Officers are appealing for witnesses and information following an assault near Tesco at Askham Bar, York.
The incident happened on Monday 8 March at around 11.40am when an 18 year old was assaulted as he left the Tesco store making his way back to York College. It happened on the ramp that leads from the Tesco carpark to the crossing on Tadcaster Rd.
The suspect is described as a white man, of student age, around 5ft 11in in height, with brown hair and of medium build. He was believed to be wearing wearing a light grey hoodie and dark brown skinny jeans and grey trainers.
Anyone with any information is asked to contact North Yorkshire Police. Dial 101, press 2 and ask to speak to PC Darren Cox.
Please quote reference number 12210073613 when passing on any information.
North Yorkshire Police say that they have today sent out communication to all those currently signed up to receive our Community Messaging alerts to let you know that we are moving to a new platform.
All you need to do is click here and re-register to ensure you continue receiving our alerts. It’s essential you do this otherwise you won’t be kept up to date with the latest crime appeals, scam alerts and policing work in your local community.
Our current system will cease on 31st March 2021 and there will be a short pause in the alerts we send out whilst we get everything ready on the new system but you can keep up to date with your local policing team through their social media accounts which you can find here.
Thank you for your understanding whilst we make these important changes.
Good to see that thePost Box on Beagle Ridge Drive has finally been reinstated. It was first sealed off over 6 months ago
Meanwhile, across the street, the long term empty Council bungalow – which the Council has been unable to re-let – is regularly being vandalised. Several other properties have also been targeted.
We are beginning to lose confidence in the York Councils housing management officials.
The Council has been without a permanent head for its Council housing team for nearly a year now. Estate management vacancies are not being filled despite the housing accounts showing a substantial surplus.
York deserves better
Meanwhile the next Councils meeting agenda has been published. Anyone hoping for evidence that Councillors are addressing the major decline in public service standards will be disappointed.
With NHS staff being undervalued, unemployment rates rising, highway network maintenance standards at a new low, street level crime on the rise and housing in a management vacuum, you might have expected at least the official Labour opposition to highlight the issues. In fact you could reasonably expect most back bench Councillors of all parties to start to seriously question what is going wrong.
But no. Labour use an agenda motion to agonise about transgender recognition. They want to instruct schools to use trans childrens “preferred name pronoun”.
Two men have been arrested in connection with catalytic converter theft in York this morning.
At 3am today, a member of the public called North Yorkshire Police reporting suspicious activity in the Dringhouses area of the city.
Officers responded immediately, and a short time later located a red Honda Civic near Wetherby. The car was stopped and searched, and a catalytic converter and a number of tools were found in the boot.
Two men inside, aged 29 and 34, were arrested on suspicion of theft and vehicle interference. They remain in custody at this time. The vehicle was seized for forensic examination.
Earlier this year, North Yorkshire Police launched an operation to clamp down on catalytic converter thefts in York, after an increase in these incidents. High prices for precious metals and the popularity of hybrid vehicles are believed to be two of the factors behind the increase.
At the time, Sgt Laura Cromwell said: “While overall vehicle crime in York is low, catalytic converter theft is an increasingly common crime in our area. That’s why we’ve increased patrols, and are urging residents to take steps to protect their vehicles. If you notice suspicious activity around vehicles, contact the police – if you have information, call 101, and if a crime is in progress, call 999 immediately.”
Since the launch of the operation, high-visibility, proactive patrols, linked to ANPR and police intelligence, have make it increasingly difficult for criminals to operate in the city undetected.
Meanwhile, motorists are being urged to continue taking extra precautions to protect their vehicles:
Park your car in a locked garage where possible, or a well-lit and populated area
Park close to fences, walls or a kerb, or alongside other vehicles, to make theft more difficult. Avoid parking half on the pavement and half on the road, as this may make it easier for thieves to access the catalytic converter
If you are responsible for a fleet of vehicles, park the low-clearance vehicles to block the high-clearance vehicles and obstruct access underneath
Ask your local garage about security measures such as a cage device to lock around the converter, a tilt sensor to activate an alarm if the vehicle is jacked up, or equipment to etch a serial number on the converter itself.
If you see someone acting suspiciously under a vehicle, report it to the police. If a crime is in progress, dial 999. Obtain as much information as possible, including any vehicle registrations.
Officers are working closely with local authorities, and posters warning about catalytic converter theft are displayed at locations across the city. In addition, scrap metal dealers in the region are being asked to be on the lookout for people attempting to sell on catalytic converters, and pass any information to the police.
North Yorkshire Police is appealing for witnesses and information about an incident of suspected Arson at Tang Hall Explore Library.
The incident happened some time between 3pm on Saturday 27 February and 8.30am on Monday 1 March and involved an area outside of the building being damaged by fire
We are requesting the public’s assistance to help establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident.
In particular, we are appealing for information about anyone who was seen in the area or who saw the fire.
Anyone with information that could assist the investigation should contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2, and ask for Nicola Russell.
You can also email Nicola.Russell@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk
If you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Please quote the North Yorkshire Police reference number 12210069072.
Foxwood
There have also been problems with theft and vandalism on the other side of the City in Foxwood recently. There have been thefts from the community centre garden, fencing has been damaged and windows broken. One empty council bungalow has been a particular target.
CCTV footage suggests teenagers are responsible.
Police are asking anyone who sees any crimes being committed to ring 999 immediately
The government has said that elections for regional Police and Crime Commissioners WILL take place in May. The elections were cancelled last year as a result of the pandemic.
Locally Commissioner Julia Mulligan continued in office for another year. She had already been de-selected as a candidate by the Conservative Party.
Candidates will wear masks!
Details of the governments plan can be read here. They indicate how processes will change in order to avoid the spread of infections.
Although electors can still vote in person, most are expected to take advantage of the option of using a postal vote. There will also be a last minute option for anyone to appoint a proxy to vote on their behalf if they are tested positive for COVID-19.
There is a requirement for everyone participating in the process to wear a face mask.
The government has controversially instructed candidates and their supporters not to leaflet or canvass for support. They will be able to use “on line” publicity and – paid for – deliveries using approved suppliers such as Royal Mail. Whether candidates will be able to afford to use that option is another matter.
Only 1 in 5 electors actually voted when PCCs last went to the polls in 2016.
The post may be abolished anyway within the next 2 years if the government presses ahead with its plan to replace them with “elected mayors”.
Some are betting that this poll will attract a record low turnout!
There have been four more hospital deaths announced. Two occurred yesterday and two on Tuesday. The fatality total at the York and Scarborough hospitals, since 1st September, has now reached 298.
There is however some better news as the death rate now seems to be declining.
Test results
THIRTY SIX (36) additional positive test results have been announced today. They bring the cumulative total to 11,251
The rate /100k population figure has fallen to 178.53. That is the lowest figure recorded since 21st December 2020
The rate is however, expected to rise again when tomorrows figures are released before falling again over the weekend.
York has an infection rate below the regional and national averages. It is still slightly higher than the overall rate in North Yorkshire but, on current trends, will go below the county rate some time next week.
Neighbourhoods
Good news today as the City no longer has any neighbourhoods with a very high level of cases (over 400). The number of cases in Haxby has dropped from 23 to 17.
In addition – for the first time since 21st December, we have a neighbourhood (the City Centre) with a case rate of less than 50
Things may change again tomorrow when we are expecting a spike in cases, but hopefully next week more neighbourhoods will fall below the 200 case rate threshold.
Vaccinations
National and regional
Hospitals
According to latest government figures, there are 175 COVID-19 patients being cared for by the York Hospital Trust.
This represents a substantial reduction on last weeks figure which was above 200.
Twelve are in intensive care
Tests
5407 PCR test were completed during the week ending 30th January in the City. 7.8% of the tests were positive. The positivity rate continues to fall
1725 lateral flow test were completed yesterday (3rd)
Police enforcement
North Yorkshire Police have issued a further 143 FPNs for breaches of the Coronavirus regulations since the 26 January 2021.
This takes the total number of FPNs issued since the third national lockdown began on 6 January 2021 to 471.
The numbers are broken down by region, gender, age and breach below.
The total number of notices issued in York since 6th January 2021 has been 114. Most were for unlawful indoor gatherings.
Covering the 12-month period to year ending September 2020, the figures show recorded crime has decreased by 9 % percent in North Yorkshire.
Deputy Chief Constable Phil Cain, said:
“Not withstanding that for the past ten months, the global pandemic has supressed some areas of crime, such a burglary and theft, the overall figures for North Yorkshire are encouraging.
“The decrease in overall crime is also down to some significant pro-active work by a number of teams across the force.
“We believe Stalking and Harassment offences have continued to rise due to the fact victims have increased confidence in reporting it. The increase can also be attributed to the requirement to record multiple crimes where stalking and/or harassment has occurred, rather than simply one crime per incident.
“With drugs offences, the rise reflects our pro-active approach to dealing with drugs issues such as County Lines. This issue causes a disproportionate amount of harm to local communities and increases the fear of crime – this is why county lines continues to remain a priority. My thanks go to the public for providing the community intelligence which enables this pro-active work to be carried out. This intelligence is key to us achieving these results.
“Post-lockdown in the summer of 2020, we experienced a significant rise in public order offences at some of our beauty spots. We responded to this with an increase in enforcement in those areas.
“The landscape of policing will endure change as we respond to the pandemic, however we will continue to place victims at the centre of everything we do.
“I want to take this opportunity to thank our committed workforce who do their very best every day to keep our communities safe. Equally I want to thank the public of North Yorkshire and the City of York for their support during this incredibly challenging time for us all.”
An additional seven deaths have been announced by the York Hospital Trust today. Three occurred yesterday and four on Tuesday.
It means that 68 people have lost their lives to COVID-19 at the York and Scarborough hospitals over the last two weeks.
Test results
SIXTY THREE (63) additional positive test results were announced today. Brings the cumulative case total in the City to 10,918
The case rate /100k population has reduced to 269.22
Infection rates are continuing to fall at all levels across the country.
Neighbourhoods
Only three neighbourhoods now have very high infection rates (Haxby, New Earswick and Westfield).
Woodthorpe/Acomb Park has dropped below the 400 case rate benchmark for the first time since 22nd December 2020.
Four areas are now below the 200 case rate benchmark (Dunnington, the City centre, Huntington and Poppleton/Rufforth/Askhams).
It is likely that one of those neighbourhoods will become the first to fall below 100, and be marked as “green” (below average), since 28th December when Heslington recorded a 93.8 case rate.
Huntington has fallen from having 45 cases to just 10 during the last eleven days
Vaccinations
Nationally 282,812 people received a first dose of vaccine yesterday. That brought the cumulative total to 7,447,199.
2,142 people received the second dose bringing the cumulative total to 476,298
Vaccination numbers have been lower this week
Hospitals
According to government figures, there were 215 COVID-19 patients being cared for by the York Hospital Trust on Tuesday 26th January
The were 11 patients in intensive care
Fixed Penalty Notices for COVID offences
The Police have issued 19 fixed penalty notices in York over the last week to people who have been found breaking COVID restrictions.
Most were for unlawful indoor gatherings.
The breakdown across the county is;
North Yorkshire Police say that they have issued a further 87 FPNs for breaches of the Coronavirus regulations since the 19 January 2021.
This takes the total number of FPNs issued since the third national lockdown began on 6 January 2021 to 328 . NYP have issued 2216 COVID notices in total since March 2020.
Virus in the community
NEW: Latest REACT study from @IpsosMORI and @ImperialCollege on behalf of @DHSCGovUK shows high prevalence and an R rate of 1 – A worrying combination but there is a suggestion of a downturn in prevalence. Check out the thread for more ? pic.twitter.com/TtKCCH0KGe
The crime busting scheme was one of the first initiatives announced by the new LibDem/Green administration in July 2019.
Use of ward budgets for “target hardening” works over the last 2 decades had been a popular choice by local residents.
Stronger fencing, ,CCTV cameras, more robust street furniture, anti climb paint, snicket/alley closures, improved lighting and many other improvements had been funded from this source.
A reportlast year explained the purpose of the new Fund.
As part of the council’s Supplementary Budget Proposals agreed on 17 July Council, £250k was awarded to wards as a “Safer Communities Fund”. The allocation of this funding, in proportion to population in the normal way, is shown in Annex 1.
Building on the success of the Community Care fund it is proposed that the Safer Communities Fund is operated in a similar way in that it is added into ward revenue funds so that it can be used flexibly by wards on any projects that meet residents’ priorities in terms of creating safer communities.
It is suggested that the planned impact of the spend should be set out in advance and the subsequent outcomes evaluation (see para 25 below concerning evaluation).
Evaluation could be developed in partnership with the Community Safety Team who would also be able to provide evidence-based examples of good practice so that we are able to encourage community groups to put forward good proposals within a flexible budget regime which is operated in line with policies and procedures for ward funding.
PCSOs could also be consulted as part of the ward team as they will be able to bring useful views to the table and this will provide an excellent opportunity to strengthen ties between wards and the police.
While it is fair to say that the new scheme has remained something of a enigma to most residents, concerns about crime levels generally – and anti social behavior in particular – remain a high in several neighbourhoods.
In recent years, the Councils attempt to delegate spending power to local communities has been flawed.
A £1 million ward highways budget was divided between equally highways improvements and walking cycling schemes. The latter was spent almost entirely on projects in the south east part of the City.
A year later it is difficult to identify any roads or paths that have benefited. This may partly be because the Council fails to maintain a list of schemes on its web site with appropriate progress reports.
There is a stronger sense of local community in the wake of the pandemic.
People do want to be involved in decision making.
But the current processes used by the Council fail to fully engage people.
Perhaps the increased use of social media seen during the Lockdowns offers a clue as to how engagement levels can be raised in the future.
In the meantime, the Council must explain how it will improve the level of support that it offers to those policing our streets.
