North Yorkshire Police has launched an investigation into a robbery at the Empress roundabout in Harrogate.

Officers are investigation after three men threatened and robbed a victim on Saturday, July 23, at 3.30pm.

Police have appealed for witnesses in the area to come forward with more information.

A North Yorkshire Police statement added:

“Three males have approached the victim, who has been threatened and forced to hand over some property.

“One of the males has punched the victim before the three males have walked off towards Harrogate town centre.

“We are looking for dashcam footage / CCTV / witness accounts from anyone in the area at the time.

“If you have any information that could assist us with this investigation, please call us on 101 and quote reference 12220129010.”

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The chief constable of North Yorkshire Police has revealed it has vacancies for about a third of detectives it needs.

Lisa Winward, chief constable of the force, said while police had acted at speed in recent months to correct failures identified in an inspection by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services, it had scores of vacant detective posts.

The inspectors concluded investigations, including those involving missing children and child sexual exploitation, were being handed to inexperienced officers who lacked support.

The inspectors found the force needed to improve speaking to children, recording their behaviour and demeanour, listening to their concerns and views, and using that information to make decisions about their welfare.

Ms Winward highlighted the force’s significant staffing issues to a meeting of the North Yorkshire Police, Fire and  Crime Panel after commissioner Zoe Metcalfe was asked if she was reassured enough skilled officers were undertaking investigations.

Mrs Metcalfe replied that she definitely was, before adding there was “gaps in resourcing for North Yorkshire Police”.

She said:

“Every effort is being done to address that and make sure all the police officers have the skills they need.”

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Ms Winward, who has led the force since 2018, said the question was “really relevant”, before adding “we don’t have enough resources”.

The chief constable added the force was doing everything it could to speed up the process of people becoming detectives and was opening up new routes to recruit graduates and those solely interested in becoming an investigator.

Efforts to turn around staffing shortages include the force looking at becoming one of the first non-Metropolitan forces to introduce direct entry for detectives from next year, as it had been proven to be an effective means of attracting the right people into policing.

Ms Winward said a third of the force’s total capacity of detectives still needed to be recruited.

She said:

“That’s about 40 posts for detectives across the force.”

The meeting was told the force had introduced a policy to ensure investigations could no longer be handed to someone lacking the requisite skills.

The chief constable said the force had taken the findings of the inspection “extremely seriously”, particularly as “protecting children in our communities is the most important thing we can do as a police service”.

Selby councillor and former police officer Tim Grogan said he had been disturbed to learn the force’s officers had “been taught by emails and internet distant learning packages”.

The meeting heard all officers received face to face training as well as interactive lessons.

After City of York Council leader Councillor Keith Aspden asked the commissioner if she was assured the service was now listening to the views of children, Mrs Metcalfe replied: 

“Absolutely, 100%. They really are taking account of children’s views. They are the centre and they need to be listened to.”

Harrogate Borough Council has begun moves to evict Travellers from Oatlands Park.

Almost 20 vehicles arrived on the council-maintained park on Friday night.

It is believed they gained access from Hookstone Road, where a post blocking traffic from entering the park had been removed.

A council spokesman said today:

“We are aware of an illegal encampment on Oatlands Park in Harrogate and have started legal proceedings.

“Notices have been served requesting that the occupants leave imminently.”

Local people told the Stray Ferret that police had visited the site.

A North Yorkshire Police spokesperson said:

“Residents have made us aware of a group of caravans which have pitched on an area of Oatlands Park in Harrogate.

“As part of our usual neighbourhood policing response, local officers who were on patrol visited Oatlands and spoke to those concerned.”

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Police are investigating after two quad bikes were stolen from the Great Yorkshire Show in Harrogate last week.

North Yorkshire Police is appealing for information on the bikes (pictured above), which are believed to have left the show in the direction of Wetherby Road.

Police said the theft happened between 3am and 4am on Wednesday, July 13.

Officers said they were appealing to the public to establish the “full circumstances surrounding the incident”.

A North Yorkshire Police statement added:

“In particular, we are appealing for anyone who has information or who witnessed anything suspicious around the area at the time of the theft.

“Anyone with information that could assist the investigation should email chloe.kinnear@northyorkshire.police.uk or call 101, select option two, and ask for PC 1606 Kinnear.

“If you’d prefer to remain anonymous you can call Crimestoppers on 08000 555 111. Please quote reference 12220121553.”

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A man has been arrested in Ripon after a car was stolen in a burglary in the early hours of this morning.

The Volvo V70 failed to stop after a request from police just after 3am and officers discovered it had been stolen earlier in the night.

Within 45 minutes, CCTV cameras in the city spotted the car in the market place, and police made chase as it turned into Ure Bank Terrace and reached a dead end.

The driver got out and ran back along the street but was stopped by officers.

A 21-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of theft of a motor vehicle, burglary, failing to stop and dangerous driving. He remained in custody with North Yorkshire Police this morning.

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A man has been arrested following a crash near Knaresborough in the early hours of this morning.

North Yorkshire Police said in a statement this afternoon that it responded to calls about a car that had left the road on the A59.

It occurred near junction 47 of the A1(M), at Flaxby.

Officers attended but could not locate the driver.

Following further enquiries, a man in his 60s was arrested on suspicion of drink driving.

He remains in custody while enquiries continue.

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• Local firm averts traffic danger at Harrogate’s Great Yorkshire Show

Quick-thinking traffic management staff averted a highly dangerous situation on a main road outside Harrogate’s Great Yorkshire Show this morning.

Staff at SEP Events, which is based in Boroughbridge, discovered 450 cones and 25 signs were missing when they arrived for work shortly before 6am this morning.

The items, worth thousands of pounds, are believed to have been stolen either by another firm or by thieves looking to sell them on. Several sources have confirmed the details to the Stray Ferret.

The cones and signs were taken at the Kestrel roundabout, which has been the busiest point for traffic during the show, and at the nearby junction of Wetherby Road and Rudding Lane.

An SEP van at the Kestrel roundabout.

The stretch of Wetherby Road between the two locations usually accommodates two-way traffic but a one-way system has been operating from 6am until 8pm each day of the show to improve traffic flow.

The cones and signs have played a key part in enforcing this.

But with the items missing, and 6.30am approaching, there could have been chaos with traffic heading towards the show from the Kestrel roundabout in both lanes meeting head-on vehicles travelling in the other direction that should have been diverted off Wetherby Road.

SEP employees had to stand in the road in high visibility jackets and use their vehicles to direct traffic while colleagues went back to Boroughbridge to get replacement cones and signs.

Shortly after 7am traffic measures were back in place and no accidents had occurred.

Traffic cones cost several pounds each and weigh about 6kg so whoever was responsible is believed to have had a trailer with a high load-bearing capacity.

North Yorkshire Police has issued an appeal for information. It said in a statement:

“The cones and signage were installed as part of traffic management for the Great Yorkshire Show and the theft led to significant disruption for motorists and showgoers.

“It is believed the items were taken between 9pm on Tuesday 12 July and 4am on Wednesday 13 July so police are appealing for anyone who might have seen anything which could help the investigation.”

The Stray Ferret has contacted SEP Events about the incident.

A controlled explosion took place in the Harrogate area after a person found a hand grenade.

North Yorkshire Police revealed it was one of two suspected explosives found in Harrogate over the weekend.

The other, which was fished out of a river by an angler, turned out to be harmless.

Police were alerted to the hand grenade at 9.30pm on Friday night. The force said in a statement:

“A member of the public rang us having found a hand grenade in the Harrogate area. We attended immediately and were at the scene a few minutes later.

“A cordon and scene guard were put in place to keep everyone safe while we contacted our colleagues at explosive ordnance disposal.

“A farmer kindly allowed us to use his field, and explosive ordnance disposal attended and safely detonated the grenade in daylight hours the following day.”

The angler’s metal object, discovered on Sunday, turned out to be nothing fishy.

But North Yorkshire Police received reports of a third suspicious item by a man clearing a barn in Craven. This one required detonating.

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Police said in a statement:

“We dealt with three calls relating to suspected explosives unearthed over the weekend.

“The result: two of them were unexploded devices that needed to be detonated at a safe distance – the third was just a battered piece of metal.

“In all three incidents the finders did the right thing by contacting us.”

They advised anyone discovering suspicious looking items not to touch them, leave them alone and move at least 50 metres away before calling the police on 101.

“As we did over the weekend, we’ll assess what you’ve told us, and contact explosive ordnance disposal who can take any necessary action.”

A police operation to clampdown on anti-social driving made 10 arrests and seized 12 vehicles in the Harrogate district in two years, new figures show.

North Yorkshire Police launched Operation Chrome back in June 2020 in an effort to tackle noisy cars and anti-social driving of “high-powered vehicles”.

Figures obtained by the Stray Ferret via a Freedom of Information request show that in the Harrogate district the force made 10 arrests and seized 12 vehicles as part of the operation up to June 7, 2022.

Officers also made eight charges as a result of the clampdown on drivers.

Superintendent Steve Thomas, the county commander at North Yorkshire Police, said Operation Chrome was an ongoing operation.

He said:

“Operation Chrome is a rolling programme of operations using a range of tactics to disrupt anti-social behaviour in and around the Harrogate area, with a particular focus during the summer months.

“This initial period of activity has been successful and we will continue to do all we can to deal with these issues.”

Tackling ‘irresponsible’ drivers

The force launched the operation in the summer of 2020 and pledged to focus 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.

As part of the operation, police increase patrols in hotpots and roll out more speed cameras across town, vehicle stops and detailed CCTV reviews.

The clampdown has seen cars seized by officers, including a Ferrari sports car which was towed away outside Harrogate Convention Centre in August 2021.

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Police are searching for a Harrogate man accused of animal cruelty charges.

A court issued a warrant for the arrest of Charlie Nelson after he failed to turn up to face an animal welfare case.

Nelson, 28, is believed to be in the Harrogate area.

A North Yorkshire Police statement today said:

“Police are searching a number of locations in the area and are appealing for information from the public.”

The force urged anyone with information to dial 101, select option 1 and quote reference number 12210262539.

Alternatively, you can pass on information anonymously through independent charity Crimestoppers by calling 0800 555 111 or via its website.