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31
Jul
£8,000 gate installed in Ripon to tackle crime
A new gate has been installed in Ripon’s Market Square to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour in the city.
Ripon Business Improvement District applied to the North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner's Office for £8,000 to put up the gate at the Market Square entrance to Greaves’s Court.
Businesses, landlords and residents had alerted Ripon BID to anti-social behaviour including vandalism and people taking drugs and urinating in the alleyway.
The gate is now open to the public during the day but access is via a keypad at night.
The project is a partnership between Ripon BID, North Yorkshire Police and North Yorkshire Council’s community safety hub.
Lilla Bathurst, manager of Ripon BID said:
Responding to concerns from both BID businesses and local residents, the BID partnered with North Yorkshire Police and the community safety hub to help architecturally design out crime – a method we have seen work well in other centres.
We applied for funding for this project as it was not just a BID business issue and are very grateful to the police, fire and crime commissioner that this was awarded. Feedback from businesses and residents has been very positive and they have seen a marked reduction in anti-social behaviour issues.
Partnership working projects such as these mean we can get issues resolved quickly and efficiently.
Greaves's Court before the gate was installed
Paul Roberts from North Yorkshire Police said:
The alley had been used as a cut through for offenders evading the police, and those committing crime and anti-social behaviour in the city.
Used elsewhere across the city, these alleyway gates have proved to be an effective way of dealing with anti-social behaviour, reducing crime, and improving quality of life for local residents and businesses.
The gate was designed and manufactured by Hutchinsons Fabrications of Kirkby Malzeard and the planning process was handled by Ripon-based architect Andrew Burningham of Architecture:AB.
The Office of the North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner was subsumed by the new North Yorkshire mayoral office in May this year.
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