A woman who heard three gunshots in the Pinewoods last night has said people were terrified when the reality of what was happening dawned on them.

The female, who lives in the Plantation area on Harlow Hill and asked not to be named, said children were playing in the woods as normal at about 5pm.

She said the three shots were fired over the space of about 15 minutes, adding:

“The first shot shook us up. The second time it happened I came out of the house and went into the woods.

“There were children playing in the woods, as usual. Parents had gathered to collect them. They were absolutely terrified.

“There was a longer gap between the second and third shots and when it came it sounded very close. My partner speculated that somebody might have been shooting at us.”

Police arrive at the scene last night.

Read more:

• Armed police close off Pinewoods after suspected gunfire
• Police silent over gunfire in Harrogate’s Pinewoods

North Yorkshire Police has not commented on the incident and the witness, who said she saw an officer carrying. a taser gun, said residents would have appreciated some news that the area was safe. She said:

“It’s not reassuring at all.”

The witness also said the gunshots were categorically not related to a training exercise at the nearby Army Foundation College, as many people have suggested on social media.

“We are a close community and we know what we heard. These three shots came from the Pinewoods.”

Armed police arrive.

North Yorkshire Police has so far remained silent over gunfire heard at the Pinewoods yesterday.

Armed officers closed off the area after residents reported hearing “very loud” bangs at about 5pm.

A police helicopter circled the 96-acre woodland, which is located a kilometre south of Harrogate town centre, for some time afterwards.

The Stray Ferret contacted the police for information last night, but 15 hours after the incident, no information has been released.

Officers at the Pinewoods entrance on Plantation Road said only that a ‘containment exercise’ was being carried out. Armed police were stood down in the area after at about 7.15pm.

Two armed police officers were stationed at the Pinewoods entrance on Plantation Road.

We spoke to several residents in the area who reported hearing gunfire. Many said they heard three shots and then noticed armed police and a helicopter brought in. There were also reports of a taser being brought to the scene.

One woman said she’d heard three gun shots but didn’t think such things happened in Harrogate so she assumed it was a car backfiring and went swimming.

The armed officers on Plantation Road.

Another person said a residents’ what’s app group had been going crazy with people wanting to know what was going on, as the Pinewoods is a popular local beauty spot.

But so far the police have remained silent and it is not known if anyone was hurt or if any arrests have been made.

Read more:

• Harrogate district people asked for views on police 101 and 999 calls
• Armed police close off Pinewoods after suspected gunfire

Police have closed off the Pinewoods after suspected gunfire was heard this evening.

Someone in the area told the Stray Ferret they heard three “very loud” bangs, which they presumed to be gunshots, at around 5pm.

They said a police helicopter has been circling the woodland since then.

The Stray Ferret spoke to one police officer who said armed police had “contained” the area but did not give any further information. It is not known if anyone has been hurt.

We will have more information on this developing story as we get it.

North Yorkshire Police has arrested two teenage males after it published an appeal yesterday about a robbery on Harrogate’s Hookstone Chase.

The two males are also being questioned about a further alleged robbery that took place on Wentworth Drive in Harrogate on the same night.

The first alleged incident, on Hookstone Chase, is said to have happened at around 6pm on Tuesday, May 17. The Wentworth Drive incident followed at 10.30pm.

The two males are in custody. Police said they are assisting officers with their enquiries.

Yesterday, police published an appeal for two teenage white males wearing grey tracksuits.

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• Harrogate drug dealer sentenced to four years in prison
• Police release image of man after money taken from Harrogate Asda

Police have identified a man they wanted to speak to after money was removed from a cash machine at Asda in Harrogate.

North Yorkshire Police issued CCTV images of the man after £150 that was left on the cash machine from a previous transaction was taken.

Police were not aware of any attempt that had been made to return the cash to its owner.

The incident happened at Asda on Bower Street at 10.23am on Sunday, May 1.

In an update on May 27, police said they had identified the man and we have therefore removed the images of him from this post.

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• North Yorkshire Police officer admits making 8,700 indecent child images
• Harrogate drug dealer sentenced to four years in prison

A North Yorkshire Police officer pleaded guilty today to making 8,707 indecent images of children over seven years.

Christopher Groom was charged with making the Category C indecent photographs over a seven-year period between December, 3 2014 and November, 14 2021.

Groom, who was a serving officer at the time, was suspended and arrested on December 16, 2021, and had his computer and phone examined.

At today’s hearing at Leeds Magistrates’ Court, prosecutor Angela Terenzini said there was no evidence he had distributed the images.

Groom, of Main Street, Claxton, Malton, will be sentenced on June 14. He received unconditional bail.

North Yorkshire Police has said it will make a formal response when the case is concluded.

Read more:

• Harrogate drug dealer sentenced to four years in prison
• Accountant jailed for conning Harrogate man out of his home

North Yorkshire Police is appealing for witnesses after a tractor theft in Weeton.

The tractor was stole from Weeton Lane at 2.10am on May 12. According to police, a vehicle entered a farm and stole the orange Kubota Compact b7100 tractor.

Officers are asking for the public to come forward with information, particularly sightings of vehicles on Weeton Lane at the time of the incident.

You can contact the police on 101, select option 2 and ask for Chloe Kinnear. Or email chloe.kinnear@northyorkshire.police.uk.

The crime reference number is 12220081066.

Read more:

• Police appeal after man robbed in Harrogate
• Three men arrested after theft of trailer near Boroughbridge

Police are appealing for information following a robbery on Hookstone Chase in Harrogate.

The incident happened yesterday close to the double mini roundabouts at 6pm and involved two teenage boys threatening violence to steal a man’s bag and wallet.

The suspects are described as teenage white males and were both wearing a grey tracksuits. Officers say one of the boys may have had dark coloured hair

A North Yorkshire Police statement added:

“We are requesting the public’s assistance to help establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident.

“In particular, we are appealing for anyone who may have witnessed this incident to come forward. We are asking that local residents check any CCTV or dashcam footage that may have captured the suspects around the time of the incident.”

Anyone with information that could assist the investigation should email Paul.Griffiths@northyorkshire.police.uk or call North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2, and ask for PC 741 Griffiths.

Read more:

• Three men arrested after theft of trailer near Boroughbridge
• Prolific offender jailed for threatening man with knife in Ripon

Police have arrested three men after reports of a trailer theft from a compound near Boroughbridge.

Officers from North Yorkshire Police were called at 9.20pm last night after suspects were seen breaking into the compound and making off with the trailer.

The force used number plate recognition to locate the Land Rover Discovery off the A1(M).

The car was stopped by police off junction 45 after it attempted to make a U-turn.

A North Yorkshire Police statement said:

“Security cameras at the premises picked up a partial registration number of the vehicle, a Land Rover Discovery, and within minutes it was located by police on the A1(M) heading south. The Land Rover began to make a u-turn in the carriageway, but officers quickly managed to bring it to a stop just after junction 45.

“Three occupants, all men in their 30s, were arrested at the scene, on suspicion of theft, dangerous driving, and failing to stop for police. They remain in custody at this time. The trailer will be returned to its rightful owner.”

Read more:

• Unprovoked attack on Ripon teenager
• Policing in Ripon comes under a barrage of fire
• Prolific offender jailed for threatening man with knife in Ripon

Policing in Ripon came under a barrage of fire last night at a packed public meeting at the Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre.

Insp. Alex Langley, who heads Ripon’s neighbourhood policing team, chaired the hour-long meeting and faced a potent mix of concerned residents and newly-elected city councillors.

The councillors came fresh from weeks of pre-election doorstep meetings where thousands of voters put Ripon’s recurring problem of anti-social behaviour top of the agenda.

Among the attendees were residents who have suffered violent attacks at the hands of young thugs and witnessed their property being destroyed in incidents for which nobody appears to have been prosecuted.

Youths with iron bars attacked this car in a residential street, as the owner rang 999 and waited for police to arrive.

A taxi driver, who has both suffered and witnessed violence while on the rank in Market Place East, has also been threatened and seen hooded youths using iron bars to smash cars and house windows in the street where he lives.

He asked Insp. Langley:

“How many people have been identified, arrested and prosecuted after being caught on city centre cctv or reported by somebody who has rung 101?”

When Insp Langley said he did not have that information, the taxi driver responded:

“It is clear to me that the CCTV cameras are not being monitored by anybody. In the past you could see the cameras moving, showing they were in use, but that doesn’t happen any more.”

City centre CCTV failings

The Mayor of Ripon, Councillor Eamon Parkin asked:

“With the CCTV all around Market Square, why has nobody been arrested and prosecuted for any of the four attacks on the Cabmen’s Shelter?”

No arrests have been made or prosecutions brought against the vandal or vandals who have targeted the Cabmen’s Shelter

Insp Langley replied:

“You can have the best quality CCTV images, but if the vandals are wearing hoodies and have their faces covered — it’s difficult to identify them.

“The latest attack on the Cabmen’s Shelter was reported three days after the vandalism was noticed.

“Do you want officers to spend their time looking through three days’ of CCTV footage?”

There was a resounding  response of ‘yes’ from the floor.

Cllr Pauline McHardy said:

“The shelter is a rare building that belongs to the city and was refurbished at a cost of £22,000 and we want to catch and prosecute the vandals”

Cllr Andrew Williams said:

“When charges were brought in by Harrogate Borough Council for parking on Market Square, the money raised was supposed to be used to pay for the CCTV cameras and monitoring, so what is happening with that money now?

“It looks as if the cameras covering Market Square are not fit for purpose and footage being captured by them  is not being monitored.”

Police and Crime Commissioner did not attend

Cllr Williams said that this and other matters impacting on the effectiveness of policing in Ripon had been raised with North Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner Zoe Metcalfe, to whom a formal complaint had been made by the city council.

He said:

“We are still awaiting a response from her and it is very disappointing to say the least that she is not in attendance tonight to hear the concerns raised by Ripon’s residents.”

Cllr Barbara Brodigan, who is newly-elected to serve on the North Yorkshire unitary authority as well as the city council, said:

“We were told by former commissioner Julia Mulligan that the money raised from selling the police station on North Street would be used to pay for more police officers, but there is no evidence of this and people are not receiving the high visibility policing that they want.”

Unanswered 101 calls

In addition to use of CCTV and police resources, concerns were raised throughout the meeting about the delay in getting a response to 101 calls.

A resident told the meeting:

“When I rang up to report a gang of youths causing trouble near my house, I got no reply and after the same happened on another occasion, I just gave up, thinking that I was wasting my time.”

That feeling of frustration was echoed throughout the meeting and heightened when Councillor Tony Duncan was told by Insp Langley that he would need to submit a Freedom of Information request to find out how many 101 calls to Ripon police go unanswered.

An estimated 80 people attended the meeting, many of them standing.

At the start of the meeting when Insp Langley showed a graph indicating a downward trend over the past 22 month of recorded anti-social behaviour incidents in the Minster Ward, his presentation was interrupted by Cllr Williams, who said:

“I’m sorry, but I have to stop you there. These statistics are flawed, by virtue of the fact that so many people who try to get through on 101 give up after being kept waiting for so long.

“Showing a graph like this and presenting it as fact, does not reflect the actual experience of thousands of people that I and other councillors were told about on the doorstep before the election.”

The 101 problem

Insp. Langley accepted that there is a problem with the 101 system that needs to be resolved and throughout the meeting, pointed out that he and fellow officers are doing their best for Ripon, often ‘with their backs against the wall.’

Clllr McHardy said:

“We appreciate you coming here tonight and answering our questions and would like to point out that comments made here are not aimed at you, but are for those senior to you who make the decisions and need to provide you with the resources that you need to do your job.

“There has been a sizeable increase in the precept that we pay through our council tax for policing in Ripon, but the commissioner is nowhere to be seen this evening to tell us what she is going to do to support you and your officers.”

Police: meeting ‘highlighted real challenges’

After the meeting, Insp Langley in an email to the Stray Ferret, said:

“It was a really good meeting and highlighted some of the real challenges that Ripon face. There is a real balance to be had around national type challenges and those wider issues such as 101, recruitment, funding and HBC CCTV that it’s really important that we discuss.

“Equally there is limited scope and control that I have on those topics but it’s good to discuss them.

“I hope at the next meeting that we can spend less time on those wider issues as we have discussed them and focus more on local Ripon issues. I would have liked to have focused more on the today problems and areas that I can direct my teams towards. The next meeting we should be able to get more into that level of detail and discuss other issues.”

Read more:

• Unprovoked attack on Ripon teenager
• Refugee looks to rebuild her life in Ripon