Two 15-year-old boys have been seriously injured in a collision outside Ashville College in Harrogate this morning..
The Stray Ferret understands a vehicle mounted the pavement and hit a wall along Yew Tree Lane around 8.45am.
An air ambulance attended the scene and the boys from Rossett School were taken to hospital.
Yew Tree Lane remains closed and North Yorkshire Police officers are still at the scene.
Here are today’s developments.
11.53am
Rossett School has issued a statement. It says:
“Earlier this morning there was a road traffic accident near to the school involving two of our students.
“We are working with the emergency services and supporting the families of those involved. We would like to thank the staff of Ashville College for their quick response and the care that they provided at the scene.
“Rossett School staff will be providing support to our students during the course of the school day if needed.”
11.22am
Staff from Ashville College gave first aid to the injured teenagers until emergency services arrived on the scene, it has emerged.
In a statement issued just now, Ashville headteacher Rhiannon Wilkinson said:
“Two pupils from a nearby school have sadly been injured in an incident outside the college.
“Staff from the college administered first aid to the casualties and dealt with the scene until the emergency services arrived, which included an air ambulance.
“We have written to our parents informing them of the incident, which happened on Yew Tree Lane as the children were making their way to school at around 8.45am. Our thoughts are with the pupils involved and their families.”
10.56am
Police have put a cordon in place as Yew Tree Lane remains closed after the serious collision this morning.
North Yorkshire Police said:
“Road and path closures are in place, so please plan your travel accordingly.”
10.52am
Police confirm both injured boys were pedestrians and were hurt when the vehicle collided with a wall on Yew Tree Lane.
Both boys have been taken to hospital and their parents have been informed.
A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police added:
“This will have been a distressing incident to witness, and we urge anyone affected to seek help if needed. If you can help with our investigation, please contact us on 101, reference NYP-02022023-0100.”
10.47am
Two 15-year-old boys have been left with serious injuries after this morning’s incident.
North Yorkshire Police has confirmed officers were called to the scene at 8.46am by a member of the public.
https://twitter.com/NYorksPolice/status/1621097533467418626
10.32am
A cordon has been set up around the scene along Yew Tree Lane, as the road remains closed after this morning’s incident.
North Yorkshire Police are still there and the pick-up truck involved remains embedded in the wall.
All ambulances which had previously been in attendance have now left.
10.21am
Nearby residents have told the Stray Ferret they have heard a lot of sirens all morning as the incident unfolded.
One resident of Yew Tree Lane said:
“I saw a lot of flashing lights and heard the air ambulance. I wondered what had happened.”
10.19am
Rossett School has told the Stray Ferret it is dealing with the incident and will provide an update when information is available.
It is not yet known which school the injured students attend.
10.10am
The air ambulance has now left Ashville’s field. It is not known whether it had any casualties on board.
9.40am
Multiple police cars and ambulances are on the scene and a fire engine is also understood to have attended.
A number of people are understood to have been injured, including three school children, in the incident which happened before 9am today.
A message has been sent to parents from Ashville headteacher Rhiannon Wilkinson, saying:
“We are writing to inform you that there has been an incident on Yew Tree Lane, which has now been closed.
“Three non-Ashville children were involved in an accident, which involved a car mounting the pavement. Emergency services are on site, including an air ambulance, and the area has been contained.”
Police seek hit and run driver after scooter rider hurt in Harrogate
Police are appealing for information after a crash in Harrogate in which a vehicle failed to stop.
North Yorkshire Police said this morning a black Lambretta scooter and a red 4×4 style vehicle were involved in a crash between 9.45am and 10am on on Saturday.
It occurred on Skipton Road near the Empress roundabout.
A police statement said:
“The red vehicle failed to stop at the scene and continued towards the Empress roundabout.
“The rider of the scooter suffered injuries and was taken to hospital for treatment.”
It urged witnesses or anyone with dashcam footage or information to come forward.
You can contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2, and ask for PC1282 BURGESS. You can also email 001282@northyorkshire.police.uk.
Quote the North Yorkshire Police reference number 12230016678.
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Fewer than half of 999 calls in North Yorkshire being answered on time
Just 44% of 999 calls in North Yorkshire are being answered on time, according to figures in a new report.
The report by the North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner‘s office said the national target is for 90% of 999 calls to be answered in under 10 seconds.
But between November 2021 and November 2022, only 44% were answered within this time in the county.
The document also revealed that between February and December 2022, the average non-emergency 101 call answer time ranged from 4 minutes and 3 seconds to 10 minutes and 17 seconds. Unlike for 999 calls, nationally there is no imposed target for answering 101 calls.
Police, fire and crime commissioner Zoe Metcalfe has described the figures as “unacceptable”.
Her office has awarded the force control room a £1.8 million a year to improve the times.
The report, which will be debated by North Yorkshire County Council‘s police, fire and crime panel on February 6, said:
“This investment will enable the Chief Constable to fund 36 additional communications officers, 12 additional dispatchers, six established trainers and two additional police inspectors.”
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The document highlights how call volume has increased, saying:
“Nationally there has been a 16% increase in 999 calls to the police, and 2022 saw the highest number of emergency calls to North Yorkshire Police ever in one month (over 10,000 in July and August).”
The report also said the commissioner “wants the force to explore how they could deliver a long-term programme of public education and awareness about when to contact the police, and the most appropriate method for doing so”.
North Yorkshire Police usually receives over 10,000 emergency 999 calls a month.
Appeal to trace suspect after assault in Harrogate
Police are appealing for CCTV footage around the Granby Road area after a man was assaulted in Harrogate.
The victim was approached by an unknown man on Granby Road and assaulted, leaving him with minor injuries to his hand, wrist and ankle.
It happened on Monday, January 23, around 2.20pm.
Police describe the man they want to speak to as white, aged in his late 20s to early 30s, and around 6ft tall with dark, mid-length hair. He was wearing a red coat and carrying a dark rucksack.
A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police said:
“We’re now requesting the public’s assistance to help establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident.
“In particular, our officers are keen to hear from any local residents that may have CCTV or doorbell cameras which may have caught the incident.”
Anyone with information that could help the investigation should email beth.long@northyorkshire.police.uk, or call 101, select option two, and ask for Beth Long.
To report information anonymously, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, quoting reference number 12230013525.
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Teen arrested on cocaine charge after car overturns in Ripon
A man has been arrested on suspicion of supplying Class A drugs after officers came across a crashed car in Ripon.
Shortly after 3pm yesterday, North Yorkshire Police officers on patrol near Lark Lane in Ripon located a red VW Golf car that had been involved in a collision and was on its roof.
A police statement today said:
“One of the occupants made off from the scene. Following a search of the area, officers located a large quantity of suspected cannabis and cocaine.
“The other occupant, a 19-year-old local man, was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply a Class A drug. He has since been released on bail while enquiries continue.”
Anyone with any information about the incident is asked to contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, quoting reference number 12230015627.
Police closed the road while the incident took place.
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North Yorkshire has lowest IOPC complaints rate of all police forces
North Yorkshire Police has the lowest number of complaints against its staff and officers of any police force across the country.
The latest figures, for 2021-22, reveal 282 complaints were made to the Independent Office for Police Complaints (IOPC) about the force.
The second lowest figure for complaints was 372, made against Suffolk Police.
North Yorkshire also had the lowest number of complaints when taking into account the size of each force, with 90 complaints per 1,000 staff. Norfolk and Suffolk were next, with rates of 145 and 146 respectively.
The Metropolitan Police had the most complaints of all forces, with 7,216 during that year. However, it also has the highest number of staff, at almost 47,000, giving it a rate per 1,000 employees of 155.
The force with the highest rate of complaints per 1,000 employees was Cleveland, at 697.
Last week, the force revealed it had received 740 complaints about its officers and staff in 2021-22. Today’s statistics relate to complaints raised to the IOPC.
The numbers have been revealed as complaints against police are in the spotlight, following the case of Met Police officer David Carrick who admitted a series of sexual offences against women over a period of two decades in the force.
A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police said:
“The force has recently led a national pilot scheme that checks all vetted staff against the Police National Database (PND) every month.
“This process was implemented to ensure that any police contact outside of North Yorkshire is brought to the attention of our vetting unit and professional standards department. This covers both police officers and police staff.
“A recent report by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary Fire and Rescue Service following an inspection of vetting, misconduct, and misogyny in the police service, highlighted the good work by North Yorkshire Police and recommended that all forces make routine use of the PND as a tool for revealing any unreported adverse information about police officers and staff. It was announced last week that all forces in England and Wales will be adopting this approach.
“The vast majority of our officers and staff are honest, hardworking and act with integrity. But we are not complacent and know that there will be a number within our force who are not. When misconduct is found, we will take action. We encourage anyone who has any concerns about an officer or staff member they have come into contact with, to please report it to us.”
Allegations
In the statistics, published by the IOPC, North Yorkshire Police also had the second lowest rate of allegations made against its employees, at 280, behind British Transport Police’s 208.
The IOPC said the number of allegations could be higher than the number of complaints because each complaint could contain more than one allegation. In North Yorkshire’s case, the total number of allegations against its 3,122 employees was 874, from 282 complaints.
Of those, 370 allegations were about the level of service provided by the police, and 260 were about the use of power, such as to make arrests or to carry out searches.
There were 160 allegations about individual conduct, such as being unprofessional or lacking impartiality.
Thirteen allegations were made about discriminatory behaviour and two complaints were about sexual misconduct.
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However, North Yorkshire Police took the longest of all forces in England and Wales to finalise its complaints. On average, it took 190 days for each complaint, while the next highest were the Metropolitan Police at 157 days and West Midlands Police at 148 days.
The Local Policing Body (LPB) received 61 requests for reviews of the way complaints had been handled and it investigated 39% of these – the fifth highest rate of investigations of decisions by forces around the country.
It found, in 61% of cases, the action taken by the force was “not reasonable and proportionate” after a complaint.
North Yorkshire Police using lie detector tests to target sex offendersNorth Yorkshire Police is using lie detector tests to target suspected and convicted sex offenders across the county.
At a public accountability meeting of the North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner this afternoon, the force’s head of safeguarding, Heather Whorriskey, revealed officers have used a polygraph test 87 times since it first started using the equipment in October 2020.
The tests work by measuring how a person responds to certain questions, such as if their blood pressure rises or if they get sweaty palms, to detect traits associated with lying.
However, the tests are controversial as they are not 100% accurate and the results can’t be used as evidence in the courts.
After a guest on ITV’s Jeremy Kyle Show died after reportedly failing a lie detector test, MPs in 2019 criticised the producers after they admitted they did not know how reliable their lie detector tests were.
Detective Superintendent Whorriskey said NYP uses the tests before a suspect is charged to investigate if they have been in communication with children using a device.
The tests are also used on “lower-level” people on the sexual offenders register to understand the risk they might pose to the public.
However, Det Supt Whorriskey said many people about to take these test reveal things before it starts as they “realise their answers are likely to give away some untruths.”
She said:
“It’s used quite significantly whenever offenders are using communication devices to assess whether or not they have engaged in further communication with children. We’re able to use that to prioritise those devices for examination within our digital forensic unit.”
Det Supt Whorriskey said the use of polygraph tests is increasing and will be used 13 times in the next three weeks alone. She added:
“It identifies unknown risks and offences we would not have known about without having used the equipment. It’s absolutely value for money.”
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‘No suspicious circumstances’ in sudden death in Harrogate, police say
North Yorkshire Police has said there were “no suspicious circumstances” in the sudden death of a 77-year-old woman in Bilton this week.
The woman, who has not been named, died in a flat at Dene Park on Monday afternoon.
A 76-year-old man was arrested and later released under investigation.
Police were present at the scene from Monday afternoon until last night.
Police were at the scene until last night.
In an update this afternoon, police said:
“The investigation into the sudden death of a 77-year-old woman at a flat on Dene Park in Harrogate on Monday afternoon has confirmed there were no suspicious circumstances.
“The 76-year-old man arrested in connection with the investigation has been released without charge with no further action to be taken.
“The scene has been stood down at the address and a report has been sent to the coroner.”
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Man, 76, arrested after ‘unexplained death’ of woman in Harrogate
North Yorkshire Police is investigating the “sudden and unexplained death” of a 77-year-old woman at a flat in Harrogate.
Officers were called to the property on Dene Park in Bilton at 2.49pm on Monday this week. Enquiries at the flat are still ongoing.
A 76-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the sudden death inquiry and released under investigation.
A police statement today added:
“At this stage, the cause of death remains unexplained.
“Anyone with information that could assist the investigation is urged to make a report via the North Yorkshire Police website or by calling 101, option 1, and speak to the Force Control Room.
“If you would prefer to remain anonymous, contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.
Please quote refence number 12230013571 when providing details.”
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Dumper truck stolen in Ripon building site burglary
Burglars using a low loader are believed to be responsible for a building site burglary in Ripon yesterday.
North Yorkshire Police today urged people to report any suspicious activity in the College Road area of the city following the burglary, which happened at about 10.15pm last night.
Thieves took a mini yellow dumper truck from the site and broke into a container to steal tools.
A police statement today said:
“It’s likely the suspects were travelling in a vehicle with a trailer or in a low loader.
“If anyone heard or saw anything that could assist the investigation, please email robert.howe@northyorkshire.police.uk or call 101, option 2, and ask for Robert Howe.
“Information can also be supplied anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.”
The crime reference number is 12230013848.
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