York Police warn on puppy and kitten fraud
The National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) and Action Fraud have recently noticed a rise in the reporting of pets, and in particular puppies and kittens, being advertised for sale via popular online auction websites.
The fraudsters will place an advert of the pet for sale, often claiming that the pet is currently held somewhere less accessible or overseas. Upon agreement of a sale, the suspect will usually request an advance payment by money transfer or bank transfer.
However, the pet does not materialise and the fraudster will subsequently ask for further advanced payments for courier charges, shipping fees and additional transportation costs. Even if further payments are made, the pet will still not materialise as it is likely to not exist.
Tips to staying safe when purchasing pets:
Police struggling to deal with calls to 101
North Yorkshire Police say they are experiencing around a 20 percent increase in demand to the Force Control Room resulting in delays in answering some calls.
In a statement they say, “This is not unique to North Yorkshire as forces across the country are experiencing the same issues. We are working to resolve this, but it will take time”.
The crisis comes at a time when North Yorkshires Police and Crime Commissioner has launched a bid to take over the management of the Fire and Rescue service.
Deputy Chief Constable Lisa Winward, said: “Like most forces across the country, we are currently experiencing high demand in the Force Control Room with an increase in calls – particularly 999 calls – of around 20 percent since May 2017. For example, on Sunday 18 June, we received more calls than on New Year’s Eve, which historically is our busiest day of the year and is planned for in advance.
“I would like to reassure members of the public that we are implementing a number of measures to help deal with the unprecedented increase in demand, now and into the future, but this cannot be done overnight.
“999 emergency calls must take precedence over non-emergencies, and the increase is having a knock-on effect on the time it takes to answer non-emergency calls. We ask the public to please bear with us as we implement the improvement measures over the coming months.
“Our control room staff are working extremely hard as we work to service the increase in demand and implement the changes. It is a very fast-paced and pressurised environment and I must pay tribute to the commitment and resilience they have shown during this time.
“In the meantime, we ask members of the public to use 101 in the correct circumstances. Our website provides information on when to contact the police, the best way to contact us and when to call other agencies such as the council.
“Always call 999 if your safety threatened or in an emergency situation.”
Call numbers this month to date compared to the same time last year
2 July 2016 – 24 July 2016
999 calls – 4,920
101 calls – 19,409
2 July 2017 – 24 July 2017
999 calls – 6,114 (25% increase)
101 calls – 20,498
Ransomware – York police advice
Following a global ransomware incident which took place Tuesday 27 June 2017 North Yorkshire Police and Action Fraud is reminding businesses and individuals how they can protect themselves from ransomware and what they should do if they become a victim.
How to protect yourself:
- •Don’t click on links, or open any attachments, if you receive unsolicited emails or SMS messages. The links may lead to malicious websites and any attachments could be infected with malware.
- •Always install software updates as soon as they’re available. Whether you’re updating the operating system or an application, the update will often include fixes for critical security vulnerabilities.
- •Install anti-virus software on your computer and mobile devices, and keep it updated. Bear in mind that ransomware can often be picked up by visiting disreputable sites including illegal movie streaming websites and some adult sites.
- •Create regular backups of your important files to an external hard drive, memory stick or online storage provider. It’s important that the device you back up to isn’t left connected to your computer as any malware infection could spread to that too.
If you think you may be a victim:
- •Report to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040
- •Don’t pay extortion demands as this only feeds into criminals’ hands and there’s no guarantee that access to your files will be restored if you do pay.
Woman arrested following Front Street burglary
A woman has been arrested following a burglary at the Chill Café in Acomb York.
It happened just after midnight in the early hours of Saturday 1 July 2017 when an amount of cash was stolen.
Police officers arrested the woman, who is in her 20s and from York, on Saturday evening. She was arrested on suspicion of burglary, possessing class b drugs and assaulting a police officer after a beer can was thrown in an officer’s face. She remains in police custody.
Anyone who was in the area at the time and has any information is asked to contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2 and ask for York Investigation Hub.
Please quote reference 12170114900 when passing on information.
Police appeal following recent burglary on Boroughbridge Road in York
North Yorkshire Police is appealing for witnesses and information about a commercial burglary that occurred in York.
It happened on A59 Boroughbridge Road, York between 10pm on 26 May 2017 and 8am on 27 May 2017 and involved a Mercedes Sprinter flat bed van VRM KN59 GSU being stolen from Oaktree Nursery. Other high value items were also stolen.We are conducting enquiries and are requesting the public’s assistance to help determine the full circumstances surrounding the incident.
Anyone with information that could assist the investigation should contact us on 101, select option 2, and ask for Leon Dryden. You can also email Leon.Dryden0090@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 12170091337
Police warning over telephone scams targeting the elderly
Police investigating a number of incidents where elderly victims have been defrauded of tens of thousands of pounds, are urging residents of North Yorkshire to be vigilant.
In 2016, there were 2,467 reported incidents of fraud across North Yorkshire. In more than 1,000 of those cases, the victim was aged 70 years or over.
A number of these incidents such as computer software service fraud, advance fee frauds, pension fraud and timeshares and holiday club fraud, will have been facilitated by the victim being scammed via telephone.
Fraudsters will call, claiming to be from a legitimate organisation such as a bank, service provider, utilities company or the police, in an attempt to convince the victim to reveal financial information or to transfer money into a third party account operated by criminals.
The fraudster often supplies a fake number for the victim to ring back on or in many cases the actual number of the organisations genuine customer reporting line, however the fraudster keeps the line open and the victim rings back believing they are speaking to a genuine operative and discloses the information.
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So is alcohol fuelled violence getting out of hand in York City centre
With seemly daily reports in the media about drunken behavior and violence in York city centre, what are the actual crime statistics for the area within the inner ring road?
Fortunately they are readily available on the Police UK web site
The latest monthly figures available cover the month of March.
Distribution of crimes
There were 448 crimes reported in March. The majority of these were for anti social behavior,violence and shop lifting.
It was a similar picture during the previous 12 month period
| Crime type | Total | Percentage |
| Anti-social behaviour | 2373 | 43.68% |
| Violence and sexual offences | 790 | 14.54% |
| Shoplifting | 649 | 11.95% |
| Other theft | 419 | 7.71% |
| Bicycle theft | 340 | 6.26% |
| Criminal damage and arson | 220 | 4.05% |
| Theft from the person | 173 | 3.18% |
| Public order | 153 | 2.82% |
| Burglary | 120 | 2.21% |
| Drugs | 83 | 1.53% |
| Vehicle crime | 41 | 0.75% |
| Other crime | 35 | 0.64% |
| Possession of weapons | 19 | 0.35% |
| Robbery | 18 | 0.33% |
Crime levels usually increase in the summer when larger numbers of people visit the City. Officials will be looking anxiously at the figures for April and May, when any adverse trends may become clearer
What happens to these arrested?
Some go to court, but most do not!
So who is responsible?
Many of the crimes are fuelled by alcohol.
Here the City Council must take some of the responsibility.
They have cheerfully nodded through more and more licensing applications and have even given planning permission for new premises such as the arts barge whihc will have a bar. They have been recommended to allow up to 5 new licensed premises at the shipping container village which is to be located near the Walmgate trouble blackspot.
Not all licensed premises contribute to the problems but it would be reasonable to ask all four candidates in the forthcoming general election what they want to see done to reassure residents that parts of the City centre are not becoming a “no go zone” during parts of the day.
Fake phone cover pedlar handed suspended sentence and fined £1,280
A street pedlar who sold counterfeit phone and tablet covers in York city centre has been given a 12 week prison sentence, suspended for one year, with the requirement he also undertakes 300 hours unpaid work. Mr Faye was also fined a total of £1,280 by York Magistrates today (12 April 2017).
The fake brands included Dior and Apple and were among thousands of items discovered stockpiled in the pedlar’s basement and a storage unit by City of York Council trading standards officers.
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York police rolling out mini speed camera vans
The number of camera vans operating in North Yorkshire has doubled. Six new, smaller sized, vehicles are expected to concentrate on villages and “more built-up areas”
They’ll be added to the six transit-sized vans already in the force’s mobile “speedcam” fleet. Chief Constable Dave Jones says the new vans mean drivers are likely to be caught on camera “in areas they didn’t previously expect”
The announcement will reawaken the controversy about how effective the police policy is on controlling vehicle speeds.
The force says, “Our mobile safety camera vehicles aim to reduce the number of collisions, deaths and serious injuries on our roads”.
FOI requests asking for trend data on average speeds – and accident rates – on roads subject to regular speed camera visits were ignored last year.
So all we know is that around £1 million a year is being taken in fines and “speed awareness course” income. This effectively pays for the camera vans and is a powerful incentive to use them where non compliance is at its most likely (essentially on trunk roads)
North Yorkshire speed stats
In effect the only success measure that is published is the number of vehicles found to be exceeding the speed limit on a day. This data can be viewed by clicking here
The Police site also lists the roads which are currently liable to be monitored
In York the list currently is:
York
- Tadcaster Road Dringhouses York
- Strensall Road Huntington York
- Church Lane, Wheldrake
- Millfield Lane Poppleton York
- A64 Eastbound Heslington York
- A64 Westbound Heslington York
- A64 Westbound Murton
- A64 Westbound a Fulford
- A64 Claxton
- A19 Skelton
- A64 Jack Daw Crag Overbridge-Westbound
- A64 Jack Daw Crag Overbridge-Ebound
- B1222 Cawood Junct of Kelfield-
- B1217 Saxton
- A59 Poppleton Road (Holgate)
- A59 Boroughbridge Road (opposite shops)
- A1036 Huntington South Moor