Police say a new county lines drugs gang is responsible for a recent wave of violence in Harrogate.

North Yorkshire Police said today it had seized a taser, drugs, cash and a mobile phone from the town’s streets since it set up a new unit to tackle the gang at the start of June. Nine people have been arrested.

They said the new county line is believed to originate from West Yorkshire and was trafficking drugs into Harrogate via the road network and public transport.

Detective Chief Inspector Fionna McEwan, who is leading Operation Roll, said:

“The increased level of violence that we have seen recently has been targeted towards individuals who are involved in drug-related criminality.

“Driving this gang out of Harrogate is now a key priority for us and although we have seen success so far, there is more to be done.”

The new gang is believed to be from West Yorkshire.

DCI McEwan said Harrogate remained “one of the safest places to live in the country” but urged members of the public to “help us by being vigilant and checking in on the younger and vulnerable people in our communities”.

Several specialist officers have been assigned to disrupt the new drugs line.

A police statement said:

“The team operate predominantly in plain clothes and unmarked vehicles. A police dog which is trained to detect drugs is also being deployed to work at transport hub in Harrogate to intercept the supply of drugs by train and bus.

Police drugs dos are being used as part of the investigation.

Recent arrests

North Yorkshire Police provided the following details of recent arrests,

Assault on Dragon Road, Harrogate – Thursday, June 8

A man in 20s who was assaulted on Dragon Road in Harrogate sustained a serious injury to his leg.

An 18-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of causing a wounding and possession of an offensive weapon in a public place.

A second man, also aged 18, was arrested on suspicion of causing a wounding, possession of an offensive weapon in a public place, possession with intent to supply class A drugs, and possession of criminal property.

A third man, aged 52, was arrested on suspicion of processing criminal property and assisting an offender.

All three men were charged and remanded in custody to appear in court on York Crown Court on Monday, July 10.

(NYP Ref – 12230104602)

Police stop on Chelmsford Avenue, Harrogate on Friday, June 23

At 9pm officers from Operation Expedite were on routine patrol on Chelmsford Avenue when they identified three men suspected to be linked to county lines drug dealing. The three men spotted the officers and ran away. The team managed to detain two of the three men.

An 18-year-old man was in possession of a taser, 22 wraps of cocaine, £85 in cash and two mobile phones. He was arrested on suspicion of procession with intent to supply a class-A drug and possession of a weapon. He was charged and remanded in custody to appear at York Crown Court on Monday 31 July 2023.

A 19-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of a class A drug and possession of criminal property. He was interviewed and released on conditional bail while further enquiries are carried out.

Enquiries are continuing to locate the outstanding suspect.

(NYP Ref – 12230115980)

DCI Fionna McEwan is leading the police investigation.

Police search warrant on King Edward’s Drive on June 26

Officers acted on intelligence and executed a warrant at a property on King Edward’s Drive in Harrogate. When they entered the property, a man was seen dropping a mobile phone into a toilet.

A 29-year-old man and a 40-year-old man were both arrested for supplying cocaine and a modern slavery offence. A 35-year-old man was arrested for possession of a suspected class A drug and modern slavery.  They were all interviewed and bailed with conditions which prevent them from entering North Yorkshire.

(NYP Ref – 12230118198)

Assault on Bower Road on June 26

A man in his 30s was assaulted and received an injury to his face. A 41-year-old was arrested and later released. Enquiries are continuing.

(NYP Ref – 12230118424)

Police appeal for help spotting cuckooing

Cuckooing is the term given when drug dealers take over the home of a vulnerable person and use it at a base to sell and store drugs.  Cuckooing victims are often drug users themselves, or people who are vulnerable due to a mental or physical disability, their age or lifestyle.

Police said signs of cuckooing include:

• Increased callers at a property at all times of the day or night
• Increase in cars pulling up for short periods of time
• Different accents at a property
• Antisocial behaviour at a property
• Not seeing the resident for long periods of time
• Drug-related rubbish – small plastic bags, syringes
• Windows covered or curtains closed for long periods
• Unexplained or untreated injuries
• Children are groomed and exploited to deal drugs on behalf of organised criminals. These are the signs to look out for:
• Persistently going missing from school or home and / or being found out-of-area
• Unexplained money, clothes, or mobile phones

Anyone with concerns about county lines can speak to their local police on 101 or call 999 in an emergency. If you’d rather stay anonymous you can call the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

A dramatic photo released by Harrogate Fire Station shows the extent of the damage done in a barn fire near Huby yesterday.

Fire crews from Harrogate and Knaresborough joined two more appliances from West Yorkshire to tackle the fire at about 2pm.

It took place in a barn measuring around 25 metres by 25 metres, containing straw. Firefighters used hose reel jets to put the fire out.

Once the scene was safe, they also took the opportunity to meet a few of the farm’s occupants.

A firefighter makes friends with a cow after putting out a nearby barn fire. Photo: Harrogate Fire Station.

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A senior Harrogate councillor has called on the government to consider connecting the district with West Yorkshire’s proposed mass transit system.

Cllr Graham Swift, deputy leader of Harrogate Borough Council, said in a letter to the Secretary of State for Transport that the district should be considered as part of the £2 billion plans because of its “strong linkages” with Leeds and other parts of the neighbouring county.

He also said improved connections would compliment the £11.9 million Harrogate Station Gateway project, which is centred around the town’s train station, with cash coming from the government’s Transforming Cities Fund.

The Conservative councillor for Harrogate Duchy said: 

“We welcome the commitment to build a mass transit system for Leeds and West Yorkshire and think there could be strong linkages to improve connectivity between West Yorkshire and Harrogate/North Yorkshire.

“Integration of the mass transit system with the transport system in Harrogate would also further build on the excellent linkages being designed as part of the Transforming Cities Fund proposals.”

The mass transit system has been in the planning stages for years, and upgrades are proposed for routes which connect Leeds, Huddersfield, Wakefield, Halifax and Bradford, but not Harrogate which historically was part of the West Riding of Yorkshire.

It is not known exactly what type of transport will run across the route yet, with the likes of tram trains and electric buses both under consideration.

It has also been suggested that driverless vehicles could be incorporated into the project, which is due to be completed by 2040.

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Cllr Swift, who is also cabinet member for resources, enterprise and economic development, highlighted opportunities for the York-Harrogate-Leeds rail line where he expressed disappointment over recent cuts to morning services from operator Northern Rail.

He also signalled his support for the long called for electrification of the rail line as he warned that Harrogate’s “constrained” transport network was one of the main barriers preventing the growth of higher paid jobs.

Cllr Swift added that other proposals to improve signalling between Harrogate and York were of particular importance given the huge housing plans for a new settlement of between 3,000 and 4,000 homes centred around Cattal train station.

He said the village to be named Maltkiln will provide “a fantastic opportunity for further investment on the line and a boost to patronage levels”.

Harrogate Borough Council has also described the development as a place “where people are not dependent on a car,” adding that it will have “safe and attractive walking and cycling routes which connect people, places and facilities, including nearby villages; while bus and train links enable longer journeys”.

A latest consultation on the housing plans is currently underway and residents have until 14 November to comment online here.

Police found 16 wraps of what is believed to be class A drugs when they stopped a vehicle heading to Harrogate from West Yorkshire.

Officers also found three mobile phones and £350 of cash.

The driver, a 30-year-old man from West Yorkshire, was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply a class A-drug but later released while enquiries continue.

North Yorkshire Police revealed the details today in an update on a ‘week of intensification’ into tackling county lines drugs, which refers to organised criminal groups moving and supplying drugs, usually from cities into smaller towns and rural areas.

An operation support unit officer ready to conduct a warrant.

Harrogate’s affluent population is often targeted by dealers in Bradford and Leeds.

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The force said it has arrested 17 people and safeguarded vulnerable people during the week of targeted action, which was part of a national campaign from March 7 to 13.

Police also executed warrants at addresses linked to drugs and carried out several safeguarding visits to help prevent ‘cuckooing’ taking place.

This is when county lines dealers take over the home of a vulnerable person for a short time while they carry out their activities before returning to their town or city.

Police sniffer dogs search for drugs.

Detective Chief Inspector Lorraine Crossman-Smith, who coordinated the week of activity in North Yorkshire, said:

“Whilst we work all year to take drugs off the streets of North Yorkshire this week of intensification has brought some substantial results. By disrupting supply lines and taking those involved out of circulation we can make North Yorkshire’s communities safer.

“We can only do this with the support and information that we get from residents so I would urge anyone with information about drug dealing in their community to call us on 101, we treat every piece of information as important.”

North Yorkshire councillors will still be able to scrutinise hospital services used by residents who travel to West Yorkshire for care.

Cllr Jim Clark, chair of North Yorkshire County Council, has agreed two seats at the West Yorkshire Joint Health Scrutiny panel which scrutinises health services in the region.

Health scrutiny panels look at the hospital services in a region and hold hospital bosses accountable for their performance.

Patients in North Yorkshire often require hospital care in Leeds, such as treatment for strokes.

Read more:

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Cllr Clark said the move would allow patients from the Harrogate district to still be represented on the panel and to properly scrutinise the services offered.

He said:

“This is very good news because we want to make sure that we have the authority to scrutinise services that are not provided in North Yorkshire.”

It comes as health services in North Yorkshire have seen a shake up this year. In April, the county’s three clinical commissioning groups in the county merged to create the North Yorkshire CCG.

CCGs are responsible for planning and commissioning care in a local area.

The move comes as part of measures by NHS England bosses to reduce the number of CCGs across the country from 191 to 134.