Woman dies in Brearton house fire

A woman has died in a house fire in the village of Brearton near Knaresborough.

Fire crews from Knaresborough, Harrogate, Ripon and Boroughbridge were summoned to the home by concerned neighbours at just after 10pm last night.

The home suffered severe fire, heat and smoke damage to the living room, hallway and front of the property, according to North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service.

A statement issued by North Yorkshire Police this afternoon sadly confirmed that a person had died:

Despite the efforts of firefighters and paramedics to save her life, a woman aged in her late 60s sadly died at the scene. Her family are being supported by the police.

Firefighters had to put the blaze out and ventilate the smoke-filled property.

There were no other occupants, and no neighbouring properties were damaged.

The police and fire service are asking people to come forward with any information that could help the inquiry.

If you can help, contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 1, and speak to the Force Control Room. Please quote reference number 12220056029 when providing details.

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Positive drugs test for man stopped by police in Harrogate

A motorist whose driving caused concern to a member of the public was arrested by police in Harrogate after giving a positive drugs test.

The member of the public has been praised by North Yorkshire Police for contacting them about the way in which the vehicle was being driven.

In a  Facebook post, which included a photograph of the the roadside wipe test kit that had been used, police said:

“The driver, a man in his 20s, gave this positive reading for cocaine and white powder was located during a search of the vehicle.

“He was arrested and a blood sample has been obtained which will be sent off for analysis.”

 

The motorist was stopped by police after a member of the public raised concerns about the standard of his driving

Police added:

“The consequences could have been much more serious – so a huge thank you to the person who called us.

“We always say if you are concerned about someone’s driving, call us and in this case, earlier this week, a motorist was stopped by one of our officers after a member of the public contacted us concerned about the standard of their driving in Harrogate.”

The government warns motorists about use of drugs and driving, saying:

“It’s illegal to drive if either:

“Legal drugs are prescription or over-the-counter medicines. If you’re taking them and not sure if you should drive, talk to your doctor, pharmacist or healthcare professional.

“The police can stop you and make you do a ‘field impairment assessment’ if they think you’re on drugs. This is a series of tests, for example asking you to walk in a straight line. They can also use a roadside drug kit to screen for cannabis and cocaine.

“If they think you’re unfit to drive because of taking drugs, you’ll be arrested and will have to take a blood or urine test at a police station.

“You could be charged with a crime if the test shows you’ve taken drugs..

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Two PCSOs seriously injured after attack in Harrogate McDonald’s

Two police community support officers were left seriously injured following an attack in McDonald’s in Harrogate.

North Yorkshire Police is appealing for witnesses and mobile phone footage of the incident which took place at around 7pm on Friday evening on Cambridge Road.

Three girls, aged 13, 14 and 15-years-old, have been arrested in connection with the attack and remain in custody for questioning.

The officers attended the McDonald’s after reports that the girls had entered the restaurant despite being banned due to anti-social behaviour earlier in the evening.

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The group refused to leave when asked by officers and an altercation took place.

One of the PCSOs suffered a suspected broken nose and the other had tissue damage to the cheek. Both remain in hospital for treatment for their injuries.

Neighbourhood Delivery Inspector Phoebe Southall said:

“No one deserves to go to work and be assaulted, especially as they work to protect the public and keep our communities safe. It is not just ‘part of the job’ and we will investigate any incidents of violence towards our staff thoroughly.

“We would urge anyone who either witnessed the attack or has any information or mobile phone footage that may have captured something to please get in touch.”

Anyone with any information should contact police on 101 or investigationhubcounty@northyorkshire.police.uk and quote reference number 12220055279.

NSPCC concern over North Yorkshire police child protection report

The NSPCC has described a report detailing failings into child protection investigations at North Yorkshire Police as “concerning”.

The highly critical report published this week by Her Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services found that the force does not prioritise safeguarding and child protection highly enough.

It said standards of investigation in relation to child protection were poor and arrangements were not “consistently providing either the quality of service or a good enough response”.

The report said in some cases “highly vulnerable” children went missing from children’s homes, but officers would record those incidents as “cause for concern” rather than missing — which meant officers did not look for them.

Now, the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children said the force should “act quickly” to address the recommendations in the report.

An NSPCC spokesperson said: 

“Protecting children must be of utmost priority for law enforcement agencies, and so it is concerning that HMICFRS found this was not the case for North Yorkshire Police.

“The inspection’s findings included an inconsistent approach by the force to the risk of those suspected of sexually exploiting children and officers not always understanding their primary role was to protect children.

“Putting children at the heart of these investigations is paramount, and it is promising that the force recognises it needs to do more to safeguard children and is committed to providing better outcomes for them. To do this, it is crucial that it acts quickly to implement the Inspectorates recommendations.”

Critical report

The report was particularly critical of the force’s approach to children considered to be at risk.

Inspectors, who conducted the assessment from November 1 to 12 last year, examined 73 cases where children had been at risk. The report said:

“We assessed the force’s child protection practice as good in 13 cases, requiring improvement in 34 cases, and as inadequate in 26 cases. This shows the force needs to do more to give a consistently good service for all children.”

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Another criticism was that the force doesn’t share information with safeguarding partners early enough.

HMIC made a number of recommendations, which included:

Chief constable apology

Following the report’s publication, Lisa Winward, chief constable of North Yorkshire Police, apologised and said the force “fully accepted” the inspector’s findings.

She said:

“It is extremely disappointing that while the Inspectorate found examples of good practice during their inspection in November 2021, they also found a lack of consistency in our treatment of children across the cases that they examined. 

“We fully accept the findings of the Inspectorate and I offer my deepest apologies to any child that we have let down or could have protected more effectively. We haven’t always got it right and we know that is not good enough for the children of North Yorkshire. 

“We have been working at a pace to address the issues that were identified in the Inspectorate’s report. Our plan for improvement in our performance has already been submitted to the Inspectorate. We are tracking our plan and will publicly report on our progress.

“We welcome the recognition by the Inspectorate that our officers and staff, who manage child abuse investigations, are committed and dedicated despite working in difficult circumstances. 

“I can assure all our communities that we absolutely recognise that protecting children is one of the most important things that we do. We are working to ensure that we have the right systems and processes in place to support our officers and staff to protect and safeguard every child.”

Police spot 222 driving offences in five hours in Harrogate

North Yorkshire Police identified more than 200 driving offences in Harrogate in five hours during a blitz to coincide with new mobile phone legislation.

The force revealed today it undertook the operation between 11am and 4pm on Friday, when the new laws come into force.

Officers from the police’s roads policing group and local neighbourhood policing teams targeted drivers in Harrogate.

Among the offences recorded were speeding and using a mobile phone while driving. It is not known how many resulted in further action.

Mark Hutchings, from the force’s road safety team, said the aim was to reduce deaths and make the roads safer. He added:

“Officers targeted drivers on Friday, the day when the new mobile phone legislation came into effect, in an effort to make sure motorists take note of these important changes and abide by the new law.

“We will continue to undertake targeted activity such as this across the county as part of Operation Boundary – North Yorkshire Police’s dedicated road safety and enforcement operation.

“We’ll be on the look-out for road users across the county who take risks – risks that can, and do, cost lives.”

Police guidance on the new legislation is available here.

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Man suffers serious head injuries in minibus collision in Knaresborough

A man in his 70s suffered a serious head injury this morning when he was involved in a collision with a minibus on the A59 in Knaresborough.

North Yorkshire Police said in a statement this afternoon that the pedestrian was taken to hospital. It added:

“He was conscious and breathing following the incident.”

The A59 remains closed between Bogs Lane in Harrogate and Long Walk in Knaresborough.

The incident occurred near Forest Lane Head at about 9.30am.

Diversions have been put in place while collision investigators examine the scene.

The police statement said:

“Witnesses or motorists with dash-cam footage are asked to contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 1, and speak to the Force Control Room. Please quote reference NYP-31032022-0111.

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North Yorkshire’s chief constable apologises for child protection failings

North Yorkshire Police has apologised after government inspectors found the force’s standards of investigation for child protection cases were “poor”.

A highly critical report published yesterday by Her Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services found that the force does not prioritise safeguarding and child protection highly enough.

It said standards of investigation in relation to child protection were poor and arrangements were not “consistently providing either the quality of service or a good enough response”.

The report said in some cases “highly vulnerable” children went missing from children’s homes, but officers would record those incidents as “cause for concern” rather than missing — which meant officers did not look for them.

Following the publication of the report, Lisa Winward, chief constable at North Yorkshire Police, apologised and said the force “fully accepted” the inspector’s findings.

She said:

“It is extremely disappointing that while the Inspectorate found examples of good practice during their inspection in November 2021, they also found a lack of consistency in our treatment of children across the cases that they examined. 

“We fully accept the findings of the Inspectorate and I offer my deepest apologies to any child that we have let down or could have protected more effectively. We haven’t always got it right and we know that is not good enough for the children of North Yorkshire. 

“We have been working at a pace to address the issues that were identified in the Inspectorate’s report. Our plan for improvement in our performance has already been submitted to the Inspectorate. We are tracking our plan and will publicly report on our progress. 

“We welcome the recognition by the Inspectorate that our officers and staff, who manage child abuse investigations, are committed and dedicated despite working in difficult circumstances. 

“I can assure all our communities that we absolutely recognise that protecting children is one of the most important things that we do. We are working to ensure that we have the right systems and processes in place to support our officers and staff to protect and safeguard every child.”

Critical report

The report was particularly critical of the force’s approach to children considered to be at risk.

Inspectors, who conducted the assessment from November 1 to 12 last year, examined 73 cases where children had been at risk. The report said:

“We assessed the force’s child protection practice as good in 13 cases, requiring improvement in 34 cases, and as inadequate in 26 cases. This shows the force needs to do more to give a consistently good service for all children.”

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Another criticism was that the force doesn’t share information with safeguarding partners early enough.

HMIC made a number of recommendations, which included:

Zoe Metcalfe, North Yorkshire’s Conservative Police Fire and Crime Commissioner, said the findings of the report were “unacceptable”.

Police launch crackdown on underage drinking in Ripon

Police are to lead a crackdown on underage drinking in Ripon in the latest attempt to tackle the city’s long-running problem with crime and antisocial behaviour.

North Yorkshire Police said today Ripon has joined 240 locations in the country designated as a Community Alcohol Partnerships area.

These partnerships see police work with retailers, schools, neighbourhood groups, Trading Standards, local authorities and other emergency and health services to reduce alcohol problems.

As part of the initiative, retailers will be assessed by Trading Standards and police to check they are not selling alcohol to children.

Intervention work to prevent under-18s drinking will also be carried out.

According to North Yorkshire Police, the partnerships have led to a 61% reduction in weekly drinking by teenagers, a 50% drop in young people hanging round shops and asking adults to buy alcohol, and a 42% decline in anti-social behaviour involving drink.

Ripon Community Alcohol Partnership will officially launch on Wednesday next week.

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PCSO Helenor Gwatkin, who is leading the launch for North Yorkshire Police, said:

“We’re listening to residents’ concerns about antisocial behaviour in Ripon and we’re addressing them in several ways.

“Our targeted patrols are one part of the solution, but the community alcohol partnership allows us to focus on prevention and early intervention. This stops issues from arising, reduces offences and helps educate young people to make better choices.

“Community alcohol partnerships have been very well supported in other parts of North Yorkshire and I am confident the initiative in Ripon will be just as well received.”

Alcohol education

Ripon

Police, youth services and other local organisations will provide alcohol-free activities for young people and work with schools to take a proactive approach to alcohol education.

Kate Winstanley, director of Community Alcohol Partnerships, said:

“I am delighted to see the launch of a CAP in Ripon. Underage drinking is associated with school and educational problems, unprotected sex, drug-taking, violence and drinking problems in later life.

“In just over a decade CAP has set up more than 240 partnerships around the UK and our evaluations show they are having a significant impact on reducing children’s alcohol consumption, improving their health and wellbeing and enhancing the communities where they live.”

North Yorkshire Police ‘not effectively safeguarding children’, say inspectors

Inspectors have found North Yorkshire Police’s investigations of child protection cases are poor and need to improve.

A highly critical report published today by Her Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services found that the force does not prioritise safeguarding and child protection highly enough.

It said standards of investigation in relation to child protection were poor and arrangements were not “consistently providing either the quality of service or a good enough response”.

The report said in some cases “highly vulnerable” children went missing from children’s homes, but officers would record those incidents as “cause for concern” rather than missing — which meant officers did not look for them.

Inspectors, who conducted the assessment from November 1 to 12 last year, examined 73 cases where children had been at risk. The report said:

“We assessed the force’s child protection practice as good in 13 cases, requiring improvement in 34 cases, and as inadequate in 26 cases. This shows the force needs to do more to give a consistently good service for all children.”

‘No specialist training’ for most staff

The report added that staff training and awareness measures had relied on the use of email and online training packages. The report said:

“A large proportion of the officers dealing with child abuse investigations have had no specialist child abuse investigation training. The force has recognised this, and it has booked specialist courses for officers in early 2022.”

Another criticism was that the force doesn’t share information with safeguarding partners early enough.

HMIC made a number of recommendations to the force, which included:

Andy Cooke, Her Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary, said:

“North Yorkshire Police’s senior leaders want to protect children and give them better outcomes, and we found some good examples of the force protecting children in need of help.

“But in too many cases, practice is inconsistent. Officers don’t always share information quickly enough with safeguarding partners. We also found that supervisors don’t oversee investigations well enough, mainly because they lack the training, skills and experience.

“The force knows it needs to do more to help its officers better understand how to safeguard children. We have made a series of recommendations which, if acted on, will help improve outcomes for children in North Yorkshire.”

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Police commissioner calls report findings ‘unacceptable’

North Yorkshire Police has 1,562 police officers, 1,214 police staff, 212 police and community support officers and 113 special constables.

Its work is scrutinised by the North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner. Conservative Zoe Metcalfe was elected to the role in November after fellow Tory Philip Allott resigned.

The Police and Crime Plan 2017–2021, set by previous commissioners and the current chief constable has four priorities, the first of which relates to safeguarding vulnerable people, including children.

This document is now due to be revised.

Ms Metcalfe said in a statement today that all children deserved to grow up in a safe environment

She added:

“We need to be candid in acknowledging that what this report has found is unacceptable.

“It is clear that sometimes not enough has been done to ensure that North Yorkshire Police can show that vulnerable children are as protected as they should be in North Yorkshire and York, and all too often the failings come despite the best efforts of those who have a policing role to safeguard them.

“As a new commissioner, now responsible for scrutinising the work of the North Yorkshire Police, that is a serious concern. I know that is a view shared by the force’s leadership, and I am sure it will be a concern across the organisation and beyond.

“It is important to note that the report does say there is evidence that improvements were underway in November 2021 when the inspection took place, and I have been assured those have continued at pace, so many of the issues identified are now in the process of being addressed. Measures are in place to ensure there is a robust framework in place to track and review this progress. I and my team will closely monitor and review what happens next.

“I have also met with local authority partners who have offered their full support to North Yorkshire Police in addressing the report’s findings and ensuring that children are kept safe in the city and the county. North Yorkshire Police have also set out their commitment to me to ensure officers and staff are provided with the skills, capability and capacity to do their job well.”

Police appeal after dogs chase sheep near Beckwithshaw

North Yorkshire Police is appealing for information after two dogs chased three sheep during lambing season near Beckwithshaw last week.

It took place on Thursday afternoon at around 2.50pm below the ruins of John of Gaunt’s castle, which is near Beaver Dyke Reservoirs.

A Dalmation dog, believed to be called Mabel, chased the ewes close to the public footpath.

A second black dog, which was medium-sized and believed to be called Parker, also joined in the chase.

Being in charge of a dog that worries sheep is a criminal offence.

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At this time of year, ewes are often heavily pregnant. Being chased by a dog can result in injury, suffering and even death.

Officers are keen to speak to anyone who was in the area at the time who could assist the investigation.

They’d especially like to speak to a woman who was seen to be exercising a number of dogs in the area and also the owner of a black van which was parked in the parking area at the side of Pennypot Lane where the footpath to the reservoirs starts.

If anyone has information contact North Yorkshire Police on 101 select option 2 and ask to speak to PC Bill Hickson. You can also email bill.hickson@northyorkshire.police.uk – quote reference NYP-25032022-0069.