Police have made two arrests after reports of bogus police officers seizing a boy’s electric scooter in Bilton.
North Yorkshire Police issued a statement last night saying it was investigating a “disturbing incident” which happened at 7.20pm on Saturday (March 18).
It involved the suspects mounting the pavement in an unmarked car before seizing the scooter from the teenager.
Police said patrols in the area had “been stepped while the investigation continues”.
In an update this afternoon, the force said it had arrested two suspects in connection with the incident.
It said in a statement:
“We are still urging people to come forward if you can help the current investigation, including relevant dash-cam, doorbell or CCTV footage.
“We’d also would like to speak to anyone who has experienced anything of a similar nature.”
If you would prefer to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Cimestoppers on 0800 555111 or by making an online report.
Quote reference number 12230049556.
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Harrogate Turkish Baths nude ban: police probe ‘ongoing’
North Yorkshire Police has said an investigation into “inappropriate behaviour” at Turkish Baths Harrogate is ongoing.
Harrogate Borough Council banned nude bathing at the Victorian baths last week after it received a complaint.
Until the decision, clothing was optional at two single sex sessions for men and women. It is compulsory at mixed sessions.
But the council, which runs the venue, made swimwear compulsory for all sessions without consulting users following the complaint.
In a statement, it said the complaint was of a “serious nature”, adding:
“We have a duty of care to our customers and staff members, and in order for all single sex sessions to operate in a safe environment, it has been decided that swimwear must be worn until further notice.”
North Yorkshire Police confirmed today it was looking into the matter. A spokesperson said:
“Police received a report of an incident of inappropriate behaviour at the Turkish Baths earlier this month. Enquiries are at an early stage and are ongoing.”
The baths opened in 1897 and with its restored Moorish design is one of Harrogate’s premier attractions.
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Bogus police seize boy’s electric scooter in Bilton
Two bogus police officers mounted a pavement in an unmarked car before seizing a boy’s electric scooter in Bilton yesterday.
North Yorkshire Police said in a statement this evening it was investigating the “disturbing incident”, which happened at 7.20pm last night as the teenager was pushing the scooter.
The statement added”
“It has caused a great deal of distress and anger both to him and his family.
“Despite extensive enquiries including a trawl of CCTV in the area, the suspects have yet to be tracked down.
“Checks are being carried out with neighbouring police forces in case the offenders have travelled into North Yorkshire.”
Both suspects are described as white, medium build, with tattooed arms, and wearing black police-style clothing including combat trousers.
The are believed to have been driving either a black Ford Mondeo or Ford Focus.
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Police said patrols in the area “have been stepped while the investigation continues”.
They appealed to anyone with information, dash-cam, doorbell or CCTV footage to report it urgently on the North Yorkshire Police website or by calling 101, option 1.
If you would prefer to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Cimestoppers on 0800 555111 or by making an online report.
Quote reference number 12230049556.
North Yorkshire Police officers sacked after racist WhatsApp messagesTwo North Yorkshire Police officers have been dismissed after sending racist text messages between each other.
Detective constable Danielle Kirby and police constable James Mills were alleged to have breached the force’s standards of professional behaviour.
Both were dismissed following a gross misconduct hearing at the force’s headquarters in Northallerton.
The pair exchanged WhatsApp messages which were found to be racist between December 2018 and March 2019.
Mabs Hussain, deputy chief constable of North Yorkshire Police, said:
“The racist language and sentiments contained in the series of WhatsApp messages are repulsive.
“It has no place in society, let alone from people who have sworn an oath to uphold the highest standards of fairness, integrity and respect to all people.
“The evidence in this case was damning, and it is only right that the panel upheld the gross misconduct and the officers have been dismissed from North Yorkshire Police.”
Gerry Sydenham, who chaired the panel, said:
“The messages exchanged by former PC Mills and former DC Kirby contained appalling racist comments which were egregious in nature and content.
“The corrosive effect of such racist gross misconduct upon public confidence in policing cannot be understated.
“It is intolerable and devastating to the good work of other police officers who try daily to build the public’s trust and confidence in policing.
“Both officers undermined the public’s trust and the trust of their police force in themselves in a grave and shocking manner, causing very significant and potentially lasting damage to public confidence in policing.”
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Concern over North Yorkshire Police’s ability to keep people safe, say inspectors
Inspectors have raised concern over North Yorkshire Police’s ability to keep people safe and reduce crime.
His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services undertook an inspection of the force in October 2022 for its effectiveness and efficiency.
The report, published today, rated the police as inadequate in good use of its resources.
Meanwhile, the force was rated as requires improvement for responding to the public, investigating crime, protecting vulnerable people and developing a positive workplace.
However, it was assessed as adequate for preventing crime and managing offenders. It was rated as good for treatment of the public.
Concern over police performance
In his report, Roy Wilsher, inspector of constabulary, raised concern over how the force kept people safe and reduced crime.
In particular, he said senior leaders did not have enough oversight of human resources and IT or of the “impact that failures in these areas have had on policing services”.
Mr Wilsher said the force did not have enough trained detectives and pointed out there was “only a limited plan to address this”.
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He added that the force should improve the speed with which it answers and responds to emergency and priority calls.
The speed of responding to 999 calls was criticised.
However, Mr Wilsher said that North Yorkshire Police worked well with other organisations to safeguard vulnerable people.
He said:
“I have concerns about the performance of North Yorkshire Police in keeping people safe and reducing crime. In particular, I have serious concerns about its strategic planning and organisational management.
“Senior leaders in the force need to ensure they have effective oversight of its enabling services, such as IT and HR functions. Failures in these areas impact the service the force provides.
“North Yorkshire Police also needs to improve the speed with which it answers and responds to emergency calls. The force is well below the national standard, with only 41.9 percent of 999 calls being answered within 10 seconds.
“However, we did find that the force works well with partner organisations to safeguard vulnerable people. We found good examples of the force working with other organisations to divert young people away from offending and to reduce the vulnerability of people who may become victims of crime.
“Although I have concerns about corporate processes, I am pleased that the force has accepted our findings and is engaging with us and other partner organisations to ensure improvements are made. I remain in regular contact with the chief constable and will monitor the force’s progress towards addressing the cause of concern and areas of improvement I have established.”
In response, Lisa Winward, chief constable at North Yorkshire Police, said the force had recently approved a £1.8 million investment in its force control room to help tackle call response times.
She said:
“The report highlights a number of areas that the force delivers well but also reports on a significant number of areas that require improvement. A number of these relate to the corporate capacity and capability of the organisation linked to workforce planning, governance, performance management, financial planning, and the overall efficiency and effectiveness of our shared enabling services.
“They told us that while the right actions might be taking place on the ground by our people, they were not able to find sufficient evidence of how this was directed and overseen through our governance structure.
“The inspectors told us that every single person they spoke to was committed, fully engaged in their work and doing a really good job in difficult circumstances. They told us that our people take pride in being part of North Yorkshire Police and that there is a strong sense of belonging in the force.
“Since we received the hot debrief from HMICFRS in October 2022, we have been working at a pace to address the issues that they have raised so we can focus on our core responsibilities to the public.
“The Organisational Improvement Plan that we have put in place focuses on achieving the standards required to deliver a good service to our communities. The force has been through a significant period of change since our last inspection in 2018, and in particular to our corporate services where our inadequate grading has been identified. We are investing heavily to make these changes.”
Commissioner ‘more than disappointed’
Zoe Metcalfe
Meanwhile, Zoe Metcalfe, the Conservative North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, said she expected to see “immediate change” in police response to call times after approving a £1.8 million investment in the force control room.
She added that she was “more than disappointed” with other findings in the inspector’s report.
She said:
North Yorkshire Police urged to start recording ‘high priority’ wildlife crime“I’m more than disappointed with other findings in the report and I’m sure members of the public will be too. It’s unacceptable that North Yorkshire Police requires improvement in multiple areas, in particular its strategic planning, organisational management and value for money – clearly more needs to be done and is being done as I continue to hold the chief constable to account. Our police force needs to do significantly better.
“I’m confident that the chief constable is overseeing significant transformation work within North Yorkshire Police to improve these outcomes, and that since October 2022 has implemented a trusted organisational improvement plan that can be effective at pace.”
North Yorkshire Police has been urged to start recording acts which breach legislation governing the protection of wild animals and plants.
Wildlife crimes, including badger baiting and hare coursing, emerged as among the five leading concerns of North Yorkshire residents following a public consultation over the statutory police and crime plan to 2025.
A meeting of North Yorkshire and York’s police, fire and crime panel heard despite repeated requests by the watchdog for figures to illustrate how wildlife offenders were being tackled, such details had not been made available.
In response to the public identifying wildlife crime as a priority, the panel announced last July that it would be examining progress on tackling such offences in the county, and during several subsequent meetings called for evidence to show police action.
North Yorkshire has repeatedly been identified by national organisations as having among the worst records for bird of prey persecution.
Nature charity RSPB says much of the persecution is linked directly to driven grouse shooting and has called for the industry to be regulated and in 2020 found North Yorkshire had topped the UK raptor persecution table for the seventh year in a row.
The panel meeting at County Hall in Northallerton heard raptor persecution had been linked to rogue shooting estates and gamekeepers.
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Concerns have previously been expressed by the panel that due to the difficulty of investigating and successfully prosecuting wildlife crimes “very few” offenders were being brought to justice.
The panel’s deputy chairman, Cllr Peter Wilkinson said:
“We are still getting bad publicity nationally, where we might not be the worst geographical area, but we’re pretty high up there.”
When asked if she was happy with progress made over tackling wildlife crime and the number of people being taken to court, North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Zoe Metcalfe stopped short of either criticising or praising police action.
She said:
“I would like to see more progress, but I think we have made significant progress going forward, but obviously we would want those prosecutions to increase.”
Ms Metcalfe did not indicate what she had based her assessment of police performance on, but the meeting heard as there were “no specific wildlife crime offences”, police would face an onerous task of analysing crime reports to find “indicators” of offences against wild animals or plants.
The commissioner told the panel she would keep “a watching brief” over wildlife crime.
Cllr Tim Grogan, a former police officer, said while he did not expect the force to use vast amounts of resources trawling back through its records to identify wildlife offences, it should be simple for officers to start recording wildlife crimes from April 1.
He said:
Laughing gas discovery fuels fears for young people in Harrogate district“I don’t think it’s beyond the wit of man to record wildlife crime. If that’s too difficult I’m sad because it’s what my residents asked for.”
A dog walker has expressed concern after discovering 10 canisters of laughing gas dumped by the side of the road.
John Chadwick stumbled across the canisters on the rural Gravelly Hill Lane in Huby.
Nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas, is the second most-used drug among UK 16- to 24-year-olds. It can induce euphoria and relaxation, as well as hallucinations.
The drug can lead to various health problems but is not currently illegal to possess. However, selling it to children is prohibited.
Mr Chadwick said this was the first time he’d seen the canisters and it “highlights what I believe is becoming an increasing health and behavioural issue predominately amongst younger people”.
He added:
“I’ve heard lots about it on phone-ins, I guess maybe I didn’t expect it in a rural environment. In that sense it was a bit of a shock – a bit like seeing a few old fridges dumped. A violation of our village.
“I am concerned that what could be seen as some harmless fun could escalate into something worse.
“Had somebody driven to this place to inhale the gas for fun and then driven off? In that case there is a danger to the perpetrator and others. Or was it just littering?”
The canisters were dumped by the side of a rural lane.
A North Yorkshire Police spokesman said:
“There are significant dangers associated with using nitrous oxide. Inhaling it can lead to unconsciousness and ultimately suffocation as the body is essentially starved of oxygen.
“There is also evidence to show that people with heart conditions can be at risk of higher harm and that inhalation can lead to anaemia or long-term nerve damage.
“We would ask parents to be vigilant for the signs that their children may be purchasing the substance online.
“Anyone who is found guilty of supplying nitrous oxide could face up to six months in prison or an unlimited fine.”
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Children raise awareness of road safety issues affecting Ripon schools
Four pupils of Holy Trinity School in Ripon are working together to raise awareness of road safety issues on nearby roads.
Kofi, Seth, Arabella and Isla were so concerned about the potential risks posed by inconsiderate, careless and law-breaking motorists, using Church Lane and Trinity Lane, that they decided to take action.
The enterprising foursome, who have the support of their parents, teachers, governors and North Yorkshire Police, were appointed as the school’s first-ever road safety officers.
Illegal parking on Trinity Lane increases the risk for both children and parents. Picture: Adam Kitching
Through contact with the police, a meeting with Ripon City Council leader Andrew Williams and use of the Holy Trinity newsletter, they have been sending out messages designed to make life safer for fellow pupils and parents who walk to and from the school each day.
Kofi said:
“Each week in the UK there is an average of one death and 37 people seriously injured while going to school in the mornings or on their way home.”
Seth and Arabella both believe that children and parents on foot are put in danger by people parking illegally or stopping in the middle of the road to drop children off or pick them up.
Isla said:
“We just want people to be aware that they are putting their own children at risk as well as others, by behaving in a selfish way.”
Sue Sanderson, executive head of the Holy Trinity Federation of Schools, which includes the junior school on Church Lane and nursery on Trinity Lane, said:
“In a meeting I had with children they told me that road safety was the issue at the top of their list of concerns and that led to the appointment of our road safety officers, who have shown a great deal of initiative.”
Adam Kitching, who is vice-chair of governors at Holy Trinity and has board responsibility for health and safety, pointed out:
“Currently there is just one patrol at the crossroad between Trinity Lane and Church Lane and he does a tremendous job in looking after children and parents, but beyond that crossing point, we have Holy Trinity and St Wilfrid’s Junior School on Church Lane.
“As it is also a route for students walking to and from Outwood Academy and Ripon Grammar, there are in excess of 600 children, plus parents and grandparents on this stretch of road on each school day and we are concerned about potential accidents.”
Holy Trinity believes that an extra crossing patrol on Trinity Lane, combined with more no parking hatched areas and the introduction of short stay drop-off and pick-up bays, would make the road safer, but in the meantime, the message to all pedestrians is to take care when crossing the road.
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Boy, 15, robbed by men in balaclavas on the Stray in Harrogate
A 15-year-old boy was left shaken after being robbed by two men wearing balaclavas on the Stray in Harrogate.
Two men stole the boy’s beige tote bag containing spare clothes, a black North Face puffer jacket and wireless headphones.
North Yorkshire Police today issued an appeal for witnesses to the incident, which happened on Milton Way between 6.30pm and 8.30pm on Saturday.
It said in a statement:
“The boy did not suffer any injuries but was left very shaken by the incident.
“Witnesses or anyone who recalls suspicious behaviour in the area on Saturday evening are urged to come forward.”
The suspects are described as about 6ft tall, muscular builds, dark clothing including black puffer jackets with furry hoods. Both were wearing balaclavas.
Milton Way on the Stray leads to Leeds Road.
They ran off towards the Tewit Well area of Leeds Road.
Anyone that assist the investigation can email elizabeth.parry@northyorkshire.police.uk or call 101, select option 2, and ask for Elizabeth Parry.
If you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Quote the North Yorkshire Police reference number 12230044608.
Harrogate man convicted of animal cruelty wanted by policePolice have issued an appeal for a Harrogate man who is wanted for breaching a court order for animal cruelty.
Robbie Nelson, 24, of Woodfield View, was given a community order last year after neglecting two dogs at a house on High Street in the town.
The case was brought by the animal welfare charity the RSPCA, which revealed that the animals were living in a flat covered in faeces and with carpets soaked in urine.
Nelson was banned from keeping animals for five years and handed a community order to undertake rehabilitation activity following a court hearing in July 2022.
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North Yorkshire Police has now issued an appeal for information on his whereabouts after the 24-year-old failed to comply with the order.
He was due to attend Harrogate Magistrates’ Court on March 3, 2023, but he failed to appear resulting in a warrant for his arrest.
The conditions in the flat in Harrogate. Picture: RSPCA.
Enquiries are ongoing to find Nelson, including multiple address checks and contact with the Department for Work and Pensions and the Job Centre.
A police statement added:
“If anyone knows where he is or have information that could help us to find him, please make a report via the North Yorkshire Police website or call 101, select option 1, and speak to the Force Control Room.
“If you’d prefer to remain anonymous, please contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.
Please quote reference number 122300039283 when providing details.”