Stray Views is a weekly column giving you the chance to have your say on issues affecting the Harrogate district. It is an opinion column and does not reflect the views of the Stray Ferret. See below for details on how to contribute.

Drunken Harrogate? It’s just people enjoying themselves…

I have never before been moved to write re readers letters. However, the superior tone of Tim Emmott’s letter last week really cannot go unanswered.

The tone smacks of so much that is wrong with Harrogate. Namely that those of a certain age and with money think it is quite OK for them to object to normal humans wishing to enjoy themselves. Do they not think other people have money or equal right to enjoy themselves?

The same people call out people for standing within 1.9 metres of people in supermarkets, etc. I could go on. How very dare they think they have a superior right to exist over others.

Mick Marshalsey, Harrogate

But we agree with Tim — Harrogate is going downhill

I absolutely agree with Tim Emmott.

We too have friends that no longer visit when we are in Harrogate. The general view is ‘it’s not what it was’.

Harrogate used to be such a lovely place, where so many people aspired to live. Now we have anti-social behaviour, drunks, litter, vandalism, beggars travelling from out of town, robberies and drug dealers trading around the station.

There’s little or no police presence and no will by the council to tackle these issues. What a sorry state of affairs.

Catherine Tucker-Sykes, Harrogate

Harrogate’s 10-year decline

We have only lived here in Harrogate for 10 years but have been saddened to witness the rapid decline of the town over this time. There are beggars on the streets who enjoy getting together to drink.

Sandra Fielding, Harrogate

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• Government chooses single super authority to replace Harrogate council
• Lib Dem leader calls for Ripon Leisure Centre safety investigation

Do you have an opinion on the Harrogate district? Email us at letters@thestrayferret.co.uk. Please include your name and approximate location details. Limit your letters to 350 words. We reserve the right to edit letters.

The Bishop of Ripon has spoken out about vandals after another incident in the city.

Dr Helen-Ann Hartley’s comments come after she saw the Welcome to Ripon sign on the North Bridge approach to the city had been vandalised.

She told the Stray Ferret:

“I was greatly saddened to see the Welcome to Ripon sign smashed up.

“Sadly, a minority are clearly intent on inflicting harm on our local community.

“While I appreciate there are many challenges that people face today, destroying things of value is not the answer.

“I hope whoever is doing this, can pause to reflect on how their actions hurt others, and think again before they smash something else up.”

Destroyed and discarded — the sign was torn down and thrown off the bridge.

The sign, bearing the words: ‘Welcome to Ripon, Stay Awhile Amid its Ancient Charms’ was erected in 1986 by the city’s civic society, in memory of former member Catherine Elmes.

Dr Hartley said:

“I remember early on when we moved here, I walked into Ripon and stopped at the sign and took a photo of it.

“I felt pleased to be in our new home here.”

The plaque in memory of Catherine Elmes on the vandalised sign

The North Bridge ‘welcome’ sign is one of two on the approaches to the city centre — the other being at the junction of Harrogate Road and Quarry Moor Road.

Vandalism, alongside other anti-social behaviour, is a recurring problem in Ripon.

The cabmen’s shelter — a rare heritage item and listed building on Market Square — had its windows smashed twice in the space of three months.

Read more:

• Rare Ripon building attacked by vandals
• Mobile CCTV employed in Ripon’s bid to tackle crime
• New Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner takes a close look at Ripon

Prior to this, vandals also broke windows at Ripon Town Hall and the Ripon Cathedral office and deliberately damaged the protective rubberised surface of the children’s playground in Grove Lane.

North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Philip Allott visited the city last month and pledged investment in policing to address the spike in anti-social behaviour.

He said he intended to give local officers the resources they needed, including a phased investment in the city’s combined police and fire station on Stonebridgegate.

Police and council officers are holding a drop-in session this afternoon to address concerns about crime and anti-social behaviour around Harrogate’s Mayfield Grove.

People on Mayfield Grove and nearby Mayfield Terrace, Strawberry Dale, Nydd Vale Road and Nydd Vale Terrace have long-term concerns about criminality in the area, which is just a short walk from the town centre.

North Yorkshire Police and Harrogate Borough Council issued a three-month closure order on 38 Mayfield Grove in March.

The authorities can apply to a court for a closure order on a premises if they have concerns about antisocial behaviour and criminal behaviour.

With the order expiring this month, a letter sent to homes in the area said today’s outdoor community engagement drop-in session would enable police and council representatives to talk to residents “regarding 38 Mayfield Grove, the closure notice and future steps”.

Read more:

• Mayfield Grove summit to be held on Tuesday
• Two in hospital after armed police incident in Bilton

It is being held from 4pm to 6pm on the green triangle of land between Mayfield Grove and Mayfield Terrace.

A summit involving police, council officers and residents’ representatives was held in March.

One resident, who asked not to be named, said the area had been quieter since the closure order but they remained concerned about problems merely shifting from house to house in the area.

They added:

“I’ve felt safer over the last few months but am now worried for my safety and the safety of my children.”

Paul Ivison, who is setting up a Mayfield Grove and Mayfield Terrace residents association, said the main issues included drug dealing, speeding cars, parking and dog fouling.

A man died at 38 Mayfield Grove in March. Another man is awaiting trial for murder.

Police in Ripon have further violent and anti-social behaviour to investigate this morning.

Last night a man in the city suffered cuts when he was hit in the face with a stone thrown by a thug.

The incident was reported on social media by the man’s wife, as a warning to others.

She said:

“The small minority of trouble-making kids are at it again in Ripon town centre.”

The woman advised others to take care:

The stone, which cut her husband’s forehead, narrowly missed his eye and glasses.

It was thrown by one of a group she said were ‘hanging out’ in the alley next to M&Co in Fishergate.

Pictured above is the alley near where the attack took place, and the CCTV camera on Market Square North.

Just yards away from where the incident occurred is a CCTV camera that faces onto Market Square.

Andrew Williams, the leader of Ripon City Council, told the Stray Ferret:

“I just hope that the camera captured images of the group, which can help the police with their enquiries and to make arrests.

“I’m also hopeful that the camera will assist them in catching the vandal or vandals, who smashed windows at the cabmen’s shelter at the weekend.

“It’s the second time in a matter of weeks that it has been attacked and we now face another repair bill.”

Cllr Williams, has led the city council’s calls for more patrols, high-visibility policing and use of mobile CCTV in Ripon.

He and fellow councillors have said they want to work alongside the police to eradicate Ripon’s recurring problems of violence, vandalism and criminal behaviour.

Read more:

• City council buying its own CCTV camera in bid to tackle crime in Ripon
• Ripon councillors to join forces with the police
• See what vandals did to Ripon’s cabmen’s shelter in March

Police were informed after three windows were smashed in the cabmen’s shelter.

It’s the second time in less than three months that the unique structure belonging to the city council has been vandalised.

Dating back to the days of horse-drawn transport — it is the UK’s only mobile listed building, after Royal Engineers installed wheels as part of a re-fit.

The shelter recently underwent a further extensive refurbishment costing £22,000, before being returned to Market Square.

Harrogate Borough Council has stopped mowing the grass around Walkers Passage to reduce anti-social behaviour and improve biodiversity.

Walkers Passage is a popular cut through between the Stray and Harcourt Drive.

Geoff Davy, a local resident, told the Stray Ferret the grass was previously mown “about a dozen times a year.”

But this year only narrow strips near the path have been mown. The rest of the small park is being allowed to grow long, a decision that Mr Davy criticised:

“It’s unpleasant to look at and it’s unpleasant to be in. Families and people with small children won’t come here to play.”

Read more:

• “Victory for the people!”: Harrogate’s plastic grass removed
• Ripon council to buy CCTV camera to tackle anti-social behaviour

A council spokesperson told the Stray Ferret the decision to stop mowing the grass had been taken for two reasons: to reduce anti-social behaviour, and to increase biodiversity.

Mr Davy said:

“It’s not working, letting that place go derelict. It’s not stopping anti-social behaviour and drug-dealing.”

A mobile CCTV camera is to be deployed in Ripon to target hotspot areas for anti-social behaviour and crime.

Ripon City Council has this week agreed to purchase the surveillance equipment which its leader said will act as a “significant deterrent” against “frustrating” levels of crime seen during the third national lockdown.

It comes as the authority discussed using the cameras in March in an effort to tackle anti-social behaviour which has blighted the city.

Speaking at a meeting on Tuesday, Cllr Andrew Williams, leader of the council, said:

“We have witnessed in recent months problems with anti-social behaviour across the city.

“Thankfully the pressure that this council has brought to bear upon the relevant authorities has led to a significant improvement.

“But I do think it would be helpful in terms of supporting police efforts generally across the city, and reinforcing the point that the city council and city as a whole won’t tolerate anti-social behaviour, that we have a mobile CCTV camera.

“The ability to deploy a camera would act as a significant deterrent and be extremely useful.”

Cllr Williams said a “yob culture” had developed in the city with recent reports of crimes including street robberies, assaults on emergency workers and members of the public being spat at.

Read more:

• Police crackdown on crime in Ripon
• Robbery, thefts and man with machete in three-hour Ripon crimewave
• Mobile cameras to be used to reduce crime in Ripon

He previously said empty streets and dark evenings earlier in the lockdown had created the “perfect storm” for crime and that some residents – including himself – had become too afraid to leave their homes on an evening.

Cllr Wiliams also raised concerns over the number of officers patrolling the streets.

In February, North Yorkshire Police responded by stepping up patrols and said it had made “a number” of arrests, recovered drugs and seized criminal property including cash, imitation firearms and other weapons.

This was after the spate of crime prompted a meeting between city councillors and North Yorkshire, Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Julia Mulligan who later said she was “confident” that officers were dealing with the problem “robustly”.

At Tuesday’s meeting, city council clerk Paula Benson said the CCTV camera could cost more than £7,000 and that the authority hoped to secure the funds through grants.

Cllr Stuart Martin said:

“It is absolutely essential that we support the police in the fight against crime and the more we can do to help them the better.

“It is a good move forward and a good use of public money.”

In a direct plea to those causing anti-social behaviour problems, North Yorkshire Police inspector Alex Langley previously said:

“If you commit anti-social behaviour and mindless acts of theft and criminal damage we will take every opportunity to investigate and prosecute you.

“As a young person you may not realise that throwing that stone or stealing some alcohol may result in a criminal record – and that a criminal record could prevent you accessing higher education and certain types of employment.

“Please stop and think about the consequences of your actions and how your decisions today could impact on your future.”

A Bilton resident has passionately defended the area following reports of anti-social behaviour and crime.

Dani Paizis was hurt to read articles in the Stray Ferret that she believes unfairly tarnished the whole of the Harrogate suburb.

One person said they were planning to move their family from Bilton after witnessing graffiti, arson and drug dealing and others said the problem was getting worse.

Ms Paizis has lived in the old part of Bilton for around seven years and said she has never seen or experienced anti-social behaviour.

She believes any problems are concentrated around a few streets.

“I’m passionately pro-Bilton. That needs to be put across.

“Any anti-social behaviour does need dealing with, but it’s a shame for a small area to tarnish the whole of Bilton.”

Read more:

• Bilton by-election: every candidate announced
• Bilton residents frightened to leave homes due to anti-social behaviour

She said she was proud to be part of the local community, which she said had rallied during lockdown.

“You need to hear about the other side of Bilton. We have a fabulous community. People take care of their properties here, all neighbours take care of each other.

“We have thriving primary schools and a church community. Young families move here because it’s safe.”

Ms Paizis said she sympathised with the family who wanted to move away due to perceived problems, but said “it’s not a representative view of Bilton”.

She added that any young people who might be mixed up with anti-social behaviour needed support:

“We all need to focus on his helping and supporting young people to feel purposeful and focused as we come out of the pandemic.”

Parents worried about rising crime in Ripon are to start a petition calling for more full-time police on the city’s streets.

Last weekend, there was a more visible police presence in Ripon after weeks of rising tension about crime.

A spokesperson for the parents, who wished to remain anonymous, said:

“While we welcome this, we want to ensure that it is not simply a cosmetic exercise.

“We need a long-term solution, not a short-term fix.”

The spokesperson stressed parents were not criticising police but attempting to help them by getting more full-time officers. They added:

“In addition, we want them to have adequate facilities to do their job, including an interview room in the city.

“This would mean that officers don’t have to take people they have arrested for interview in Harrogate, reducing their numbers in Ripon every time this happens.”

Parents say facilities for police in Ripon are inadequate

Parents raised concerns about increasing violence and anti-social behaviour four months ago.

In October, one mother told the Stray Ferret:

“The impression that I and other mothers I meet have is that there is a growing gang culture. We believe it links into drug taking and dealing.

“It can be intimidating seeing groups of youths, some on bikes, congregating in parts of the city late at night.

“We are concerned that some might be carrying knives. We fear that somebody is going to be hurt.”

Inspector Steve Breen, who previously had responsibility for neighbourhood policing in Ripon, said at the time:

“We have essentially eradicated knife crime in Ripon through proactive use of stop and search tactics and intelligence-led disruption activity, leading to the imprisonment of some key individuals.”

But Ripon has been blighted by crime since, with five incidents in one three-hour spree this month, including a robbery, thefts and reports of a man carrying a machete.

Insp Breen’s successor, Insp Alex Langley has vowed to tackle the problem.

Read more:

• Man rescued from Ripon attack thought thugs would kill him
• Commission says force ‘took its eye off the ball on Ripon policing

In a statement, he said:

“Groups of youths have been breaching covid regulations by congregating in the Market Square, the bus station, and Bondgate to name a few.

“A new operation to tackle these issues was put in place at the end of last month, which means our communities will see an increase in patrols from various policing teams over the next few weeks and longer if required.

“This operation is not a long-term solution and we are working in the background with key partners on longer term plans to safeguard those most vulnerable in Ripon and prevent the most harm from offenders.

“Whilst we cannot always inform the public of some of the positive results we see due to ongoing investigations and court processes, please rest assured this operation has already seen results.”

Police are investigating a three-hour spate of crimes in Ripon on Sunday that included a man carrying a machete, a robbery, thefts and gangs gathering.

The incidents, which occurred from 6.30pm until 9.30pm, are the latest in a series of crimes and anti-social behaviour blighting the city.

A 23-year-old man became the first victim at 6.30pm on King Street when he was robbed by two or three males who had his phone and watch stolen and suffered facial injuries.

Read more:

• Covid vaccines begin at Ripon racecourse
• Police search for Ripon robbers who attacked young man

Then at about 8.30pm, North Yorkshire Police said four teenage boys and one teenage girl stole alcohol from McColl’s on Bondgate.

At 9.10pm a group of some 15 teenagers on Southgate reportedly shouted at local residents who asked them to move away from parked cars.

Just 20 minutes later, police received two reports about Bondgate.

The first was of a “male with a machete.” The second was of a man “threatened by another male with a knife.”

Throughout the rest of the evening police received “a number of other reports” of large groups of “youths” in various places around Ripon.

A police statement said:

“There were also a number of other reports of large groups of youths at various locations received throughout the evening which police responded to.”

Last month Ripon City Council called for more support from police amid concerns of rising crime.

Alex Langley, neighbourhood policing inspector, said:

“I’d like to reassure the local community that we are investigating all of these reports, which we are taking very seriously.

“I can assure people that we will be taking robust action against those responsible.

“Our extensive enquiries are ongoing.

“It includes officers trawling through CCTV footage and speaking to local businesses and we have also stepped up our patrols.”

Anyone with information about the investigation can call the police on 101 or send an email to lucymills@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk.

Please quote the following North Yorkshire Police reference numbers:

• 12210049512 – King Street robbery
• 12210049541 – theft at McColls
• 12210049572 – reports of machete
• 12210049669 – man threatened with knife
• 12210049571 – 15 teenagers on Southgate

North Yorkshire’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Julia Mulligan, is being called to act to solve chronic anti-social behaviour problems in Ripon.

Just weeks after the city council pledged to join forces with the neighbourhood policing team to tackle the on-going issue, it says the situation has worsened.

At Monday’s virtual full council meeting, elected members reported incidents of violence, nuisance and anti-social behaviour in the city centre.

Councillor Sid Hawke told the meeting:

“We are sick of these yobbos, who go around making trouble.”

Ripon Market Square – identified as a hot-spot of anti-social behaviour.

Council leader Andrew Williams said:

“I was in my car recently and a group of four thugs deliberately rode their bikes towards me on the wrong side of the road.

“Some elderly people have told me that they are frightened to go onto Market Square because they feel intimidated.

“The problem is getting worse by the week and it’s time for us to go to the top and call on Julia Mulligan to do something — she is responsible for policing in the county and the buck stops with her.”

These sentiments were echoed by many other councillors, who supported a motion to contact the commissioner, calling on her to provide more police officers for Ripon.

Read more:

• Council and police to join forces to tackle anti-social behaviour in Ripon
• Ripon youths attack residents

Concerns were also expressed about the efficiency of CCTV cameras in the city centre and the fact that there are only a limited number in use.

Councillor Pauline McHardy said:

“If there were more cameras in use, it would deter some of the youths who are causing trouble and police could concentrate their patrols on the areas that are not covered by CCTV.”

However, councillor Stephen Craggs said:

“All that CCTV does is to push the problems elsewhere. What we need are more police to keep the city streets safe and that’s what we should be asking Julia Mulligan for.”

The Stray Ferret approached the commissioner’s office for a response and was told by a spokesperson that the she is unable to comment until she has received correspondence from Ripon City Council.

Approximately 17 percent of Harrogate district council tax is used to pay for the police and fire service.