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18
Oct 2022
Police say Harrogate town centre ‘is safe’ despite highest anti-social behaviour rate in county
A senior police officer has insisted Harrogate town centre “is safe” despite it having the highest rates of anti-social behaviour in North Yorkshire.
Chief inspector Alex Langley told a council meeting on Monday that the town centre is the “busiest” ward for North Yorkshire Police, but added the area’s crime figures are considered relatively low when taken in context of the large population.
He explained there have been a total of 243 anti-social behaviour incidents in the area across 12 months, saying:
He added:
Chief inspector Langley also said the entire Harrogate district had seen a “steady reduction” in all crimes over a one-year period, including a “phenomenally low” robbery rate with an average of one incident reported every two months.
However, he was warned by councillors that crime was becoming an increasing concern in certain areas and that the force may be unaware of hotspots because of residents’ reluctance to report incidents.
This includes Harrogate’s Bower Street which was highlighted by councillor Chris Aldred, who said anti-social behaviour “does seem to be getting worse” in the area with regular complaints of “rowdy” individuals drinking from 9am.
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On Friday (October 14), a man was reportedly stabbed in a fight on Bower Street and a 23-year-old man from Harrogate has since been charged with assault on a person occasioning actual bodily harm, possessing an offensive weapon in a public place, and wounding with intent.
The area outside Harrogate’s McDonald’s restaurant on Cambridge Road has also been flagged as a concern after two community support officers were allegedly assaulted by two teenage girls on April 1 this year.
A 13-year-old and a 15-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, have since been charged and are due to appear in court on October 28.
Chief inspector Langley said his officers were “well aware” of problems in the two areas as he also stressed the importance of people reporting incidents.
He added that a problem-solving plan was being made for Bower Street.
He told Monday’s meeting of Harrogate Borough Council’s overview and scrutiny commission:
Earlier this year, Harrogate BID launched a campaign to encourage people to report incidents in the town centre to ensure police crime statistics reflected the situation being experienced by business owners.
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