Agenda item

4.1       Insp. Alistair Dey, new to the Safer Neighbourhoods Team, introduced himself to the meeting. He has been a police officer for 20 years, moving between Scarborough and Whitby before coming to York. He began working with the Safer Neighbourhoods Team two months ago.

4.2       Annual crime figures are based on figures from April to April. There has been a 17% reduction in crime in Huntington and New Earswick which means that crime is down by 24.1% this year. Autocrime is down by 37.5%, burglary is down by 27%, theft is down by 14% and there has been a 28.8% detection rate. The crime statistics in the ward are bucking the national trend.

4.3       There has been an issue with speeding in the area of Jockey Lane and New Lane.

There has also been a problem with burglaries in garages in New Earswick. 5 garages in Willow Bank were broken into, with garage doors smashed and vehicles broken into. Enquiries led to warrants being issued and there were searches and arrests in New Earswick and Strensall. Some of the property was recovered in Strensall which provides good evidence against the suspects.

There have been 19 thefts in the last month, 17 of them at Asda. As part of Operation Rabbit Brush the Safer Neighbourhoods Teams from Huntington and New Earswick and Heworth carried out patrols at Monks Cross, Asda and Sainsburys. Maintaining a visual presence is reassuring for people.

4.4       The crime figures reflect reported crimes. Before the Safer Neighbourhoods Teams people were reluctant to report crimes but since we’ve had PCSOs people are more likely to report crime. Higher rates of reporting allows the police to justify the allocation of resources. One of the main mandates of PCSOs is to talk to people and encourage them to give as full a picture as possible of crime in the ward. Practically, this makes policing more accessible. Statistically, it means an increase in reported crime but the figures are more credible as a result. The government is very strict on crime reporting standards.

Cllr. D. Crawford, chair of New Earswick Parish Council, took the opportunity to congratulate the PCSOs on their work. Cllr. K. Orrell noted the big difference in aftercare and communication as a result of PCSOs. Insp. Dey pointed out that PCSOs stay in their areas

Q. Does the low crime rate relate to the fact that there are relatively few pubs in the ward?

A. I would have to compare the ward to a similar area, but it is well known that alcohol fuels crime and anti-social behaviour.

Q. The crime figures are very good but I have two concerns – complacency and the possibility of a withdrawal of services.

A. The police have limited resources so we have to be canny in terms of resources. The Safer Neighbourhoods Teams are dedicated to their area whereas reactive teams focus on crime hotspots. The next round of PCSOs will be working until midnight.

Q. Regarding the PCSO drop in sessions, will you have sessions for people who work as all the planned sessions are during the day. Also, regarding the speeding issue on New Lane, it starts at 11.30 and there are two cars racing. On Friday night it can be at 12.30. Without knowing the numbers and models of the cars, how can that be reported?

A. Tell us what you can and we may be able to piece it together. We can investigate if it is a policing issue or a design issue. You can report it on 0845 6060247.