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14
Mar 2020
Vigilance needed to protect 'safest' town, following raids
North Yorkshire Police says that public help and vigilance is needed, following high-profile county lines drug raids across Harrogate.
Detective Superintendent Steve Thomas, of North Yorkshire Police, has revealed a list of “key challenges” for the force and says although three county lines drug dealing routes into Harrogate have been smashed, there is still work to do,
He said that it was a priority for one of Britain's safest towns that police resources were going into the fight against drug dealers, in a bid to keep them out of North Yorkshire.
Speaking at the recent Overview and Scrutiny committee, at Harrogate Borough Council, he said: “There is a drug using community here in Harrogate and weapons are being used to protect the business model to make it work.
“All our police resources have been put into county lines. We are working to stop the gap being filled after recent arrests and keep them out of Harrogate and North Yorkshire.”
His comments come after two police operations to smash drug dealing involving more than 70 officers from North Yorkshire Police, West Yorkshire Police and the National Crime Agency. They targeted a series of addresses relating to county lines dealing, which has seen 18 arrests to date.
He said that Operation Jackal had taken eight months of intensive police work – focusing on gangs in Bradford and also criminality in Harrogate, bringing a total of 18 arrests so far.
Lowest crime rate
Although Harrogate is officially one of the “safest” places to live in Britain, with the lowest crime rate in England and Wales, it has not deterred the infiltration of drug dealers.
People who live and work in North Yorkshire are around twice as unlikely to fall victim to crime compared to other areas, despite a 12% increase in recorded offences, with violent crime, stalking and robbery on the rise, according to the latest crime figures.
Acting Superintendent Andy Colbourne, of North Yorkshire Police, pictured above, added: “County lines remains a major priority for North Yorkshire Police and I hope our recent operation provides reassurance to the people of Harrogate that we will take action against the scourge of drug dealing, particularly where it affects some of the most vulnerable people in society.
“We urge anyone who has any information about drug dealing in their neighbourhood to contact us on 101 or if they prefer, to pass information anonymously to Crimestoppers. Every piece of information helps us to build up a bigger picture and informs our operational activity. As you can see, we are determined to rid our communities of the misery and associated crime that drug dealing causes.”
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