Trading Hell: ‘Report crime so we can cut crime’, says BID manager

This is the fifth in our Trading Hell series of features investigating anti-social behaviour and crime in Harrogate town centre.

All this week, our Trading Hell series of features has been putting the problems faced by central Harrogate businesses under the microscope.

We’ve found out what town-centre traders feel about anti-social behaviour, shoplifting and threats to staff through our unprecedented survey.

We’ve taken a deep dive into the official data to find out what the stats have to say about crime levels in the heart of our town.

We’ve heard from Harrogate Homeless Project about the limits constraining the charity sector’s response to rough sleeping and street drinking.

And we’ve heard from a senior police officer about what North Yorkshire Police are doing to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour and to restore public confidence. 

But could there be a better way? Matthew Chapman certainly thinks so. He’s manager of Harrogate BID (business improvement district), and for the last couple of years he’s been leading the charge for the introduction of a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO). He told the Stray Ferret: 

“At the moment, the police are on the street and know there’s a problem, but they don’t have the powers to be able to do anything about it. A PSPO would give them the tools to be able to do that.” 

Introduced in 2014, PSPOs prohibit specified behaviours and offences from precisely delineated areas. Harrogate introduced one in August 2016 and extended it a year later for another three years. It was tailored to clamp down on street drinking inside the railway and bus stations, Victoria Shopping Centre, and the Victoria and Jubilee multi-storey car-parks. Enforcement officers had the power to ask people to stop drinking in a public place and ‘surrender’ their alcohol. Refusal to hand it over could result in a fixed penalty notice of up to £100. 

But that order expired in 2020 and the pandemic lockdown meant there was no need to renew it, so there hasn’t been one in place for the past four years. 

A new one is long overdue, according to Matthew Chapman, and an overwhelming majority of central Harrogate businesses appear to agree. Our Trading Hell survey found that 92% of town-centre traders support the introduction of a PSPO.

Graphic showing that 92% of town-centre traders would like to see a public spaces protection order (PSPO) introduced in Harrogate.

Lifestyle choice?

Who is to blame for all the problems that traders face – including anti-social behaviour, street drinking, persistent begging and shoplifting – is a simple question with a complex answer. According to Matthew Chapman, there are several different kinds of offender, but most of the problems are caused by two groups: “homegrown” street drinkers and gangs from out of town.

Homelessness. Photo: Dennis Jarvis/Flickr

Photo: Dennis Jarvis/Flickr.

He said: 

“We know of people who have got addiction problems, people who have had some kind of trauma in their life – whether it’s in childhood or more recently – and they’ve ended up in a really difficult situation as a result. 

“These people deserve the right to support, and health, and care, and there’s a lot of help out there for them. We’ve got Harrogate Homeless Project that can provide counselling, GPs, vets, food and showers; we’ve got North Yorkshire Horizons, which offers support with addiction; we’ve got the rough sleeper coordinators at the council; we have the No Second Night Out provision that allows people access to a hotel room for the night when the temperature’s 2°C or below.   

“If all those avenues have been explored, and this person continues to shoplift, continues to perform anti-social behaviour, continues to be a nuisance to society, then we believe the gap is in policing. At this moment in time, those people aren’t breaking the law – and that’s why we’ve been calling for a PSPO to be introduced.” 

Does this mean he agrees with former Home Secretary Suella Braverman that rough sleeping is a “lifestyle choice”? He said: 

“Some people have chosen that way of life for so long that adapting back into what we would call a ‘normal’ way of living is difficult. We know, for example, that we have a rough sleeper in Harrogate who doesn’t want a council property and prefers living on the streets – prefers that community around him that he trusts. 

“Whether it’s a ‘lifestyle choice’… you can pick that wording apart, but we certainly know some people who do choose to live that way rather than taking a local authority housing option.” 

People-trafficking gangs

The other main group of people causing problems for town-centre businesses is driven by money rather than personal problems. Some come to beg, others to shoplift, and they are far more flexible in their approach, according to Mr Chapman. 

He said: 

“We know of national people-trafficking gangs that come in and target places like Harrogate. One of the challenges is that when the police get on top of some of these really high-level groups in a certain area, they swiftly move to a different area, but the information-sharing isn’t there from police constabulary to police constabulary. 

“It’s similar to County Lines [the city-based networks that traffic drugs to outlying areas] – once one group is getting tackled a bit more, they’ll literally just move from North Yorkshire to West Yorkshire, or from Greater London to Birmingham, or from Manchester to Glasgow, and it is quite high-level organised crime groups that do these things.” 

The bands of professional beggars follow the crowds, he said, often moving seasonally or from event to event, and can make a lot of money:

“There’s a known group of individuals in Harrogate that the police, the council and charities are working with, but that can change daily, weekly, depending on what’s happening in town. 

“If the Great Yorkshire Show is on, that can be quite ‘productive’ for certain groups of people, and when the races are on in York, sometimes we’ll see a dip in begging in Harrogate, because York will be the place to go for those people.  

“Christmas is really well delivered in Harrogate, and we sometimes get an increase, because there’s footfall, there’s spend, there are people feeling a little bit more generous. So it’s quite targeted, where these people operate.” 

Photo of a man begging outside Boots in Harrogate town centre.

As reported in yesterday’s Trading Hell instalment, we put these assertions to Chief Inspector Simon Williamson of North Yorkshire Police, who told us: 

“I don’t think we have a specific, identified problem of people targeting the Harrogate area – there’s no evidence to support that – but there are anecdotes to suggest that people have come on occasion.” 

Told of Ch Insp Williamson’s response, Mr Chapman said: 

“We don’t have access to the level of data that the Chief Inspector would, and it would be really interesting to see where that information has come from. 

“But our knowledge has come from being on the ground, day to day, speaking to business owners, speaking to security guards, speaking to the charities. They know what’s going on.” 

‘Reporting crime is vital’

Whatever the problems are in Harrogate town centre, and no matter who is causing them, many are hoping that Project Spotlight, the initiative launched last week to step up police patrols in the town centre, will help tackle them. 

Mr Chapman also has high hopes for the new town centre support officer that Harrogate BID is currently recruiting. Their job will be to support the police, council and charities, acting as a “middleman” to gather evidence and share information. 

They will also be useful in making sure that all crime is reported – a vital measure if a PSPO is to be introduced. In order for North Yorkshire Council to be able to apply for a PSPO, national guidelines dictate that crime figures must demonstrate its necessity. But that’s a level that central Harrogate does not yet reach – officially, at least. 

Mr Chapman said: 

“The number of actual reports of crime [in central Harrogate] is really low, but the picture on the ground is very different. But if people don’t report the crimes, the crime figures will never be high enough for us to be able to get that PSPO.

“It’s ironic really. I want crime to go down – as everyone does – but I want the figures to go up, just so we’ve got a case when speaking to the police.

“We really cannot stress enough that people need to report crimes, no matter how low their value, because the only way that we’re going to make change is by getting those crime figures up to make the Chief Inspectors listen.”

Case study: How a PSPO helped cut crime and anti-social behaviour in Lincoln

Lincoln has sought to use PSPOs to tackle problems similar to those experienced in Harrogate town centre. 

City of Lincoln Council has used the powers over the last nine years to prohibit various kinds of anti-social behaviour, which council leaders, police and other agencies feel have plagued the city. 

They range from banning street drinking in the city centre, to prohibiting substance abuse and “loitering” in local car parks. 

Photo of part of Lincoln city centre, where the council has introduced a public spaces protection order (PSPO).

Lincoln city centre. Photo: Lincolnian (Brian)/Flickr.

The city’s first ever PSPO was introduced in 2015. It banned the possession and consumption of “legal highs” and alcohol within a defined area of the city centre, and allowed police and council staff to either force people to hand over those substances and move on, or issue a fine if they refused to do so. The order has been renewed every three years and is due for review this year. 

A separate PSPO covering three city-centre multi-storey car-parks was first enforced in October 2020. It banned drinking, drug-taking and “congregating in groups of two or more people”, as well as public urination, smoking and any activity likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress to any other person. 

Figures provided by the council at a meeting to discuss its extension last September show that the PSPO had its desired effect. Incidents of drug-taking dropped from 107 in the three years prior to the order to 35 over the three years the order was in force. 

Over the same periods, public order offences dropped only slightly, from 189 to 150. Nevertheless, council officials felt this modest drop justified extending the PSPO for another three years. 

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Dog attacks child outside Knaresborough school

North Yorkshire Police has appealed for witnesses after a dog attacked a child outside a school in Knaresborough.

In a statement this afternoon, the force said the dog was tied to a fence outside the front gate of St Mary’s Catholic Primary School on Tentergate Road when it bit the child.

The incident happened on Wednesday, March 13 at school pick-up time.

The child required hospital treatment for what police described as “minor injuries”.

The statement said:

“Dog owners are urged take responsibility for their pets. Please do not leave dogs tied up and unattended around school premises near where young children may be playing.”

Anyone who saw the incident or knows the dog owner is urged to contact North Yorkshire Police by calling 101, or emailing  jack.bocking@northyorkshire.police.uk, quoting reference 12240045161.

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Trading Hell: ‘We can’t arrest our way out of it’, says police chief

This is the fourth in our Trading Hell series of features investigating anti-social behaviour and crime in Harrogate town centre.

Levels of crime and anti-social behaviour have increased so much in Harrogate town centre that traders are desperate for a stronger police presence, the Stray Ferret has found. 

The Trading Hell survey we carried out recently found that more than two in three town-centre businesses (68%) want to see more bobbies on the beat. 

So when the Stray Ferret met Chief Inspector Simon Williamson of North Yorkshire Police (NYP) in town to ask him about our findings, it came across as a signal of intent when he was accompanied by a squad of police officers, who headed off in twos with a NYP photographer to patrol the main shopping streets. The officers’ hi-vis stab-vests make for an arresting sight – in recent years they’ve been conspicuous by their absence. 

It was, of course, choreographed. More than seven weeks after first asking for an interview, our request was finally granted on the very day Ch Insp Williamson wanted to publicise a new initiative. 

Project Spotlight 

North Yorkshire Police says Project Spotlight will mean increased patrols and activity in Harrogate town centre to tackle street crime, retail theft, begging, rough sleeping, substance abuse and anti-social behaviour.

Yet despite repeated requests, North Yorkshire Police would not tell us how many officers have been patrolling the town centre up to now, or how often, citing “operational reasons”. So it’s impossible for us to accurately report just how much of an increase Project Spotlight represents. Nor is it clear how long Project Spotlight is set to last. 

But in a statement, a spokesperson said:

“Harrogate Inner Neighbourhood Policing Team, which is leading the project, has 20 officers and police community support officers (PCSOs) who will deploy on Project Spotlight patrols. Other officers from other teams will also support the project and can add to patrol numbers when available.”

The initiative officially launched last Wednesday, but it’s a project that Ch Insp Williamson has been considering since he took up his post as officer responsible for North Yorkshire Police’s neighbourhood teams in December. He said: 

“I’m conscious that some concerns have been raised to us, and that’s why we’re responding with Project Spotlight. It’s a multi-agency operation which involves partners. Some of the issues that we see in Harrogate and in towns across the country at the moment are complex, multi-dimensional problems and often they involve very vulnerable people, so it’s not a policing-alone sort of solution to resolve.”

Photo of two North Yorkshire Police officers heading towards Victoria Shopping Centre while on patrol in Harrogate town centre.

Project Spotlight will see increased patrols in Harrogate town centre to deter crime and restore public confidence.

‘Lawless’ 

Whatever the reason for the timing of Project Spotlight, it is sure to be welcomed by traders in Harrogate town centre, but only if they experience noticeable, sustained improvement.  

Our survey covered almost all the businesses on Oxford Street, Cambridge Street, Cambridge Road, Market Place and the Victoria Shopping Centre, as well as parts of Beulah Street and James Street. When we spoke to traders, the message came across loud and clear that many of them were sick of the problems that are prevalent in parts of central Harrogate and wanted to see change. 

Almost every business polled (96%) said that anti-social behaviour is a problem, and more than two thirds said street-drinking (74%), rough sleeping (70%), begging (68%) and drug misuse (66%) were also problems. One in five (20%) experienced threats to staff at least once a week.

Graphic showing that 74% of Harrogate town centre businesses have lost revenue due to the problems they face trading.

Nearly three in every four businesses (74%) said they had lost trade as a result of some or all of these behaviours. 

Some traders used words such as “crisis” and described the town centre as “lawless”. 

Ch Insp Williamson is unsurprised. He said: 

“No-one should feel unsafe or intimidated within their workplace or within their daily life. These issues you’ve identified all seem to form part of the same picture. Whether that’s the fear of an incident happening because they’re witnessing street drinking or anti-social behaviour, or whether that’s experiencing threats or coercion of any kind, they’re all fundamental to community confidence. They’re part of a picture that I think we need to tackle, and it’s fundamental to our success in policing to restore that confidence.” 

Grey area 

Official figures reveal that North Yorkshire Police could have been tackling the problem with more vigour, and in fact were doing so until 2020. In that year, the force used the Vagrancy Act 13 times to arrest people for offences such as persistent begging and street drinking, but hasn’t used it once since then. When asked why not, Ch Insp Williamson told us: 

“My understanding is that the Act has been repealed.” 

But this turns out to be a grey area. The Act was indeed repealed in 2022 by the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act, but remains in force until it is replaced. Alternative legislation in the form of the Criminal Justice Bill is making its way slowly through parliament, but in the meantime, the Vagrancy Act can still be used, and is being by police forces across the country. Last year, The Guardian revealed that officers from 29 police forces across England and Wales arrested 1,173 people between 2021 and 2023 – showing that it was an option open to North Yorkshire Police. 

‘Organised bands of beggars’ 

Its continued use would likely be welcomed by Harrogate’s town-centre traders. In our Trading Hell survey, 50% said they would like to see the police given more powers to move people on. 

Another concern raised by several store managers was the persistent rumour that some of the problems they face are caused by people from neighbouring cities. We heard stories of “gangs of shoplifters” and “organised bands of beggars” commuting from Leeds, Bradford and elsewhere to take advantage of the “rich pickings” to be found in Harrogate. 

But Ch Insp Williamson said the rumours were largely unfounded. He told us: 

“I can’t advise exactly how common or frequent it is. It is an issue that occurs nationally, with people travelling to various locations, sometimes seasonally. People do move around.

“I don’t think we have a specific, identified problem of people targeting the Harrogate area – there’s no evidence to support that – but there are anecdotes to suggest that people have come on occasion.”

This contradicts what several other sources have told us. For example, Matthew Chapman, manager of Harrogate BID (business improvement district), said:

“We know of national people-trafficking gangs that come in and target places like Harrogate.” 

Ch Insp Williamson denies this. He said: 

“There isn’t a strong evidence case for that. Certainly, most of the team know their community very well, they know some of the persistent callers have identified various groups and they’re all well known to us. 

“That’s not to say that on occasion we haven’t had people coming from other areas – it does happen – but I wouldn’t suggest that that’s a significant issue for us in Harrogate.” 

Response to thefts 

One issue that is significant for North Yorkshire Police is the public’s perception of the job they’re doing. When the Stray Ferret spoke to shopkeepers and store managers in central Harrogate, several told us that the police “didn’t do anything” when thefts were reported. One said “they don’t bother if it’s worth less than 200 quid”. Some have even stopped reporting thefts.

Is Ch Insp Williamson worried? He said: 

“It worries me that that view is held, and I am concerned that they have that opinion, because that’s not the case. All thefts should be reported to us and should be investigated.

“The way that we investigate them has changed over the years as technology has advanced. Now, our Initial Inquiry team take initial calls for shop theft and will routinely send out an information pack to be completed by traders.

“So, the methods have changed slightly, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t take shop theft extremely seriously, and the impact that can have on traders and their livelihoods.”

Graphic showing that town-centre businesses blame the police more than any other organisation for the problems they face.

‘The solution isn’t to arrest our way out of it’ 

Equally concerning for the police is the response to another question in our survey. Asked “Which organisations, if any, do you think are failing to meet their responsibilities in tackling these issues?”, 40% of traders explicitly named the police – far more than named any other organisation. 

Ch Insp Williamson responded: 

“We have a significant part to play in resolving any issues within the community, particularly around community confidence and reassurance, and I take those complaints very seriously.

“The issues are very complex, and they often are involving vulnerable people who are in need of social care and health care and other support, so by no means is it a singular police problem.

“The solution to this problem isn’t to arrest our way out of it. However, I acknowledge that concern and I do take it seriously.”

Tomorrow, we hear from Matthew Chapman, manager of Harrogate BID, about one possible solution to the problems faced by town-centre businesses.

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Three arrested following police chase between Harrogate and Ripon

Three people have been arrested following a police chase involving dogs and a helicopter through several villages near Harrogate this afternoon.

North Yorkshire Police said in a statement officers attempted to stop a VW Golf on the A61 at Ripley at about 1.45pm.

The statement added the vehicle raced off and was pursued through Bedlam, Bishop Thornton and Shaw Mills before coming to a stop on a country lane in Markington.

Police and dogs searching for the suspects

It added:

“The occupants ran from the vehicle and a significant amount of resource was sent to the area.

“A police dog was involved in the search and a police helicopter was scrambled to assist with checking on a vast open area.

“A 17-year-old boy, an 18-year-old man and a 20-year-old man were arrested in connection with the incident.”

In an updated statement, the force said searches carried out by police drug dogs found a quantity of “what is suspected to be a class-A drug” was forensically recovered from the side of the road.

Police added the teenager and two men were arrested on suspicion of theft of a motor vehicle, dangerous driving, failing to stop for the police and intent to supply a class-A drug.

All three were interviewed and released on conditional bail.

The Stray Ferret received reports of a large police presence on the verge of the A61 at South Stainley, which runs between Harrogate and Ripon, just after 2.40pm today.

A witness, who was a passenger on a passing bus, said the police appeared to be carrying out a “manhunt”.

Another witness on the same bus added:

“I saw police officers searching along a hedge line and in a field. There were two cars parked and a lady was talking to the police. I’m guessing the other car belonged to whoever they were looking for.

“There were two police vans and four police cars. One of them drove of at speed towards Nidd, behind South Stainley.”

The VW Golf 

A member of Markington Village Facebook group also said a car went “racing through” the village followed by “six police cars after it”.

Someone commented on the post to add the police had been “looking for someone on foot who has gone through the fields”.

The Stray Ferret was also alerted to a large police presence in Killinghall.

Reports say the A61 Ripon Road between Killinghall and Ripley is also closed.

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Police CCTV appeal after Harrogate Waitrose theft

North Yorkshire Police has issued CCTV images of two people they wish to speak to following a Harrogate shop theft.

The theft took place at Waitrose on Station Parade at approximately 1.15pm on Sunday, February 4.

Officers said spirits and champagne to the value of £887 were taken from the store.

A spokesperson said:

“Please contact us if you recognise the people pictured on CCTV, as we believe they may have information that will assist our investigation.”

Anyone with information is advised to speak to Fiona.Wilding@northyorkshire.police.uk or call 101 quoting reference 12240022503.

Contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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Trading Hell: Shocking rise in shoplifting in Harrogate town centre

Yesterday, we heard traders concerns that anti-social behaviour and shoplifting are getting worse, but do the official statistics back these experiences?

Our Trading Hell survey showed that traders feel that incidents of shoplifting, drug misuse and general anti-social behaviour are far too common.

Traders also expressed a deep sense of frustration that not enough is being done to make our shopping streets the safe and pleasant places they used to be.

The Stray Ferret has examined official statistics for the “hotspot” areas identified in our survey.

Shocking rise in shoplifting

Among the areas of most concern for traders has been shoplifting, which 78% say is an issue.

The Stray Ferret has found that statistics show a shocking rise in the number of reported incidents to police.

Our research of the force’s own data found that in 2022, 139 reports of shoplifting in the town centre were made.

In the same period last year, this increased by 66% to 232.

Concern over the problem have been heightened following incidents of thefts worth hundreds of pounds on Beulah Street and Commercial Street last year.

Another incident in November 2023 saw a “prolific shoplifter” threaten staff in Asda on Bower Road after staff tried to stop her stealing two bottles of alcohol.

One business owner told us:

“I’ve seen a group of five people coming out of the shop next door with armfuls of hangers, just walking off. Not even running. The security guard couldn’t do anything. They just told him to f*** off.”

Anti-social behaviour

Much of traders concerns centre around anti-social behaviour, a term which often can capture various different issues.

The police define anti-social behaviour as “someone acting in a manner that causes or is likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress to one or more people not living in the same household”.

According to the force’s own data, in the 12 months to January 2024, a total of 285 reports were made to police in those hotspot areas.

This compares with 261 incidents in the same period in 2022.

While this is a slight increase, almost every business of the 50 which were surveyed (96%) told us that anti-social behaviour is a problem – only two said it isn’t.

Organisations such as Harrogate BID feel not enough businesses are reporting what is really happening.

One reason is a lack of confidence among traders that the police will act.

One business owner told us:

“Ring for thefts – not interested. Ring for feeling unsafe out the back of our courtyard due to large group of kids smoking weed and intimidating staff, and drunks – nothing done after ringing several times for numerous incidents.”

It means that the true picture of just how much of an issue anti-social behaviour is in the town is unlikely to be reflected in the figures.

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Although shoplifting and anti-social behaviour are among the most concerning issues, there are other offences which crop up in the statistics such as violence and sexual offences.

Last year, a total of 99 reports of violent and sexual offences were reported to police in the “hotspot” areas identified in our survey. This compares to 98 in the previous year.

The most high profile of those incidents was a report of a serious sexual assault in the town centre which saw police cordon off areas of James Street, Petergate and Market Place on October 5, 2023.

Rough sleeping, street drinking and drugs

Among the other areas of concern raised in our survey was rough sleeping (70%), street drinking (74%) and drug taking (66%).

Traders feel that these three issues are part of a wider problems currently affecting the town.

According to police data, reports of drugs, which includes possession, consumption and supply, has fallen slightly from 44 in 2022 to 40 last year.

The force themselves said Harrogate has a “low level” of drug offences for a town of its size.

Paul Rawlinson, who owns Baltzersen’s and Bakeri Baltzersens on Oxford Street, told us that the issue of rough sleeping is most pronounced in the summer when it is a “more comfortable option”.

A rough sleeper outside Primark in Harrogate town centre.

A rough sleeper outside Primark in Harrogate town centre.

According to a freedom of information request from North Yorkshire Council, last year three females and 27 males were counted as sleeping rough in the Harrogate town centre area.

The council said all except eight of those were provided with alternative accommodation. 

It added that the rough sleeping count for each year “could represent the same people where accommodation has been secured and then lost”.

There have been flashpoints over the last couple of years where businesses and residents have complained of people sleeping rough causing issues in their area.

In November 2022, concern was raised over rough sleeping, street begging and drinking at the back of Primark on Oxford Street.

At the time, Harrogate Borough Council said three “entrenched, long-term” rough sleepers had been sleeping overnight in the area.

The authority sought to assure residents and businesses that those gathering in the area had been offered accommodation, but was turned down. Those gathered there later accepted support.

Similarly, in November 2023, North Yorkshire Council erected fencing at a pavilion at Harrogate’s Crescent Gardens after rough sleepers occupied the area and returned twice after being dispersed.

The Stray Ferret followed the saga closely after nearby residents, who complained of anti-social behaviour during the group’s encampment. Many sympathised with the rough sleepers but wanted to know what long-term measures would be put in place on the site.

Why the stats matter? 

Whether the statistics reflect the true picture is a significant issue because police crime figures determine how much resource is given to tackling a problem. The figures mean Harrogate is still designated as a low crime area by the police, despite the trader’s experiences.

On Thursday, we will be asking the force whether they could do more to tackle Harrogate’s problems and give confidence to the traders to report crimes.

But there are other agencies who work with the police to support people who traders feel to a greater or lesser extent are involved in some of the town’s issues. Those who help support the homeless and have responsibilities for youth justice.

Tomorrow, we look at the agencies outside of police enforcement who are involved in supporting people considered to be part of Harrogate’s issues.

Trading Hell: A Stray Ferret investigation reveals how Harrogate shop workers routinely face threats, shoplifting and anti-social behaviour

Shocking levels of anti-social behaviour, drug-dealing, shoplifting and even threats to staff are all routine occurrences faced by many shop workers in Harrogate town centre, a Stray Ferret investigation has revealed. 

Even though Harrogate is widely viewed as one of the finest shopping towns in the North, our investigation pieced together a picture of “scary” back alleys where shop workers fear to go, and high streets that shoppers have started to avoid. 

We surveyed 50 businesses in the town centre and spoke to many retailers at length. We found a deep sense of frustration among traders, most of whom feel not nearly enough is being done to make our shopping streets the safe and pleasant places they should be. 

What’s more, while some traders had shocking stories to tell, only a handful were willing to be quoted by name. Most preferred to remain anonymous for fear of becoming a target. 

In a series of articles running through this week, we’ll be examining the problems that make life difficult for town-centre businesses, finding out what’s being done to tackle them, looking at whether it’s working, and asking if there may be a better approach.

Our Trading Hell survey covered almost all the businesses on Oxford Street, Cambridge Street, Cambridge Road, Market Place and the Victoria Shopping Centre, as well as parts of Beulah Street and James Street. 

The vast majority of businesses polled (96%) said that anti-social behaviour is a problem – only two said it isn’t – and 52% said it’s a major problem. 

Graphic showing responses to the question 'How much of a problem for your business is anti-social behaviour?'. 'It's a major problem' - 52% 'It's a problem, but not major' - 26% 'It's a minor problem' - 18% 'It's not a problem' - 4%

Other behaviours considered to be a problem included shoplifting (78%), street-drinking (74%), threats to staff (70%), rough sleeping (70%), begging (68%) and drug misuse (66%). 

Shockingly, 20% of town-centre businesses face threats to staff at least once a week. 

One trader told the Stray Ferret: 

“I’ve been working here for 18 months and it’s been a shocker. This place has become lawless in the town centre.”

 Graphic showing that 20% of Harrogate town centre businesses see threats to staff as a major problem.

Hotspot 

Our survey showed that nowhere is immune to the problems, but there are hotspots, and the “hottest” spot is centred on the intersection of Oxford Street and Cambridge Road – the area between McDonalds, Wesley Chapel and the Halifax bank. 

One shop owner said: 

“There are often groups drinking around the doorway, which discourages customers, and hanging around under shelter, shouting and swearing in the street. It makes for an unpleasant environment.” 

Nearby, Ian Hall, store manager of Games Crusade on Oxford Street, recounted a disturbing incident when he had to physically keep two men apart. He said: 

“Two gentlemen came chasing through the street and the first one bolted through our door and ran to the back of the shop. He looked really scared. The second one was shouting and swearing at him, calling him all sorts of names, and wanted to knock seven bells out of him.

“I stood in the doorway and told him he couldn’t come in and eventually he calmed down and left. If he had come in, I think they’d probably have started fighting in the shop, knocking things over and destroying stock. Anything could have happened.”

But the problems are by no means confined to adults. One trader told us he had to be particularly vigilant against theft in the late afternoon, when school pupils “flooded” into the town centre.

Two years ago, two Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) were seriously injured in an attack by three schoolgirls in McDonalds. One of the officers suffered a suspected broken nose and the other later left the service, partly as a result of the incident. One of the girls narrowly avoided a custodial sentence.

Graphic showing that 74% of Harrogate town centre businesses see street drinking as a problem.

Alcohol wasn’t a factor in that case, but it does appears to be a common feature of much of the town centre’s anti-social behaviour and is believed to have played a part in an incident on Oxford Street last May, when a man admitted to pulling the wing off a pigeon. 

A common view among traders is that the problems are showing no signs of getting any better. On the contrary, one said: 

“It’s got much worse in the last two to three years. You can smell weed on the street, there’s drug-dealing in front of our door, and I’ve even had to call an ambulance for somebody.” 

Lost business 

While these problems are not pleasant for shoppers and passers-by, for businesses they translate into lost trade and, for some smaller traders, damage to livelihoods.  

One Oxford Street retailer said: 

“My shop windows were smashed more than once, and it cost me a lot of money to replace them.” 

Graphic showing that 74% of Harrogate town centre businesses have lost revenue due to the problems they face trading.

Others complained of casual shoplifting. Games Crusade’s Ian Hall said: 

“We get drunk people coming into the shop and trying to walk out with stock. It’s not underhand – it’s in full view. I just take it off them and that tends to be the end of it. But you have to have your wits about you all the time.” 

Across the town centre, nearly three in every four businesses (74%) said they had lost trade as a result of some or all of these behaviours. Among Oxford Street retailers, the figure was 100%, and many are convinced that footfall is down as a result.

The manager of one shop said: 

“Anti-social behaviour and street-drinking discourage the general public from visiting this part of town.” 

Paul Rawlinson, who has two businesses on Oxford Street, Baltzersen’s and Bakeri Baltzersen, said: 

“Oxford Steet has become a much less desirable place to walk down as a result of these behaviours. It’s more pronounced during the summer, when rough sleeping is a more comfortable option than it is in winter.” 

Back streets 

Although the main streets of the town centre are where activities such as street drinking and anti-social behaviour are most visible, the back alleys are where other things happen for the most part unseen. 

Last year, a woman was seriously sexually assaulted in an alley to the rear of Clarks shoe shop in Market Place. That alley was finally closed off by a new gate after three years of lobbying, but other backstreets are still used for illegal activities. 

One shop worker on Cambridge Street told us: 

“Staff feel unsafe going out the back of the store because of large groups of kids smoking weed and shouting abuse to intimidate us. It’s quite scary. Also, drunks use our property and we find needles and glass bottles lying around.”

During our investigation, we discovered down one back alley abandoned prescription drugs, discarded clothing, clusters of clothes hangers – presumably dumped by shoplifters – and even a notebook containing obscene sexual content.

What’s being done…

One body that has tried to do something about the town centre’s problems is Harrogate BID (business improvement district). It would like to see a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) put in place banning certain behaviours, such as persistent begging and street drinking, from the town centre. But according to the national guidelines, these can only be applied if crime levels are above a certain benchmark, which Harrogate doesn’t reach.

BID manager Matthew Chapman said: 

“The statistics showed that the number of crimes is very low in the town centre. 

“While on the face of it this seems like good news, the stats just didn’t match up with what we were hearing from BID members.

“Shop owners and staff were telling us they were regularly seeing relatively minor crime, but the police figures just didn’t reflect this.” 

So two years ago, the BID launched a campaign to encourage town-centre businesses to report crime. For three months it promoted its Report a Crime initiative, telling traders to report every crime, no matter how minor. But bizarrely, crime figures over that period went down, so the PSPO is still a goal rather than a reality – and the BID is still lobbying for it. We’ll be speaking to Matthew Chapman about the PSPO and the BID’s efforts to tackle these issues in Friday’s feature.

…and what’s not 

Several traders told the Stray Ferret that they had stopped reporting low-value thefts because they did not believe the police would do anything about them. Worse still, we uncovered a widespread belief that the problems plaguing the town centre are simply not being adequately addressed. When asked how well the issues are being tackled by the authorities, 38% said ‘badly’ and 32% – almost one in three – thought the problems weren’t being tackled at all.

Graphic showing that town-centre businesses blame the police more than any other organisation for the problems they face.

Two in every five traders (40%) blamed the police for failing to tackle the issues, many of them complaining that the police response to reports of theft is slow and ineffective. A report released last week by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services following its inspection of North Yorkshire Police only rated the force “adequate” at investigating crime and responding to the public, although this assessment was better than last year, when it received the notice “requires improvement” in both areas.

One town-centre jeweller said his shop had been burgled last summer when thieves stole £60,000 worth of stock, but claimed the police response was inept and late. He said:

“It took the police 12 hours to respond to my initial 999 call, and when they did, they said they’d pass my details on to the appropriate officer ‘a week on Friday’ because he was on a course.

“Very soon after the theft, someone told me they knew who had committed the crime and even where my stock was being held. I believed them because the details they gave were bang on. I told the police, but it took them eight months to arrest anybody, and by that time the evidence had all disappeared.

“They lost emails with my details in them and didn’t even have my telephone number. As far as I know, nobody’s yet been charged.”

The Stray Ferret has spoken to Chief Inspector Simon Williamson of North Yorkshire Police about the force’s response to reports of crime, and you can read the interview here on Thursday.

In the meantime, traders are becoming increasingly frustrated with the lack of progress in improving conditions in the centre of “one of the finest shopping towns in the North”. One shopkeeper said: 

“I see it all here. Every week there’s something going on. I speak to other business owners and there’s a general feeling on the street that there’s no-one in power who’s doing anything about it – and it just gets worse.”

Tomorrow – what exactly do the official stats show? We report on a huge rise in shop-lifting and examine the extent of drug taking and wider anti-social behaviour cases reported to police in Harrogate town centre.  

Have you got a story to tell about any of the issues covered in this article? Let us know by emailing us at letters@thestrayferret.co.uk.

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Four arrested after police chase in Harrogate

Suspected motorbike thieves were arrested after a police chase in the Cold Bath Road area of Harrogate last night.

North Yorkshire Police said in a statement today (March 14) it received a call that four people were interfering with a motorbike parked on Montpellier Parade at around 6pm.

The statement added:

“We immediately deployed police units to the area, and with the assistance of CCTV tracking the suspects, officers detained two people as they were pushing the motorbike away.

“Two other suspects were seen walking up Cold Bath Road, and when officers arrived they ran off. However, officers caught up with them, and they were detained after a short foot chase.”

The males aged 16, 17, 20 and 28 were arrested on suspicion of stealing a vehicle. Two were also arrested on suspicion of causing criminal damage, and going equipped for theft.

The statement said:

“We were able to identify the owner of the motorbike, and visited him to update him – he was on the phone reporting the theft when we spoke to him.”

Police added “enquiries are ongoing into the theft”.

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Cold callers arrested after Harrogate woman in 80s hands over bank card

Three men have been arrested after a Harrogate woman in her 80s handed over her credit card in a door-to-door cold call.

North Yorkshire Police said in a statement today one of the three men, who are from Middlesbrough, entered the woman’s home on the pretence of selling household items after being released from prison on March 6.

The statement adding:

“He pressurised the victim into handing over her bank card and pin number and withdrew the maximum amount he could.

“He fled from the property when he saw a friend of the victim arrive on the drive.”

Police investigations identified a vehicle connected to the incident.

The car was intercepted when it re-entered Harrogate a few days later and officers arrested the three men inside.

The statement added:

“The suspects were taken into custody for questioning. The driver, 51, was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to burgle and drug driving after testing positive for cocaine at the roadside.

“The passengers, one aged 37, was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to burgle and a 31-year-old was arrested on suspicion of burglary with intent to steal.”

The statement said the men have been released on conditional bail pending further enquiries.

‘Check before you open the door’

Police warned people to be on their guard against door-to-door sellers, who they said can be “pushy” and “threatening” and may charge inflated prices.

It urged people to:

Police added:

“If anyone who cold calls tries to enter your home without your permission, is threatening or refuses to leave your property, call 999.

“Older people are targeted due to their trusting nature, so if you have older parents, relatives or friends, please share this message with them and check they know how to stay safe if cold callers knock on their door.”

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Police and council launch project to tackle crime in Harrogate

A new drive to target anti-social behaviour, street crime and shoplifting in Harrogate has been launched by North Yorkshire Police and North Yorkshire Council. 

Project Spotlight was announced yesterday, just days before the Stray Ferret publishes Trading Hell, a week-long series of features investigating these very issues. 

Over the course of our investigation we spoke to a chief inspector from North Yorkshire Police, as well as North Yorkshire Council, Harrogate BID, Harrogate Homeless Project and dozens of town centre traders. You can read the first of our special reports on Monday. 

Project Spotlight sees teams working with residents, shoppers, town-centre workers and businesses to: 

Project Spotlight builds on work between North Yorkshire Police, North Yorkshire Council and other organisations to address street crime, retail theft, begging, rough sleeping, substance abuse and anti-social behaviour. 

Photo of a police officer and someone from Harrogate District Community Safety Partnership talking to a store manager from Primark in Harrogate.

Project Spotlight will work with retailers to tackle shoplifting and other town-centre problems.

In a sample of 140 patrols of the town centre since October 2023, North Yorkshire Police made 10 arrests and moved people on or gave words of advice 54 times. The force also issued one dispersal order, which effectively bans someone from an area for a certain amount of time. 

Harrogate neighbourhood policing inspector Nicola Colbourne said:  

“Project Spotlight sees us stepping up that positive work we’ve already done with partner organisations, the public and town-centre businesses. 

“We’re using a good old-fashioned mix of community engagement, information-gathering, targeted policing and robust law enforcement during this project, which we’re delivering alongside policing Harrogate’s wider residential areas. 

“Harrogate is already an incredibly safe town, in what is officially England’s safest county. With the help of the public, businesses and key organisations, we’re working hard to make it even safer.” 


North Yorkshire Council’s assistant chief executive for local engagement, Rachel Joyce, said:

“Alongside North Yorkshire Police and others, we have been working hard to maintain Harrogate town centre’s reputation as a safe and welcoming place in which to visit and work.
“Operation Spotlight presents an opportunity for all concerned to come together and build on this work. To do this we need the co-operation of the public and the business community and I would encourage everyone to support us in this aim.”

Project Spotlight comes in response to problems highlighted by the Stray Ferret’s Trading Hell survey, which revealed very high levels of dissatisfaction among town-centre traders at North Yorkshire Police’s response to anti-social behaviour and retail theft.

The results of the survey, some of which have been shared with North Yorkshire Police, will be revealed in our first Trading Hell report, published on Monday.

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