More police in bid to flush out tranvestites

5:02pm Friday 9th November 2001

EXTRA officers may be drafted into Keston Village as concern grow over transvestites gathering in the public toilets.

Bromley Council, Keston Residents' Association and a national cross-dressers' association have admitted concern about goings-on in the toilets, which are close to a kiddie's play-pond.

Police have revealed a man in stockings and a basque was recently stopped in the block. The incident took place at the Westerham Road toilets, which has gained a reputation as a meeting place, but police have not found any evidence of criminal activity. Police have also revealed an investigation into a child pornography ring was carried out at the site.

Police Intelligence Officer Chris Cruickshank said: “We ran an operation last year looking at distribution of child pornography, but found nothing. It goes on during the day and night. We are looking at ways of policing toilets but it's still in the very early stages.

“Operations over the summer had an effect but they came back. There are car parks where they meet up.

“Nobody has been caught committing an offence. The only solution would be putting police in uniform in there, and that's a question of resources.

Keston Village Residents' Association secretary Julia Searby said she was disturbed by the latest report.

She said: “This is very worrying. I had heard reports of this in the past but thought it was all sorted,” she said. The other public toilets in town were demolished because of similar problems.”

President of the Beaumont Society, a cross-dressers organisation, Janett Scott, said: “People wearing stockings and basques in public toilets do not represent the majority of our members for whom cross-dressing is not a sexual thing.

“If a genuine transvestite wants to meet a man, I would advise them to stay far away from this type of situation.”

A Bromley Council spokesman says anyone who sees anything disturbing in a toilet block should call police.

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