Chief Constable Tim Madgwick recently visited the Harrogate Town Safer Neighbourhoods Team in recognition of their success in reducing crime and disorder
Harrogate has seen an overall reduction of 27% so far this year, compared to the same period last year.
The Chief Constable spent time with the PC’s and PCSO’s discussing their successful problem solving and community engagement activities that had been conducted by the team.
PCSO Amanda O’Rourke talked to the Chief Constable about her work with retailers to drive down crime affecting local businesses. Operation Bottle has reduced crime and anti-social behaviour in the night-time economy using engagement with the community, who are now cooperating more than ever before, to assist the police in identifying and catching offenders.
Inspector Prendergast said:
I am hugely proud of the incredible achievements of this talented and highly committed team of officers since my arrival earlier this year.
They have worked tirelessly, with huge support from our partners and the community, ensuring that Harrogate is fast becoming one of the safest towns in the country. As a result of this success, we can now focus even more on the few individuals who remain intent on committing crime, leaving them with no excuses, and with no place to hide.
The Chief Constable then spent the afternoon on foot patrol with PC Graham Frostick who was a previous Safer Neighbourhoods officer of the year for the Harrogate Town Centre.
They where able to meet many people face to face from the local community, while the Chief Constable was able to hear their personal experiences of policing in Harrogate.
Overall crime -27% (276 less victims of crime so far)
- Violence -11%
- Theft -28%
- Theft from vehicles -65%
- Dwelling Burglary -39%
- Other Burglaries -55%
- Criminal Damage -14%
- Anti-social behaviour -19%
Chief Constable Tim Madgwick said:
In many areas people don’t always report crime – in Harrogate they do, showing a real strength in the community in joining forces to fight crime.
Many people still want to be part of the wider crime fighting team and the PCSCO’s have formed great contacts with local stores and businesses, giving them the ability to solve just about every problem they encounter.
We are aspiring to maintain a high level of service to the public and have looked at ways to personalise the service. As an example, with the ability to route telephone calls to our radios while on the streets allows us to improve the contact with the public.
I challenge my officers to think that if they were a member of the public, what would they want the Police to do for them. I want them to put themselves in the place of the public and think what more they could be doing.
The Harrogate Town Safer Neighbourhoods Team has a really strong mix, with a good blend of different skills that is being led well.
The old station was really just not sustainable from either an operational or health and safety perspective. We managed to work with the Police Authority and make a capital investment without having to use PFI. It is a significant investment, but one that has given us some of the best custody facilities in the country. Also, the mood has lifted greatly with the officers now in their improved working environment.
The new station really has been a great move for the town.
