NORTH Kent Police division is set to join with its Medway counterparts, in a move which will see several management positions cut.

Kent Police’s six policing areas will become three from November 16, leaving North & Medway, East and West.

Chief Superintendent Neil Jerome will now lead the North & Medway Division, after the current North Kent Chief Superintendent, Mark Powell, took up a secondment post with Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC).

Father-of-two Chief Supt Jerome, who lives in Medway, began his career 21 years ago as a neighbourhood officer for Stone and Fleet Estate in Dartford.

The 42-year-old said: “Most of my policing career has been up here between Medway and north Kent.

“There are going to be changes in management roles, we are going to slim down the number of senior officers.

“But we are putting more resources into neighbourhood policing.”

Across Kent, 500 officers will be cut as the force attempts to make £50million of savings over the next four years.

Chief Supt Jerome added: “It’s a huge privilege to take on a police division that stretches from Dartford down to Medway and Swale and to be the divisional leader for somewhere where I started my policing career is a huge privilege.

“The key things for me are delivering a first class service, reducing crime and anti-social behaviour.

“It’s a hugely exciting place to police.”

Chief Superintendent Matthew Nix - currently the Area Commander at Mid Kent, will remain based at Maidstone to head the West Division.

The police headquarters in Thames Way, Northfleet, will not be affected by the changes.

'They do a great job'

Taxi driver Owen Palmer, 67, says a reduction in posts could lead to more crime in north Kent.

Mr Palmer was beaten up by two men at Dartford train station’s taxi rank following a dispute over a fare last year.

He said: “It has been shown that when we cut police numbers, crime goes up.

“It’s something we have to bear in mind that we put the community in great danger and risk their safety. I think we shouldn’t be taking that chance with people’s safety.

“We don’t want to lose the professionalism of the police. They do a good job which we don’t always appreciate.

“We tend to take them for granted. But if they are not there, there’s a price to be paid by the community.”