Ripon Neighbourhood Policing Team is aware of increasing reports of anti-social behaviour being suffered in our communities since the lockdown restrictions started to ease. We are working hard with our partner agencies to deal with incidents that are reported, but would urge the public to ensure reports are made by calling 101.
Updates given by well-meaning members of our communities via Facebook or other social media accounts cannot be used as a formal reporting method. Anyone witnessing any anti-social behaviour or crime should report this to us by ringing 999 if the incident is ongoing or 101 if it has already happened. By doing so, you are not only helping us deal with incidents in real time but also to build up a picture of what is happening, so we can proactively target problem areas.
Any evidence to support reported incidents such as CCTV or mobile phone footage is very helpful in identifying those involved, particularly as we often find suspects may have run away or dispersed when we arrive. Please do not get involved in any situation, take whatever details it is safe to obtain and contact the police immediately.
Sergeant Clare Mayes of North Yorkshire Police’s Ripon Neighbourhood Policing Team said:
We know that lockdown has caused many of our community members to become isolated from their normal social groups and practices but nothing excuses the unacceptable behaviour we have recently seen and had reported.
Many of the reports we’ve received identify young people at the heart of the problems being experienced by our communities. We all have a part to play in helping everyone to stay safe and feel safe in their homes and any behaviour which undermines this will be dealt with accordingly.
Parents, please take responsibility and find out where your children have been, what they’ve been up to and who they have been with – before you receive a knock on the door from a police officer. We are absolutely committed to tackling anti-social behaviour and will be doing everything we can to ensure our communities remain safe and pleasant places to live.
