Light up, lock up – that’s the message from York Police as they re-launch the city’s biggest ever crime prevention campaign.
With the clocks going back and the nights drawing in, officers are concerned that opportunist burglars could target homes left obviously empty and in darkness.
Throughout the month of November, York Police will be undertaking Operation Joypad, an initiative that will see officers and PCSOs on high-visibility patrols around key areas of the city.
Any premises that are in darkness and appear empty will be identified, and crime prevention advice given to ensure that residents are aware how to better protect their homes.
Over the summer, officers on Operation Joypad checked 21,000 homes in York, to ensure they hadn’t been left vulnerable to burglars with insecure doors and windows during the warm weather.
Sergeant Colin Sutherland, of York Police, said: “The darker nights are well and truly here, and this can catch residents out when it comes to home security. Too often, householders are making their properties an attractive proposition for burglars and thieves by leaving them in darkness.
“However, a few simple steps are all it takes to counter this risk – and this is where the police can help.”
Key ‘dark night’ crime prevention advice includes:
• a well-lit home gives the impression that someone is in
• use timer switchers to turn lights on while you are out
• don’t leave curtains closed during the day, only in the evening and overnight
• lock all windows and doors
• keep valuable items out of view
• keep gates well secured
Officers will also have dot peen property marking equipment available at locations in the area where the operation is taking place.
Visibly marked property acts as a deterrent to thieves, and if it is lost or stolen, helps the police identify its rightful owner and provide evidence vital in securing prosecutions.
Sgt Sutherland added: “We will highlight the locations of our property marking sessions on our social media feeds, and I would encourage residents to take advantage of this and attend if they have property and valuables they wish to have marked.”
To find out when your next property marking event is taking place in York, contact your local police team via 101, or follow them on Facebook, or Twitter at @snayorkcityeast, @snayorknorth or @snayorkwest – the service is promoted with the hashtag #whatisdotpeen.
For more information about home security and property marking, visit www.northyorkshire.police.uk/homesecurity. You can also download the North Yorkshire Police interactive home security iBook, available for free on iPhone and iPad – just search for “Securing your home” on iTunes.
Recent vandalism reports
While some may put the change down to the “yobfest” culture surrounding the Brexit vote, in reality it is more the lack of high profile policing on our streets that is to blame for the petty crime, vandalism and anti-social behaviour we are seeing. So, where does responsibility for community safety lie?
Currently Amber Rudd MP. Has overall responsibility for policing in the UK. Sets government grant levels and some police conditions (but not local policing priorities)
Currently Julia Mulligan. A Tory politician directly (re) elected a few months ago, albeit against some pretty poor quality opponents and on a very low turnout. She says she is accountable for “how crime and community safety is tackled throughout the county of North Yorkshire and the City of York”. Currently consulting on a new “Policing Plan” Click here Has a complicated web site but seems to have realised recently that only the use of social media could actually engage people across as large an area as North Yorkshire. Has been criticised for fronting high profile national campaigns – on worthy but minority issues – at the expense of core concerns like neighbourhood crime. Markedly “rural” in her priorities largely ignoring York (which suffers over 30% of reported crime). She recently appointed a Deputy which will significantly increase the expenditure of the PCCs office.
Vandalism on Chesney’s Field
Holds the Commissioner “to account”. Comprised mostly of Tory Councillors. Is supposed to meet in public but you’d be hard pressed to find an evidence that it proactively advertises its meetings (or other activities for that matter). Mainly deals with complaints about the PCC but nods through policing plans, appointments and taxation level proposals The meetings are listed by the County Council web site (click) but not by the City of York Council The last panel meeting did receive a report on reducing Crime and ASB.
Dave Jones was appointed Chief Constable of North Yorkshire Police on 3 June 2013. Has a low profile in York (compared to his predecessor)? Is responsible for deployment of resources and police tactics. Has been criticised for the decision to centralise Anti-Social Behaviour work into the West Offices in York. Ultimately it would be his call whether to reintroduce “community constable” type systems which were very effective in the last decade.
Crime increasing, communications reducing
In the past local police and PCSOs have formed part of neighbourhood teams. They regularly used to meet with Ward Councillors, resident’s groups and other agency partners. They do have social media access with the York West team “tweeting” quite regularly (@snayorkwest) Confusingly the neighbourhood policing team for Westfield Ward is now called York South. There are no named officers specialising in the Ward (or any other ward for that matter) although the City centre alcohol economy is clearly a drain on resources. https://northyorkshire.police.uk/neighbourhoods/york-city-south/ There are no events publicised as taking place in this area. The police used to have surgeries on a regular basis. Now we get the occasional “dot peen” property marking visit. Street level visibility – even for PCSOs – has reduced in recent years
Community Safety Partnerships were formed because of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. Safer York Partnership says it “provides both the strategic direction for community safety and local delivery of community safety outcomes across the city of York. Safer York Partnership has representatives from key voluntary and statutory agencies including City of York Council, North Yorkshire Police, North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue, Probation, Public Health and York CVS”
The last “news” on their web site is dated July 2016. Not to be confused with a similar, but even more outdated, web site of a similar name http://www.saferyork.org.uk/
The group meet every three months and their minutes are published on the York Council’s web site click However the meetings are not open to the public, while agendas and supporting papers (e.g. performance reports) are not published.
The York Council’s web site tells us that Cllr David Carr has responsibility for “Alcohol and Drugs Action; Housing; Fraud ; Safer Neighbourhoods; Police liaison; Anti-Social Behaviour; Licensing Enforcement and Licensing Policy, Community Cohesion and Prevent, plus Emergency Planning”.
Sadly, there is little evidence that he has had any impact in any of these policy areas. Indeed, after 18 months in post, he has yet to hold his first “decision meeting” and there is no record of any action taken to check service standards in the suburban areas or even to talk with local communities about their concerns.
While the decline in police visibility over recent years may lead some to be cynical about the surveys value, generally we think that residents should take every opportunity to highlight this important issue.
You can do so by clicking here or here
In completing the form, residents will no doubt bear in mind the increase in anti social behaviour seen over the last couple of years in parts of the City.
This has mostly been blamed on the decision of the police to centralise anti social behaviour officers in the York Councils HQ building; robbing local communities of both named Police Officers and Police Community Support Officers.
Taking one estate (Chapelfields) as an example, stats show crime is on the increase with 229 instances of anti social behaviour reported in the last year
Residents complain that, despite CCTV cameras being in operation, youths routinely harass passers by.
In Acomb this will mean:
We will then be able to get back to the Police and community working together to improve community safety
Residents have until the 18th November to complete the survey
This compared to a total of 10.794 in the previous 12 months.
The latest results cover the period to June 2016.
Overall crime in North Yorkshire increased by 6%.
The largest increases were in
There were reductions in
There was also a small reduction in domestic burglary
The were 408 public order offences recorded in the City.
The figures are bound to increase pressure on the North Yorkshire Crime and Police Commissioner who was criticised for delaying the recruitment of additional police officers because of budget concerns. Those concerns didn’t materialise, leaving the force under manned. Recruitment has only recently started again.
With a third of all crime in the North Yorkshire area taking place in York, Councillors should be asking for more officers to be allocated to the City and for the tried and tested Community Constable policing model to be brought back.
Community Constables were allocated to specific wards and got to know local residents and neighbourhood crime black spots. The system was abandoned in favour of centralised units around 3 years ago.
In response to a recent survey in the Westfield Ward, only 15% of residents were able to name a neighbourhood Police or Community Support Officer.
ONS crime comparative figures 20th Oct 2016
North Yorkshire Police have opened recruitment for Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) to join the force.
Police Community Support Officers are a critical part of North Yorkshire Police. PCSOs work at the front line of the force and provide a vital link between the police and the local communities the force serves.
They provide a visible and reassuring presence on the streets of our region and act as the eyes and ears of the force – building relationships with local communities and business owners, tackling anti-social behaviour and using the information they gather to prevent and deter crime.
PCSOs have slightly different powers to a Police Constable. They have designated powers surrounding anti-social behaviour, tobacco and alcohol, transport and fixed penalty notices amongst others.
The role can be challenging, but incredibly rewarding so North Yorkshire Police are looking for individuals who want to make a difference every day, have excellent communication and customer service skills and a genuine interest in helping others and building positive relationships.
Recruitment applications are welcome up to 9am on Monday 24 October 2016 .
For more information or to make an application go to https://northyorkshire.police.uk/jobs/
“Specials” as they are known, come from all walks of life and backgrounds which means that they bring with them a whole host of skills and abilities which complement those of their full-time colleagues.
Specials go through a rigorous training programme before they qualify to go out on the beat where they cover a wide range of duties from policing public events, to attending emergency incidents.
They can also choose to undertake further training and specialise in a particular area of policing such as public order, (policing protests, football matches etc), roads policing and joining our Rural Task Force.
Training as a Special Constable can take up to two years. Initial training takes around 19 weeks and involves weekend training sessions that culminate in a week-long course to consolidate everything the students have learnt. Students who successfully complete this initial training will then be attested – which means they swear an oath in front of a Magistrate – and are issued with their warrant cards and uniform. They then spend up to two years on the beat under the guidance of their tutor constable as a probationer Special Constable. During this time they must successfully complete a file of evidence of their experience called Student Officer Learning and Assessment Portfolio (SOLAP).
To apply to join, visit www.northyorkshire.police.uk/specials
North Yorkshire Police currently has 150 attested specials, 21 in training and a further 28 awaiting training.
A recent recruitment campaign for regular police officer saw a number of our Special Constables successfully apply to become full-time police officers. 20 of them attended their passing out parade last week.
Last modified: October 10, 2016
Car damaged by fire in Spurr Court area
Members of the public are being invited to cast their vote, and decide who will win this year’s coveted Public Choice Award at the North Yorkshire Police Annual Awards event.
Over the course of the last year, a number of police officers, staff and volunteers have been nominated for a commendation, for demonstrating courage, compassion or inspiration, over and above the call of duty. From these commendations, eight finalists have been selected, and members of the public are now being asked to vote for the individual or team that they want to receive the Public Choice Award for 2016.
The winner of the Public Choice Award will be announced by the Police and Crime Commissioner, Julia Mulligan, at the North Yorkshire Police Annual Awards event in November. The event will also include awards for Lifetime Achievement, and the presentation of the Glenn Goodman Trophy for the most outstanding Special Constable.
The 2016 Public Choice Award finalists are:
To cast your vote in the North Yorkshire Police Public Choice Award 2016 click HERE to vote.
The crime prevention campaign will take place in the Clifton area of the city on Wednesday 28 and Thursday 29 September, with police working alongside other agencies including trading standards and the fire service to provide reassurance and crime prevention advice to residents.
Officers have used street-level data available to the public sector which measures fear of crime, to identify specific areas which would benefit from a focused operation. They have also looked at annual trends in reported crime to determine the kinds of incidents where crime prevention advice would be effective.
During the operation, codenamed Operation Tansu, extra patrols will take place, and police will be on-hand to security mark valuable items using a dot peen property marking machine, and urging residents to sign up to the North Yorkshire Community Messaging alert service.
Similar initiatives will be taking place in other areas of York in the future. (more…)
The week started with the Sky Ride. Local Councillor Andrew Waller was near the front of the event as a reported 10,000 took part
The circus came to the Thanet Road sports area. This prompted complaints about fly posting and damage to recently planted trees. Posters for events like these can be displayed for two weeks in advance but must be removed within 2 days of the event finishing. On one evening there was some disturbance in the Chesney’s Field area and a noticeable increase in litter. The Council are being asked to consider limiting the number of fairs/circuses which are permitted in residential areas in each quarter.
Cllr Sue Hunter and local residents Andrea Cropper cleared potential hazardous weeds from the Acomb Green access steps
Job Done!
Foxwood Residents Association won a gold award at this years Yorkshire in Bloom contest. They outperformed many institutions who had been able to employ the services of professionals.
Foxwood Community centre garden
Cllr Sheena Jackson reported this offensive graffiti in the Tennent Road area. There has been an increase in graffiti issues in the area with some residents blaming the lack of high profile PCSO patrols partly for the decline.
Potholes on little Green Lane are getting bigger. The issue is being followed up by Cllr Andrew Waller
Lamppost on Bellwood Drive felled on Thursday
Over 30% of residents have so far returned the survey form issued in the Askham Lane/Grange Lane area earlier in the week.
The main issues raised by residents included poor car parking and lack of maintenance of trees and bushes. The Grange Lane/Parker Avenue alley was a particular source of complaint. The snicket is overgrown and subject to littering. Some residents want to see it closed, although this is unlikely as it is a Public Right of Way.
Many residents, responding to our survey question about future events at the Acomb Explore Library, have suggested that Councillors surgeries be held there. We’ve arranged for Advice Centres to take place on the second Wednesday in each month starting on 12th October.
