Harrogate town centre "safe" insists police chief
The town has the highest rates of anti-social behaviour in North Yorkshire
A senior police officer has insisted Harrogate town centre "is safe" despite it having the highest rates of anti-social behaviour in North Yorkshire.
Chief Inspetor Alex Langley told a council meeting that it is the "busiest" ward for North Yorkshire Police.
There's been a total of 243 anti-social behaviour incidents in the area across 12 months- less than 0.6 a day- and police say that's "relatively low" in the context of a national picture.
Chief Inspector Langley also said the entire Harrogate district had seen a “steady reduction” in all crimes over a one-year period, including a “phenomenally low” robbery rate with an average of one incident reported every two months.
However, he was warned by councillors that crime was becoming an increasing concern in certain areas and that the force may be unaware of hotspots because of residents’ reluctance to report incidents.
This includes Harrogate’s Bower Street which was highlighted by councillor Chris Aldred who said anti-social behaviour “does seem to be getting worse” in the area with regular complaints of “rowdy” individuals drinking from 9am.
On Friday (October 14), a man was reportedly stabbed in a fight on Bower Street and a 23-year-old man from Harrogate has since been charged with assault on a person occasioning actual bodily harm, possessing an offensive weapon in a public place and wounding with intent.
The area outside Harrogate’s McDonald’s restaurant on Cambridge Road has also been flagged as a concern after two community support officers were allegedly assaulted by two teenage girls on April 1 this year.
A 13 year-old and 15-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, have since been charged and will appear in court on October 28.
Chief inspector Langley said his officers were “well aware” of problems in the two areas as he also stressed the importance of people reporting incidents.
He added that the two officers allegedly assaulted outside McDonald’s were “still suffering and injured” from the “nasty assault,” and that a problem solving plan was being made for Bower Street which is just over 300 metres away.
“We are alive to this and trying to use all the powers that we have got, but again if we don’t get the reports we will struggle,” he told Monday’s meeting of Harrogate Borough Council’s overview and scrutiny commission.
“My plea is that if there is a problem, tell us about it.”