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Jun 2024
North Yorkshire's new chief constable talks Harrogate issues and tackling crime
It’s been 10 weeks since Tim Forber took over the reins at North Yorkshire Police.
In that time, the county’s crime commissioner post has been abolished, a new mayor has been elected and the force has a new look leadership.
He was initially confirmed as chief constable in January, but has only had chance to stamp his authority on the force since the start of spring.
In his first interview with the Stray Ferret, Mr Forber talks about what he feels are the main issues in Harrogate, his background and what his long-term vision for North Yorkshire Police is.
Opportunity to improve
Mr Forber grew up in St Helens, Merseyside, and comes from a policing family.
His dad was a police officer and in 1996 he followed in his footsteps by joining the Metropolitan Police in south London.
Over the course of the next 28 years, Mr Forber worked his way up to senior positions in West Yorkshire Police, Greater Manchester Police and South Yorkshire Police.
It was in January this year that former North Yorkshire police, fire and crime commissioner, Zoe Metcalfe, confirmed Mr Forber as her preferred candidate to take over as chief constable in one of her last acts in office.
When asked why he chose North Yorkshire, Mr Forber told the Stray Ferret that he felt there was an opportunity in the force to improve.
Tim Forber.
Inspectors at His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary published a report following an inspection in 2022, which criticised the force’s ability to keep people safe and reduce crime.
Since then, inspectors have said the force has made improvements.
However, Mr Forber said there was a chance to “accelerate” this upward trend.
He said:
I think there’s a huge opportunity here in North Yorkshire. I’ve been really clear that I firmly believe that North Yorkshire can be an outstanding police force.
I think the force has made significant strides over the past 18 months to improve its performance and delivery. but there is an opportunity to accelerate that.
Harrogate issues
The Stray Ferret sat down with Mr Forber during a police 'day of action' in the Harrogate district last week.
Called Operation Tornado, the exercise included an increased police presence of more than 50 officers in the town and its surrounding areas.
Mr Forber emphasised that the operation was “not a substitute” for day-to-day policing.
He added that Harrogate itself had a “number of issues” that the force was dealing with, including retail theft and anti-social behaviour.
Mr Forber said:
You’ve got a number of issues, particularly around the town centre. Retail theft has been highlighted as an issue and anti-social behaviour in the town centre.
But residential burglaries are also an issue outside of the town centre particularly and like many areas in North Yorkshire I am very concerned about county lines and the impact of cross border offending.
The Stray Ferret highlighted the issue of anti-social behaviour and shoplifting in Harrogate town centre as part of our Trading Hell series.
Our series of reports, which included a survey with town centre businesses, found that traders felt that not enough was done to tackle the issue.
Mr Forber said that one strategy to tackle some of Harrogate’s issues was an emphasis on neighbourhood policing.
He said:
I’ve been here for two months now, what I have emphasised is the importance of neighbourhood policing teams tackling those issues. The importance of chasing down offenders and doing it quickly.
Mr Forber said the emphasis on officers in neighbourhoods had already yielded benefits. He pointed to the fact that in the first two months of 2024, overall crime in Harrogate was down 12%.
However, he said that the figure was “not the be all and end all” and that the force had more to do.
Changing times
Mr Forber’s introduction to North Yorkshire comes at a time of political change and heightened attention on the force.
As previously reported, two officers have been suspended on full pay and referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) after concerns over use of force and another being under criminal investigation.
In May, it was announced that a third officer was under investigation by the IOPC to assess whether the officer "may have committed, or witnessed and failed to report, a criminal offence".
The revelations have brought heightened attention on the force. The Stray Ferret was told by a North Yorkshire Police spokesperson that the chief constable would not be answering questions on the investigations and that any enquiries should be referred to the IOPC.
Meanwhile, the makeup of the force’s leadership has also changed, with some senior officers leaving and being replaced.
Scott Blissett, assistant chief constable, joined in April 2024 while Wayne Fox and Cathrine Clarke have acted as temporary assistant chief constables since December 2023.
The political landscape has also changed, which has effected the oversight of North Yorkshire Police.
David Skaith, the new mayor of York and North Yorkshire, was elected last month and has met Mr Forber on a couple of occasions.
Mr Forber said his relationship with Mr Skaith and Jo Coles, the new deputy mayor for policing and crime, would be important.
I’m looking forward to a very productive working relationship with him and Jo Coles, the deputy mayor.
It’s a very important relationship with the mayor, because he has the capacity to bring together different elements of the criminal justice system to make sure that it works more seamlessly.
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