crimes in the three wards that cover the town centre – Chalkwell, Homewood and Roman.

Swale commander, Chief Inspector Vanessa Foster, says the tactics are “yielding positive results” with 44 fewer anti-social behaviour incidents in the town centre – 9.5% – year on year.

KentOnline asked Kent Police for its opinion on the crews. Chief Inspector Foster said: “We understand the strength of feeling regarding antisocial behaviour in our communities, which is why Kent Police places neighbourhood policing at the forefront of everything it does.

“Tackling the issues reported to us in Sittingbourne remains a top priority and my officers will always pursue the most robust and proportionate options available to them.

“Our ongoing efforts to drive down nuisance behaviour - which is caused by the few and not the many – include visible, high-frequency patrols and dispersal orders to dissuade large groups of individuals from offending.

“Overall crime in the area has fallen by 17.9%, with 247 fewer crimes taking place in the same period.

“I would like to remind members of the community that all antisocial behaviour – no matter the severity or the location of the incident - should be reported to police, as soon as possible and via the appropriate channels.

“This helps us to build a picture to assess where persistent problems may be occurring, so that we can ensure a prompt and effective response.”

In October, KentOnline spent a Friday night investigating the anti-social behaviour problem in the town centre, where much of the crime seems to be taking place.

Read more: Reporter Joe Crossley’s night investigating Sittingbourne’s notorious anti-social behaviour problem

The investigation was sparked by a string of incidents, including a violent attack on people at Sittingbourne Retail Park.

An altercation with three boys in McDonald’s saw a manager headbutted and another staff member punched in November.

Before that attack, a group of around ten youths caused havoc during the town’s Christmas Lights switch-on event.

They were seen throwing water bottles at an entertainment act, knocking barriers over and riding their bikes at members of the public.

The window at Shoe Zone was also smashed, while some market stall holders reported thefts. Police were called, but by the time they arrived, the suspects had left.

The investigation uncovered what effects the image of a “dangerous” High Street is having on businesses and how the police are trying to grapple with the issue.