Operation Target came to Harrogate yesterday (Tuesday 14 March 2017).
The special operation ran from 8am to midnight and saw officers from:
- Roads Policing Group
- Road Crime Team
- Rural Task Force
- Firearms Support Unit
- Neighbourhood Policing Teams
- Special Constabulary
The aim of the operation was to help boost to local policing teams, to engage with local people, deter and target criminals, gather intelligence and provide a further reassuring presence in local communities.
The key theme of the operation is vulnerability
Officers were tasked with targeting and disrupting criminality and those who exploit the vulnerable. They also proactively offered safety advice and guidance to local residents and gathered information and intelligence to inform future activity.
Arrest warrants were actioned, with a 26-year-old man from Harrogate being arrested on suspicion of supplying class B drugs. He currently remains in police custody.
Roads policing officers carried out speed enforcement activity in and around Pannal. Mobile patrols were also out and about focusing on drink and drug drivers and those who continue to ignore the warnings around mobile phone usage behind the wheel. A 21-year-old man from Huby was arrested on suspicion of driving whilst over the prescribed limit for drugs and currently remains on police bail.
Officers also contacted potential victims of bogus doorstep callers to offer crime prevention advice and encourage people to sign up to North Yorkshire Community Messaging – a system that allows members of the public to receive alerts about crime and incidents in their area.
The evening shift saw officers and specials from local teams conducting high visibility patrols to detect drug dealing and anti-social behaviour, disrupt criminality and provide reassurance to local residents.
Just before midnight, ANPR capability located and enabled officers to arrest a 53-year-old man on suspicion of fraud by false representation for altering his number plate to evade detection and for breaching his bail conditions not to enter a specific area.
Speaking about the operation Inspector Rich Champion said: Operation Target has provided the local teams with a boost of coordinated resources which has resulted in extra enforcement being carried out in the Harrogate area. The week-long operation is looking to engage with local communities and strengthen their resolve against those individuals who target the vulnerable. Officers have been speaking to local residents, encouraging them to report any suspicious activity and to sign up for North Yorkshire Community Messenger.
High visibility patrols have both acted as a deterrence and reassurance and enabled vital intelligence to be gathered to inform future police activity.
Visit the Safer countryside page of the North Yorkshire Police website for more information about help and support available in rural areas, and NYCM.co.uk to find out about Community Messaging.
The operation will target a different area of North Yorkshire each day.
