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.
Read more:
- Police have ‘public duty’ to tackle noisy cars, says commissioner
- Police pledge to crack down on fast and noisy cars in Harrogate
Call for police action against Harrogate Asda car park ‘boy racers’
A Harrogate resident has called for police action against ‘boy racers’ who regularly descend on the town’s Asda car park.
The resident, who lives on Mayfield Grove within earshot of the car park, told the Stray Ferret he would organise a demonstration if nothing was done.
He said people on streets near the store were tired of the noise and had safety concerns about vehicles speeding.
According to the resident, who asked not to be named, about four to six cars belonging mainly to young men congregate nightly in the car park and rev their engines and pop their exhausts.
The resident said they had raised the matter with Philip Allott, the police commissioner for North Yorkshire, and a police community support officer had agreed to visit the supermarket this week to discuss the matter,
They said they would now wait to see what ensued before deciding whether to mobilise support for a demonstration.
“Every night for years these idiots gather in the rear part of Asda car park where they rev their engines then race out of the car park and round Harrogate.
“I have video and pics that I gave to Philip Allott of a Mercedes that is there most nights and which nearly wiped out a couple of customers.
“If the police don’t do anything about it, we are going to arrange a demo at Asda.”
Read more:
- Ferrari towed away in Harrogate in police supercar clampdown
- Police have ‘public duty’ to tackle noisy cars, says commissioner
A spokesman for North Yorkshire Police said:
“We are aware of anti-social-behaviour problems around the Mayfield Grove area of Harrogate, in particular issues with speeding vehicles.
“We will be actively deploying specialist resource to the area which will include roads policing officers who will be robustly dealing with any offences.
“Officers will also be linking in other local organisations and utilising local CCTV to help us build intelligence.”
The spokesman said these measures were in addition to North Yorkshire Police’s ongoing Operation Crome initiative to tackle anti-social and illegal driving.
An Asda spokesman said:
‘’We thank the vast majority who use our car parks responsibly and we will work with the authorities to ensure that the spaces around our stores remain safe for our customers.’’