North Yorkshire Police improve 999 answer times

North Yorkshire Police has recorded an improved 999 call answer time performance, according to latest figures.

The force answered 83% of calls in July 2023 within the national target of 10 seconds. By comparison, just 44% were answered on time in November 2022.

There has been a 30% increase in the number of emergency calls made to the force control room in the past year.

This month, police recorded the highest number of 999 calls made in any August in history with 10,800 calls — 400 more than the same time last year.

The improvement comes after Zoe Metcalfe, the Conservative North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner awarded the force control room £1.8 million a year to improve response times.

The money was earmarked to fund the appointment of 36 additional communications officers, 12 additional dispatchers, six established trainers and two additional police inspectors.

Superintendent Fee Willey, who heads up the force control room, said:

“In the control room we’ve changed our ways of working. We looked at all our processes to see what was stopping our people being efficient in their roles – what were they doing and how were they doing it. We stripped away anything that was not relevant or slowed them down.

“We found that our trained and highly-skilled call handlers were being restricted by the number and complexity of the forms that they needed to complete for every single call that they received.

“We kept any mandated question sets, but beyond that we gave the call handlers freedom to follow their own initiative, while still being able to refer to question sets if needed. This has resulted in a much speedier process to dispatch officers to incidents while still providing a succinct level of information to the attending officers.

“And the more efficient that the force control room is in performing its role, the quicker that officers can be dispatched to scene.”

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Review: Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap celebrates 70 years

Lauren Crisp is a book editor, writer and keen follower of arts and culture. Born and raised in Harrogate, Lauren recently moved back to North Yorkshire after a stint in London, where she regularly reviewed theatre – everything from big West End shows to small fringe productions. She is now eager to explore the culture on offer in and around her home town.  You can contact Lauren on laurencrispwriter@gmail.com 

The West End met West Yorkshire last night as Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap, the world’s longest-running play, hit the stage at Leeds Grand Theatre. The show’s 70th anniversary tour is taking the production to more than 70 venues countrywide, meaning us northerners finally have the opportunity to don our detective hats and guess whodunnit.

It is the early 1950s, and newly married couple Mollie and Giles Ralston have just opened a guesthouse in the countryside outside London. As the pair prepare for the arrival of their first visitors, a newsreader on the wireless reports on a brutal murder in the capital. None the wiser, the Ralstons rally, as one by one, their eagerly anticipated guests arrive at Monkswell Manor.

But, as a snowstorm cuts them off from the outside world, the suspicion and intrigue mounts: could the killer be among them? The scene is set for one of Christie’s classic closed-circle mysteries.

The tour’s staging is a no-expense-spared affair: the set is masterful, with its intimate, wood-panelled drawing room; a fire roars in the hearth, as, outside the window, snow falls thickly; scattered trinkets and nick-nacks on side tables place us firmly in the past, as does costume. In the ornate surrounds of Leeds Grand Theatre, where chairs gently squeak under the weight of their occupants and a chandelier glitters overhead, the play feels quite at home.

Yet, the set’s cosiness is challenged by a mounting sense of isolation and unease, thanks to the play’s eight-strong and triumphant cast. Each member so impeccably drawn in the first instance by Christie’s imagination, the actors make their characters their own, with a clear understanding of their unique roles: each distinct and each crucial to the successful telling of the tale.

I understand now more than ever this iconic play’s longevity: a quintessentially British whodunnit, devised by the Queen of Crime, whose flawless recipe for murder mysteries, which made her the best-selling novelist of all time, is just as perfect a concoction on stage as in the pages of her novels. With its tight structure, ingenious clues and final outrageous twist, The Mousetrap is a must-see. Beyond that, my lips are sealed.

Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap is on at the  Leeds Grand Theatre until September 2.  

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Council paid out £385,000 in pothole compensation claims last year

North Yorkshire Council paid out £385,000 to motorists last year in insurance claims due to cars being damaged by potholes and road defects.

However the amount has fallen sharply from the year before when £1.03 million was spent on compensation by the highways authority.

The figures were published in the council’s quarter one performance report, which was discussed at a meeting of the Conservative-run executive in Northallerton yesterday.

Motorists are able to claim compensation if they are able to prove that damage to a car was caused by a pothole on council roads.

During the last financial year, 282 new claims were received which is the second lowest amount since 2012/13.

David Staveley, the Conservative councillor for Settle and Penyghent, said it was a “myth” that councils are paying out millions a year in claims.

North Yorkshire has one of the largest road networks in the country with over 9,000 km of roads and the council’s executive member for transport and highways, the Conservative Keane Duncan, said:

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Cllr Duncan said:

“In terms of dispelling the myth of millions of pounds being made out in compensation, the annual figure is around £375,000. For a highway network the size of ours, we’re quite comfortable with that figure.”

Figures supplied to the Local Democracy Reporting Service show there were 3,714 reports of potholes across North Yorkshire in 2022/23, the highest number since 2018/19.

During last year, the council spent almost £6.5m repairing roads in the Harrogate district and £2.5m in Craven.

Vandals smash windows of 15 buses in Tockwith in £100,000 attack

The windows of 15 buses have been smashed in an attack causing £100,000 of damage in Tockwith.

North Yorkshire Police said yesterday the incident occurred at Tockwith Airfield, on Southfield Lane between 10pm – 9am on the evening of Monday, August 21.

Police are now appealing for witnesses and information.

The force said in a statement:

“We’re now requesting the public’s assistance to help establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident.

“In particular, we’re appealing for information from anyone who witnessed anything suspicious in the surrounding area at the time of the incident and/or if anyone has any CCTV.”

The runways of the former airfield, which was previously RAF Marston Moor, are now used for driving education courses and specialist training.

Connexions Buses, which is located on Southfield Lane in the village, told the Stray Ferret none of its vehicles were damaged in the incident.

It also posted on Facebook “the companies that it involved have worked very hard to replace almost all of them already”.

The companies have not been named.

Police urged anyone with information to email chloe.winter-atkinson@northyorkshire.police.uk or dial 101 and ask for Chloe Winter-Atkinson.

If you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Quote reference number 12230158082.

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North Yorkshire Council to pick double-devolution winners in October

North Yorkshire Council will decide in October which parish councils to select for its double-devolution pilot scheme.

A central pledge in the case for local government reorganisation, which saw the abolition of Harrogate Borough Council, was that parish councils would be handed more powers if they could make a successful business case.

Twelve councils across North Yorkshire have made bids to be part of the pilot, including Ripon City Council which wants to take over the running of council-owned assets in the city, including the Town Hall and Market Square.

Knaresborough Town Council has also made a bid to run the town’s market.

Harrogate is excluded from the process because it doesn’t have a parish council.

Ripon City Council leader Andrew Williams told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that he was expecting a decision on which six councils would be picked at a meeting of the Tory-run executive last week.

However, the council has said the winning parish councils will be revealed in October, with the pilots getting underway in April next year.

Cllr Williams said this left an “extremely tight window” for the council to set its precept in January, which sets out how much council tax residents have to pay in the next financial year.

Richard Flinton, chief executive of the council, said:

“Our pilot project to explore opportunities for town and parish councils to manage certain services and assets on behalf of North Yorkshire Council – known as double devolution – remains on schedule.

“Last year, town and parish councils were invited to submit expressions of interest in being involved in the project. That invitation set out a timeline that stated the intention was to take a report to North Yorkshire Council’s executive in autumn 2023.  This timescale was reiterated in an email to town and parish councils in May this year.

“While it was thought that it might be possible to accelerate this process, it was important to take the available time to thoroughly evaluate all expressions of interest. This work is now nearing completion and a report is expected to go to executive in October, as per the intended timeline.”

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Minskip scarecrow weekend set to return

The annual scarecrow competition will be returning to the village of Minskip, near Boroughbridge, for the weekend of September 2 and 3.

The competition sees the village’s main street lined with scarecrows. This year’s theme is 100 Years of Walt Disney.

Debbie Hargreaves, one of the organisers, said:

“It’s absolutely wonderful how so many villagers have made scarecrows in the past and I expect the same this year. The competition has really caught the imagination of the village and the standard is incredibly high.

“It’s great fun and all proceeds from the competition go towards our lovely little church, which, like so many rural churches, is desperately in need of money.”

The competition will be judged by Radio York presenter Elly Fiorentini and the winners will be announced on the Sunday afternoon at 3pm in front of the church. There will be a barbecue, Pimm’s, tea and coffee, tombola and various stalls from noon to 4pm in the church garden on Sunday.

On Saturday, there will be refreshments for sale in the church garden.

Robert Beaumont, senior churchwarden of Minskip Church, said:

“I’d like to thank Debbie and the rest of my church council team for all their hard work, enthusiasm and imagination in creating this fantastic weekend. It will raise much-needed money for our lovely little church.”

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North Yorkshire Police urged to say sorry over LGBT+ ‘witch hunt’

The chief constable of North Yorkshire Police is being urged to apologise for her force’s past “witch-hunting of the LGBT+ community”. 

The call comes in a letter to North Yorkshire’s top officer, Lisa Winward, from the veteran gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell. 

In the letter, Mr Tatchell, who is director of the human rights organisation the Peter Tatchell Foundation, acknowledges North Yorkshire Police’s “current supportive policies towards the LGBT+ community”, calling them “excellent progress”.

But he adds: 

“The North Yorkshire police force was very homophobic in past decades and went out of its way to target consenting, victimless behaviour that harmed no one. It wrecked the lives of many LGBT+ people.” 

The foundation is spearheading the #ApologiseNow campaign, urging all chief constables to say sorry for what it calls their “past anti-LGBT+ witch-hunts”.

In his letter, Mr Tatchell describes behaviours he says were frequently exhibited by the police:

“In the decades before the full decriminalisation of homosexuality in 2003 in England and Wales, your officers went out of their way to target and arrest gay and bisexual men for consenting, victimless behaviour. They were often excessive, harsh, vindictive and cruel.

“There was a de facto policy of sometimes releasing the names, addresses and workplaces of arrested men to the media, which led to public humiliation, ostracism, evictions, sackings and even violent attacks.

“In some cases, gay bars, clubs and even private birthday parties were raided. Same-sex couples were arrested for kissing, cuddling and holding hands in the street. Heterosexual couples engaged in similar behaviour were not. This was malicious homophobic policing and it wrecked lives.

“Upon conviction, these men were often jailed and beaten in prison. Others were hit with huge fines. Many lost their jobs, homes and marriages. Some were bashed by homophobic mobs, driven to mental breakdowns and attempted or committed suicide.

“With the stigma of a criminal conviction for a homosexual offence, a lot of the victims of police shaming had great difficulty in getting jobs and housing. Their lives were ruined by the police targeting consensual acts that harmed nobody.”

Mr Tatchell added:  

“I hope that a formal apology will be made to the LGBT+ community. It would help further improve LGBT+ trust and confidence in the police, which is what we all want.

“We do not expect an apology from the police for enforcing historic homophobic laws. What we are requesting is an apology for the often abusive and threatening way those laws were enforced – ways that would be deemed illegal and unacceptable today.

The Metropolitan Police has already apologised for its past behaviour, and backed it up with a new LGBT+ plan for London and the appointment of LGBT+ community liaison officers in every London borough. Similar apologies have also been made by the chief constables of Sussex and South Yorkshire, but West Midlands Police has said it will not apologise.

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The Chief Constable of Northumbria, Vanessa Jardine, is the lead on LGBT+ policy among UK chief constables and has written to all chief constables supporting calls for them to say sorry. The appeal is also endorsed by the National Police LGBT+ Network, which is made up of serving LGBT+ officers.

Asked about the force’s response to Mr Tatchell’s letter, a North Yorkshire Police spokesperson told the Stray Ferret: 

“North Yorkshire Police has committed itself to an array of inclusion and diversity initiatives of late, and much of that has been publicised. 

 “In relation to the [Peter Tatchell Foundation’s] press release, we’re aware of what other forces have done and are keeping it under consideration.” 

In 2000, North Yorkshire Police was one of the first forces in the UK to establish a helpline for lesbian and gay officers and civilian staff.

More recently, its Equality Objectives 2020-24 document lays out several aims affecting the LGBT+ community, including: increasing awareness and reporting of hate crime and providing victims with appropriate support; improving the treatment of victims of crime, especially those with protected characteristics; and increasing the representation rates of LGBT+ employees in senior police roles. 

GALLERY: Duck race makes triumphant return to Boroughbridge

Boroughbridge Duck Race made a triumphant bank holiday return yesterday.

All 750 ducks were snapped up as people flocked to the River Ure for the fun.

The first duck race took place in 2019 but, due to covid, had not returned until this year.

Boroughbridge Lions organised the race to raise money for local causes.

Presentations took place afterwards at the Tap on the Tutt pub near the river.

Simon Wade, who owns the pub and was the force behind reviving the event, hopes the duck race will become an annual event.

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Here are some photos from the day taken by Pete Durkin.

Boroughbridge Lions volunteers prepare for the race.

 

Crowds line the bridge over the Boroughbridge to cheer on the ducks.

 

The ducks are released into the Ure.

 

Retrieving the ducks afterwards.

 

The event generated community spirit.

 

Lions members organised the event.

 

A late entry for the race.

 

The Tap on the Tutt was the focal point of duck race day.

Ripon and Boroughbridge firefighters called to factory blaze

Firefighters from Ripon and Boroughbridge were called to a fire in a factory yesterday.

An electrical fault in machinery used to make food stock caused the blaze, according to North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service.

Crews were called to the factory at Hallikeld Close, Melmerby at 5.09pm.

The incident report added:

“Electrical wiring was destroyed, some fire damage to the room of origin occurred and smoke damage to the rest of the premises.

“Crews extinguished the fire using one hose reel and breathing apparatus.”

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North Yorkshire Police pledge bank holiday blitz on motorbikes

Motorcyclists in North Yorkshire will be targeted this bank holiday weekend as part of a police operation.

North Yorkshire Police will use a H2 Kawasaki Ninja unmarked motorbike equipped with cameras to gather evidence for prosecutions.

It will also deploy several marked and unmarked police bikes and cars and speed camera vans on key routes across the county.

The force said the “engagement and enforcement” was part of a National Police Chiefs’ Council operation on motorcycle safety this weekend.

It said the main priority was to reduce the number of road casualties.

Motorcyclists represent almost a quarter of fatal or serious injury collisions in the UK, despite making up three per cent of vehicles on the roads.

Many bikers take to the county’s vast road network for days out over the bank holiday.

Superintendent Alex Butterfield said:

“Everyone has the right to travel on the road safely. We believe that no one should be killed or seriously injured as a consequence of using our road network and we will continue to work together to prevent harm and make our communities safer.”

North Yorkshire released this video about the weekend campaign.