Residents in the Fairfax area of Harrogate who witnessed a police raid this afternoon have called for more support after weeks of disturbances.
The council flat several police vans attended appears to have suffered extensive damage. All of the windows are broken.
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Some of the people living nearby told the Stray Ferret suspect that the man who lives in the council flat has mental health problems and is not getting the support he needs:
“It’s been going every night for about two weeks. The police take him to the hospital but there is no Briary Ward anymore. They leave him at the hospital but he just walks home and starts again. They don’t do anything to help, it takes too long for them to take any action.”
The windows are broken at the council flat.
A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police said:
“Shortly after 11am today, police were called to an incident at residential flats in Harrogate. A man was arrested for criminal damage and is now in police custody.”
Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Trust is responsible for mental health services in the district. The Stray Ferret has approached the trust for comment following the calls for support from residents.
A spokesperson said for the health trust told the Stray Ferret:
“Whilst we can’t comment on individual cases, anyone that previously received care at The Briary Unit, Harrogate is still able to access full mental health support through their care team or our crisis services. Our inpatient facilities that were previously at The Briary Unit transferred to our new state of the art hospital, Foss Park in York and anyone requiring hospital admission would be admitted to this site.”
The Briary Unit at Harrogate District Hospital closed its doors in April this year for the final time as adult inpatient mental health services transfer to York. The trust said that it would be spending more money on community-based care.
