Ferrari towed away in Harrogate in police supercar clampdown

Police ordered a Ferrari sports car to be towed away outside Harrogate Convention Centre over the weekend as part of a supercar crackdown.

Operation Chrome, which North Yorkshire Police launched this summer, targets speeding, illegally modified vehicles and vehicles that shouldn’t be on the road.

The Ferrari driver was reported on suspicion of driving without insurance and failing to display a front number plate.

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Operation Chrome launched this summer with a police pledge to keep up on “the irresponsible behaviour of some drivers which is not only unsafe but also highly disruptive”.

Harrogate often attracts drivers, sometimes in modified vehicles, racing around the main roads, particularly during summer.

Superintendent Steve Thomas said:

“Residents and visitors should not have to fear for their safety or have their days blighted by this excessive noise.

“We are taking a zero tolerance approach to this dangerous behaviour.”

 

Harrogate man pleads not guilty to Mayfield Grove alleged murder

A Harrogate man has denied murder following the discovery of a man’s body at a flat near the town centre.

Daniel Ainsley, 24, was arrested in the street on the same evening that police found 48-year-old Mark Wolsey with fatal injuries at the flat in Mayfield Grove. 

Mr Wolsey was pronounced dead at the scene after police arrived at the property at about 10pm on March 5.

Ainsley, of no fixed address, was arrested on suspicion of murder and today (Thursday, August 5) he appeared at Leeds Crown Court when he pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Judge Geoffrey Marson QC remanded Ainsley in custody until the trial on October 18. 

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A decade worth of monthly police visits to Mayfield Grove house

Police received on average one report per month over suspected crime and anti-social behaviour at a house on Harrogate’s Mayfield Grove for the past decade, the Stray Ferret can reveal.

Figures obtained by a Freedom of Information request show 255 reports were made to North Yorkshire Police from the public about 38 Mayfield Grove since April 2008.

It amounts to at least one police visit a month on average for the last 13 years.

The house has been at the centre of crime concerns recently after North Yorkshire Police and Harrogate Borough Council ordered the property to be closed back in March.

The figures revealed today suggest a persistent problem at the property over anti-social behaviour. Since the closure, residents have called for more to be done about crime in the area and have met with officers, council officials and North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, Philip Allott.

The Stray Ferret asked police for the most common reports made about the address and how many times police were called about each reason.

Of the most frequent reports, a total of 64 were related to public safety and included suspicious circumstances, insecure premises and concerns for safety.

Meanwhile, 27 were about anti-social behaviour.

Closure orders and crime concerns

The house has been ordered to close twice since 2005.

The latest order to shut the property down was made back in March by North Yorkshire Police and Harrogate Borough Council.

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

Since then, the property has been allowed to reopen and officers have held community engagement events with concerned residents.

At an event held in June, many residents said they were worried about crime in in general in the area – not just individual properties.

Meanwhile, Philip Allott, North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, pledged to push for more police officers on Mayfield Grove.

He visited the street last week to hear concerns over anti-social behaviour and crime on Mayfield Grove and nearby Nydd Vale Terrace and Mayfield Terrace.

Mr Allott told the Stray Ferret:

“I will ask the police to step up neighbourhood policing in this area. I will ask them to target the drug dealers and make it hard for the supply chain to operate.”

Local motorcyclist killed in Nidd crash

A motorcyclist has died following a collision in Nidd on Saturday afternoon.

The man, aged in his 30s, was travelling from Ripley on the B6165 Ripley Road when his blue motorcycle collided with a silver Toyota Hilux driving in the opposite direction at about 3.25pm.

He died at the scene.

North Yorkshire Police has not revealed the man’s name but said in a statement he was local.

It are appealing for anyone who saw what happened, or saw either vehicle in the moments leading up to the crash, to get in touch.

You can call 101, select option 1 and quote reference 12210171943 or email PC Nicola Gill at Nicola.gill@northyorkshire.pnn.police.ukMotorcyclist.

It was one of two fatal crashes in North Yorkshire over the weekend.

A woman in her 60s died following a two-car collision on the A6055 between Catterick and Leeming Bar at about 2.20am this morning.

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Police say be vigilant as scammers flag down motorists on A59 for money

North Yorkshire Police has issued a warning after receiving a rising number of reports of scammers attempting to flag down motorists asking for money to fix their car.

The police said it received at least seven reports in the past two days in the Harrogate, Scarborough and Ryedale areas.

The force said suspect’s descriptions range from Asian, Portuguese and Eastern European men driving a silver Volkswagen or a dark-coloured Fiat.

In one incident on the A59 near Harrogate yesterday two men in separate lay-bys were seen trying to flag down motorists. One was described as a smartly dressed Asian man with a silver Passat and the other as European with a dark-coloured Fiat.

Soon after, another man managed to flag down a car on the A61 near Ripley. He was descried as Romanian and was then joined by two other men asking for money after breaking down.

Throughout the evening and into this morning similar reports were received in the Scarborough and Kirbymoorside area.

In one of those incidents the suspect wanted to take motorists to a cash machine to withdraw money and in others children were in the suspect vehicles.

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The police said most motorists realised it was a scam and drove away without giving any money.

The police has urged the public not to give money to anyone on the side of the road and be vigilant against anyone trying to flag down cars.

To report any information, call 101.

Crime commissioner pledges extra police for Harrogate’s Mayfield Grove

The North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner has pledged to push for increased policing in the Mayfield Grove area of Harrogate.

Philip Allott visited the area yesterday to hear concerns about crime and anti-social behaviour on Mayfield Grove and nearby streets, such as Mayfield Terrace and Nydd Vale Terrace.

He was invited by Paul Ivison, who has set up a residents group for people worried about drug dealing, car crime, speeding and anti-social behaviour, particularly in some houses in multiple occupation let by landlords, .

Mr Allott said:

“I will ask the police to step up neighbourhood policing in this area. I will ask them to target the drug dealers and make it hard for the supply chain to operate.”

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He also urged Harrogate Borough Council to take a tougher line against landlords that didn’t do enough to prevent crime and anti-social behaviour on their premises.

“The council possibly needs to be a little more active and realise this is a serious issue. I don’t think the district council has quite latched on to that.

“I will be asking Harrogate Borough Council to be more proactive and serve further closure notices against landlords where relevant.”

North Yorkshire Police and Harrogate Borough Council issued a three-month closure order on 38 Mayfield Grove in March. The two organisations can apply to a court for a closure order if they have concerns about antisocial behaviour and criminal behaviour on premises.

‘Abused by beggars’

Mr Ivison told the commissioner many town centre street beggars stayed in bedsits in the area and said the police should issue more Public Spaces Protection Orders to prevent begging in town, as many of those doing it weren’t genuine rough sleepers, were taking advantage of people and making a mess.

Mr Allott agreed the “town centre was being abused by beggars” who took advantage of “kindly, well disposed people who think they are helping”, adding:

“It’s patently clear a lot of these characters in the town centre are not what they present themselves to be.

“But I do recognise that there are a minority of people who through no fault of their own find themselves in a destitute position.”

Mr Allott said he supported the use of Public Spaces Protection Orders “where it is proportionate and necessary but not as a blanket measure”.

Domestic abuse referrals in North Yorkshire increase by 80 per cent

The number of referrals for domestic abuse help in York and North Yorkshire has risen by 80 per cent.

It means the number of victims seeking help from community-based support services has risen by about 4,000 people since 2019.

Trained staff working as independent domestic abuse advisors, who help victims, have much higher caseloads and some have handed in their notice, a public accountability meeting held by the North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner heard this week.

Police data shows there were 1,917 domestic abuse crimes reported in the Harrogate district between January 2020 and June 2021.

Police and domestic abuse support organisations have continued to support victims throughout the pandemic through calls and online services, by arranging court orders remotely and by using extra government funding used to employ more advisors.

Jenni Newberry, head of commissioning at the office of the North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, said:

“Data shows that the volume of referrals into our support services significantly increased during the pandemic and referrals overall do remain very high.

“Referrals into our services have increased significantly. There has been an 80 per cent increase between 2019/20 and 2020/21. That equates to an additional 4,000 referrals.”

She said people also tend to need more intensive support during the pandemic because of other issues, including court delays and the need to spend more time with the perpetrator of the abuse in lockdown.

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But she added that one “positive” is that people have responded well to the support.

Pressure on the system

Ms Newberry said advisors had seen their average caseloads increase significantly from 56 clients in April 2020 to 76 in April 2021.

Extra funding from the Ministry of Justice has enabled the service to employ more domestic abuse advisors and Ms Newberry added: 

“We are relatively confident that we can manage these increased volumes of caseloads moving forward, but obviously there’s pressure on the system.

“We have seen [advisors] hand their notices in and there are only so many trained and ready to begin service.”

Meanwhile, there was an increase in children committing offences against parents during lockdown, North Yorkshire Police detective superintendent Allan Harder said.

He said one reason was that children wanted to leave home when restrictions were in place and this led to arguments.

He added:

“Throughout covid we have remained engaged and proactive to support victims of domestic abuse. We have worked with partners to deliver consistent services.”

North Yorkshire Police taking three times longer than expected to answer 101 calls

North Yorkshire Police is taking three times longer than expected to answer non-emergency 101 calls this month, according to officers.

Lindsey Butterfield, assistant chief constable at North Yorkshire Police, told a police commissioner public accountability meeting yesterday that the force was experiencing a high number of 101 calls to its control room.

In the last six days, it had received on average 95 non-emergency calls per day, she said.

North Yorkshire Police’s target is to answer the majority of 101 calls in two minutes.

Ms Butterfield said so far this month the force was averaging seven minutes and 13 seconds to answer non-emergency calls. She added:

“We know that is absolutely not where we want to be as a service.”

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Philip Allott, North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, approved emergency funding of £70,000 for the force to put an overtime plan in place in order to improve the speed of response to calls.

Mr Allott told the Stray Ferret he expected the response time to 101 to improve in the coming months following the easing of restrictions and after improvements to the service were made.

He said:

“It’s making it so that people get a good service. I recognise that 101 and 999 is front of business and people need to get through.

“The police admit that it is not where it needs to be and they are reporting back to me on a weekly basis.”

Police also hope that new trainee call handlers will be available by next month to help ease pressure on resources.

Meanwhile on Saturday, the force received 470 emergency calls in a single 24-hour period — the most it has ever handled.

Part of the increase is thought to be down to York Races and the ending of covid restrictions.

North Yorkshire Police currently expects to deal with 9,000 999 calls this month.

In June, police received a a total of 35,490 non-emergency, emergency and front desk calls, which was also a record.

At the time, officers said the increase was thought to be down to the easing of lockdown restrictions and an increase in incidents.

Ms Butterfield said:

“We have continued to see excessive demand in terms of calls for service into the control room. It is unprecedented and it is on a national level, although it is having a significant impact on North Yorkshire.”

Police appeal after bike stolen outside Harrogate’s Caffe Nero

North Yorkshire Police has issued a plea for information after a bike was stolen outside Caffe Nero on Beulah Street, Harrogate.

The black Carrera road bike was left propped up outside the coffee shop at about 2.30pm on Thursday when it was taken by a man, described by police as a slim white male aged between 35 and 40.

He was wearing dark shorts, a grey t-shirt and a baseball cap.

The bike has red trim and thin tyres.

A police statement said:

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

“In particular, we are appealing for information about and witnesses to the incident or if anyone has seen the bike in question.

Anyone will information can call North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option two and ask for Jacob Higgins. The officer can also be contacted via jacob.higgins@northyorkshirepolice.uk.

To remain anonymous, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

The crime reference number is 12210165521.

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Teenager dies after getting into difficulty in the River Wharfe

A teenager has died after getting into difficulty in the River Wharfe at Grassington yesterday.

North Yorkshire Police said the ambulance service called for officer support at 7.45pm as a 19-year-old man was in difficulty in the water.

He was treated by paramedics but later pronounced dead at the scene.

The police said inquiries are ongoing.

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Yesterday, Yorkshire Water used its Twitter account to urge people to avoid open water such as rivers and reservoirs, despite hot weather.

It warned of unexpected dangers such as hidden currents, low temperatures and submerged machinery.