North Yorkshire Police carried out strip searches on 90 children over the last three years, figures show.

Figures obtained by the Stray Ferret through a Freedom of Information request show 34 children were searched in custody in 2019 alone. Twenty-seven were searched in 2020 and 29 last year.

The force said the searches involved removing jacket, overcoat and gloves and carrying out a procedure known as a “more thorough search”.

None of them involved an “exposing intimate parts” search, which the force said has not been conducted on a child under 18 in the last three years.

While the figures show the number of individuals who have been strip searched by officers following an arrest, they do not reflect whether the child had been searched on multiple occasions. 

North Yorkshire Police also revealed it had conducted a total of 43 strip searches as a result of stop and search on children since 2019.

Table showing strip searches carried out by North Yorkshire Police. Data: NYP.

Officers have the power to order an individual to remove clothing as part of stop search, if they have reasonable grounds to suspect they have a dangerous or prohibited item.

The figures come as the Children’s Commissioner for England criticised the Metropolitan Police in August this year after it was revealed the force strip searched 650 children over two years – the majority of which were found to be innocent of the suspicions against them.

Iryna Pona, policy manager at The Children’s Society, said the Home Office and police forces should investigate the practice.

She said:

“Strip searches are intrusive and traumatic for children, and we are urging the Home Office and police leaders to investigate the concerning scale of this practice.

“Guidance and training for officers needs to be reviewed to ensure strip searches only happen when absolutely necessary, and that children and young people are treated with dignity and respect. Nationally, we’ve heard examples where safeguards like an appropriate adult being present, are not followed, and we see an over-representation of black children in strip search figures.

“When police officers arrest or stop and search children this should be a golden opportunity to identify risks like exploitation to courier drugs and work with other services to offer protection and help.”

Police response

In response to the figures, a North Yorkshire Police spokesperson said:

“Alongside our partners, we work hard to engage with and educate children and young people about the consequences of crime.

“Our dedicated anti-knife crime operation, Operation Divan looks to reduce the number of young people carrying weapons by challenging misconceptions and educating them on the consequences of doing so. Working in partnership with education, social care and youth justice any young person identified as potentially carrying a weapon or being involved in county lines, drug or child exploitation is invited to take part in the scheme, which has recently been recognised by the Howard League for Penal Reform in their community awards.

“Thanks to our preventative approach and our close partnership working, the number of children arrested has also fallen year-on-year since 2018, as reported by the Howard League – The Howard League | Child arrests in England and Wales reduced by 74 per cent in a decade

“Sadly though there are some children who do become involved in criminal activity and in order to safeguard them and keep the public safe, at times it is necessary to conduct searches. Stop and search is a valuable tool in preventing and detecting crime and we recognise it is essential that its use is legitimate and proportionate, in order to maintain public trust.

“We follow guidance from the College of Policing regarding the use of stop and search and we have a number of measures in place to ensure that decisions around its use are recorded and scrutinised. We believe transparency is important to maintaining public trust, so our stop and search figures are published to our website on a monthly basis. Stop and search | North Yorkshire Police”

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A spokesperson for the children’s charity the NSPCC said:

“Like all forces, North Yorkshire Police must fully acknowledge that safeguarding should be at the heart of their policies and procedures when it comes to searching children.

“National guidance on the use of these searches would provide clarity and help to ensure young people’s rights and needs are paramount in these situations.”

Harrogate taxi drivers may be required to have knowledge of Skipton and Ryedale, under proposals being considered by county council bosses.

The local knowledge test licensed drivers must pass to carry passengers looks likely to be adapted, a meeting examining a move to create the country’s largest single taxi zone has heard.

Under proposals already put forward, the new North Yorkshire Council would create a single licensing policy for hackney carriages and private hire vehicles in the entire county.

It would mean drivers in Harrogate could operate anywhere in North Yorkshire, whereas they are currently restricted to the Harrogate district.

Councillors examining issues over harmonising taxi services heard the Department for Transport believed abolishing the seven zones would cut dead mileage for drivers and boost customer choice.

At the moment, the district and borough councils all have a knowledge test restricted to their areas, and it is unclear how much knowledge a taxi driver based in Selby would need to have of villages in the Yorkshire Dales.

Read more:

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To ensure customers get good service, taxi drivers wanting to trade in Hambleton district must pick the right multiple choice answer to questions such as: 

“You are on the rank situated on Northallerton High Street when a customer asks you to take him to Darlington. Which road would you take out of Northallerton?”

Officers leading the proposals said they were examining how the knowledge test could be applied across North Yorkshire.

However, the proposals have been criticised by some local drivers.

Councillors were told taxi drivers in Harrogate in particular had formed “very vociferous” views over the proposals, which also include not setting a limit for the amount of taxis that can be licensed.

‘Straw that breaks the camel’s back’

Since North Yorkshire County Council launched a consultation over the proposed changes in October, many taxi drivers have criticised the plans, saying they could be the straw that break’s the camel’s back after suffering a loss of trade due to covid and high fuel costs.

Richard Fieldman, who has operated his cab in Ripon for 28 years, told the Stray Ferret previously that the planned changes would see drivers “swamp” areas during the busiest times of day.

Mr Fieldman said the move would see quieter areas deprived of taxis during the busier times.

He said:

“It will mean that any taxi can work in any area.

“You are going to have swamps of taxis in busy areas at busy times. That in itself brings chaos.”

A consultation into the policy changes is open until January 19, 2023. You can have your say here.

Harrogate is set to host Comic Con Yorkshire in 2023 after details have been announced.

The convention, which is organised by Monopoly Events, will be held on Saturday, June 3, and Sunday, June 4, at the Yorkshire Events Centre.

The two-day event will run from 9am until 6pm each day.

Monopoly Events, which is hosting a similar event in Liverpool and Manchester, said it was aiming for a sell out convention.

Andy Kleek, CEO of Monopoly Events, said: 

“We want to build a solid sell out show over the next two years and make this into another one of our flagship Monopoly shows, for all our fans in the Yorkshire area. 

“We are very excited to be working with the Yorkshire Event Centre who have the same passion we do about building this event. 

“As with all our shows we have a three- year roadmap which we will be looking to extend for many years afterwards. Expect big guests, amazing set and prop builds, major attractions, cosplay, anime, traders, gaming and more.”

Heather Parry, managing director of the Yorkshire Event Centre, added: 

“We are delighted to be hosting this exciting new event and we look forward to working with Monopoly on its amazing debut in Yorkshire.”

Tickets for Comic Con Yorkshire 2023 are on sale now. For more information visit the convention website here.

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Further tributes have been paid to a long-serving Harrogate councillor, who died just over a week ago.

Jim Clark, who was born in Arbroath and later moved to North Yorkshire, represented residents on both Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council.

He represented the Harlow division on the county council for 20 years before stepping down in May.

Local politicians and residents have paid tribute to Mr Clark, who was well known in Harrogate, since his death.

Jane Blayney, a friend and former council colleague, described him as “very supportive” and dedicated to his local area.

She said:

“I knew him very well and he was very much a family man.

“He was very supportive of the Pinewoods and Friends of Valley Gardens. He was very supportive of the tree book, which would never have happened without his donation.

“Even though we were from different parties, we always worked in unison.”

A spokesperson for Pinewoods Conservation Group said:

“We are very sad to hear about the recent death of Jim Clark. As well as representing the Pinewoods area for both Harrogate council and North Yorkshire council, Jim was a dedicated committee member of Pinewoods Conservation Group for 15 years before standing down in 2018 as part of his retirement plans.

“Many will remember Cllr Clark’s passionate debate as part of the council’s refusal to grant a larger extension of Harrogate Spring Water into Rotary Woods. Jim was also a regular attendee at our various litter picks, planting events and balsam bashing, often seen in his Pinewoods fleece.

“We were also honoured that in 2014 when Mayor, Jim also opened our new picnic area and wildflower meadows in our Irongate Field area.

“Our thoughts are with his family and friends.”

Meanwhile, Lord Kirkhope of Harrogate described Mr Clark as a “stalwart” of the council.

He said in a tweet:

“He was a stalwart of North Yorkshire council and Harrogate Borough Council and an effective and hard working representative who provided selfless public service for years.

“Lady Kirkhope joins these remarks and sympathy to his family.”

As well as a councillor, Mr Clark was a keen supporter of the arts and served as chairman of Harrogate Theatre for 10 years.

After standing down from the county council, Mr Clark had moved back to Scotland to be closer to family.

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Stray Views is a weekly column giving you the chance to have your say on issues affecting the Harrogate district. It is an opinion column and does not reflect the views of the Stray Ferret. Send your views to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk.

As Knaresborough is now to have the Pure Gym, as well as the existing gym in the old town hall, and the new leisure centre on Fysche Field, isn’t it time that the machines in these gyms were attached to electricity generators to provide human-powered energy for the town?

Shan Oakes, Knaresborough

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Nidderdale ‘poorly served’ by buses

This letter was submitted prior to leak fix

Nidderdale is poorly served by buses as it is, they are every two hours. But now, until the burst pipe is fixed there’s no bus running through Darley.

It’s not good enough just to cut out a huge chunk of the bus route and provide no alternative. It’s a four mile walk from Darley to Birstwith to pick up the bus there before and after it’s diversion. 

I have been quoted £30 for a taxi on Saturday morning at 7.30 am to get to Harrogate from Darley. The same to return is £60. They are having a laugh.

Helen Staniforth, Birstwith

Do you have an opinion on the Harrogate district? Email us at letters@thestrayferret.co.uk. Please include your name and approximate location details. Limit your letters to 350 words. We reserve the right to edit letters.

A Harrogate homeless charity has celebrated rehousing its 100th resident in nearly 10 years.

Lifeline, which is based on East Parade, works in partnership with the Harrogate Homeless Project to help those who used to be homeless.

The charity was founded in 2013 and has since gone on to rehouse 100 people as part of its supported housing programme.

Speaking after the achievement, Carl Good, CEO of Lifeline Harrogate, said:

“This is such a special moment.”

“We have seen so many amazing changes in people’s lives and have supported many people into their own accommodation, many leaving Lifeline with jobs and hence a sustainable lifestyle.”

Lifeline residents out on a day trip

Mr. Good started the company with his wife Georgie because they wanted to help the homeless.

They recall meeting a man in the winter of 2011 who was sleeping in a tunnel on Bower Road.

He said:

“It really moved us both to think that we were going to a nice warm house and here was a man sat out in the cold.”

“It made us think much more deeply about the issue of homelessness.”

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Lifeline has six three-bedroom houses where they re-home their residents.

The houses are owned by Green Pastures, a national Christian housing social enterprise, and leased to the charity.

Residents will usually stay in the three-bedroom houses provided by Lifeline for up to a year.

However, Mr. Good told The Stray Ferret:

“There is no fixed time, we want to support them for independent living.”

This week’s photograph was taken by Nick Payne, capturing the lights and movement on the Ferris Wheel during this year’s Christmas Fraye.

Nick Payne

Photo of the Week celebrates the Harrogate district. It could be anything from family life to capturing the district’s beauty. We are interested in amateur and professional photographs, in a landscape format.

Send your photographs to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk for a chance to be featured next week, we reserve the right to adjust and crop images to fit into our format.

Pinewoods Conservation Group has criticised Harrogate Borough Council after an administrative error meant £32,400 that should have been spent improving the woodland over the last 10 years was not allocated.

The council-owned Pinewoods is a 96-acre woodland close to Harrogate’s Valley Gardens popular with walkers. Although the area is managed by the council, the Pinewoods Conservation Group charity promotes its maintenance and conservation.

A flurry of new housing developments has occurred near to the Pinewoods in recent years. After being granted planning permission, developers agree to pay money to the council through section 106 agreements to improve local infrastructure.

Since 2019, Pinewoods Conservation Group has pressed the council to allocate some of this section 106 money to the Pinewoods to improve things like footpaths and signage.

After a council report in January revealed the authority had £3.7m in unspent section 106 money, the charity again asked it if any of this money could be spent on the Pinewoods before the council is abolished in 2023.

But in an email seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Cllr Tim Myatt, Conservative cabinet member for planning, told the charity this money had already been committed to other sites.

The charity responded by saying it was “very surprised” section 106 money would not be spent on the Pinewoods, “especially with the amount of building work underway and planned within the area”.

The Pinewoods

Cllr Myatt responded to the charity again this week to say that following an investigation by officers, the council found three instances when money, worth a combined valued of £32,400, should have gone to the Pinewoods but didn’t due to “administrative and processing” errors.

In the email, Cllr Myatt apologised and said the funds could have been “put to good use” by either Pinewoods Conservation Group or the council. He said:

“I would like to take the opportunity to apologise for this error, as it was an opportunity to bring external money to enhance the Pinewoods. I know that you will find this frustrating and I share this frustration.

“Whilst the monies would have been allocated to the space, not awarded directly to the conservation group, it could still have been put to good use by either the council or conservation group (were an enhancement scheme available for fund allocation).”

A spokesperson for Pinewoods Conservation Group said it was “very disappointed” the Pinewoods had missed out on the money due to the error. They added:

“These monies could have supported much needed improvement and conservation efforts for the benefit of visitors and residents.

“We are also disappointed that it took over three years from the charity first raising concerns with the council for the errors to acknowledged, and hopefully now corrected. However, we thank and acknowledge the efforts of Cllr Myatt in finally bringing this matter to a close.”

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A council spokesperson said:

“Due to an administrative processing error, monies were not collected from three developments via section 106 legal agreements that could have been spent on the Pinewoods.

“We have put measures in place to help prevent this from happening in the future.

“The monies do not go directly to the charity, but are earmarked for enhancements to Pinewoods. And as landowner, we continue to undertake woodland management and enhance the Pinewoods, in partnership with the charity.”

Firefighters from Ripon, Harrogate and Masham extinguished a fire in a garage on Dallamires Lane in Ripon today.

The garage, which contained one vehicle, is attached to a house. The extent of the damage is unknown.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue’s incident log said the alert came at 2.22pm. It added:

“Crews extinguished the fire using two breathing apparatus, one hose reel jet and a thermal imaging camera. The cause of the fire is yet to be established by fire investigation officers.”

It was the Ripon crew’s third call-out of the day. At 11.53am, city firefighters were summoned to a chimney fire on High Street in Markington. The incident log said:

“The fire was confined to the chimney and extinguished by the home owner prior to the fire service’s arrival. Crews carried out a thorough check for hot spots and gave advice to the home owner.”

At 7.59am,  a crew from Ripon responded to a report of water leaking at a home on Harrogate Road. The incident log said:

“Crews isolated the water leak in the loft and turned off the water to the property. Advice was given to a responsible person.”

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A man has received a four-month suspended prison sentence for possessing a knife in Harrogate town centre.

Michael Smith, 32, admitted the offence when he appeared at Harrogate Magistrates Court on Thursday (December 15).

Smith, of Harewood Road, Jennyfields, was charged with having the knife on Cambridge Road on November 8.

His sentence was suspended for 24 months.

Magistrates ordered him to carry out 180 hours of supervised unpaid work within the next 12 months.

Smith was also ordered to pay £114 to victim services and £85 to the Crown Prosecution Service.

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