Agenda item

The Safer Neighbourhoods Team (North Yorkshire Police), Street Environment Officer and Young People’s Service Officer will give updates about what they’ve been doing in the ward.

Safer Neighbourhoods Team

Sgt Andy Haigh gave an update from the Safer Neighbourhoods Team:

• Since April of last year there was a 15% overall reduction in crime figures (100 fewer crimes).
• Figures on burglary reported in The Press are inaccurate. Reported figures included burglaries of sheds and garages. Burglaries of dwellings are actually down by 5% (2 burglaries).

Police priorities

• Speeding
  • Lack of evidence of a problem in Fishergate indicates that speeding is not a major priority.  Anyone feeling otherwise can obtain a form from the Safer Neighbourhoods Team.
  • Question: Does time of day have impact on number of speeding offences?
  • Answer: Yes, it has an impact.
• Cycling on footpaths
  • Exercise undertaken on Fulford Road. Tickets and warnings given for cycling on the pavement and dangerous cycling, education of public and foreign students on UK cycling laws.
• Anti-social behaviour
  • Hotspots have been targeted, particularly Millennium Bridge area and along the river. Improvement shown. In November 83 reports made, down to 23 in December.

Q: Is anything being done about car speeding?

o       Current plan to train local officers in the use of speed guns.

Burglaries and autocrime

o       Warning given about leaving valuables on display in cars. 

o       Operation Machine: Around 30 officers patrolling the Hull Road corridor, giving advice, education, checks on cars for insurance, mot, etc.

Q: Why was Hull Road chosen?

•  Hotspot for criminals. Part of a two part process – moving crime elsewhere.

Q. Has crime risen elsewhere?

• Too early to tell, but it has fallen in Fishergate.  Data from Operation Machine yet to be fully analysed.

Q. Cycling on footpaths. Parked Cars make cycling on roads dangerous, particularly at Heslington Lane – Fulford road junction.

• Plans for cycle lanes on Hospital Field Road and Fulford Road. Consultation has taken place with residents to be affected. Part of overall strategy.

Q. Are police aware of the planned areas that will be designated shared use cycle/pedestrian paths?

• Yes they are aware.

Immobilise website

• All valuables should be registered on the internet with serial numbers.
• Safe site. Home Office website. Data will be protected.
• Increases ability to return stolen items, even from other areas of the country.
• Sheffield example cited where return of goods was successful.
• More information available online and from Safer Neighbourhoods team

Q. Was there a blitz on motorists? A crackdown on use of mobile phones, not wearing seat belt, etc?

• Yes there was. Undertaken in conjunction with the crackdown on cyclists mentioned earlier.

Q. Will it continue?

• Yes. This scheme is included in the police priorities for the next three months.

Street Environment Officer

Clair Bailey Lane local street environment officer gave a situation update:

• New notice board at new walk, including map, historical and environmental information, space for notices and a vandal proof case is being designed in association with Friends of New walk and is set for completion in February or March.

Q. Who has the keys?

• There are six people with keys who live approximately two minuet walk away from the board, all phone numbers will be provided.

Q. Is that the actual size of the board? ( in reference to the image shown via the power point presentation)

• The board will be 1525x1040mm which is larger than the current board.

Q. Isn’t the board going to be liable to flooding?

• Hopefully it should be above the flood level it will be positioned higher than the current board.

• New notice board installed at Broadway shops to replace the old one which had rotted away.
• New planters outside St George’s and Alligator to replace the previously vandalised pots. They will be planted twice a year (summer/winter) and will be monitored regularly.
• TAGGY website to combat graffiti now set up. It allows interested agencies, including the Police, to update a database of graffiti tags appearing across the city which is assisting in investigations and providing important intelligence regarding offenders.

Q. Could a copy of the map used in the new notice board at New Walk be sold in local shops?

• A previous version of the trail route is already available for sale, future sales of the revised version is up for consideration if interest exists.