Query raised

Response from the Policing, Fire and Crime Team (YNYCA)

Panel meetings prior to Oct 2025

To receive an update from the Deputy Mayor following discussions with CPS on securing prosecutions for wildlife crime.

These discussions have not yet taken place yet, and as such a further update will be provided in due course.

Seek collaboration with the Deputy Mayor on representations to govt regarding removal of firearms from individuals arrested on suspicion of serious sexual violence.

The Panel wrote to the Deputy Mayor on 21 May 2025 requesting that representations are made to central government that in order to protect the most vulnerable in our communities there needs to be a standardisation of approach to ensuring all firearms licences are suspended or revoked where an individual is under arrest on suspicion of rape or serious sexual violence.

The Deputy Mayor is awaiting further details from the Panel regarding the specifics of the case referred to in order that NYP may review.

Members’ Questions

Response

Issue raised regarding an ASB incident which had not been actioned in Selby area.

This matter is currently live and ongoing with the PFC Customer Service Team. The Customer Service Team are working with the Panel Member in question and NYP. As such this issue will be removed from the log and dealt with separately as a casework matter.

Start Safe Stay Safe app to be promoted more widely – Panel Members asked if the app could be promoted more widely, including through parish and town councils.

The app was launched on 16 September with a press release. The app and toolkit have been shared with all town and parish councils on the suggestion of the panel. The app will be further promoted on our social media channels during our “16 days of activism campaign” and is regularly being promoted at various community engagement events the team attend.

How many women were offered therapeutic treatment through the Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC)? How many accepted/rejected? Can this be broken down into whether they are from North Yorks and from York?

The SARC provider is not commissioned to provide therapeutic treatment to victims. The provider is commissioned to provide Forensic Medical Examinations if appropriate with crisis support whilst they are at the Centre, advocating on behalf of the victim during their time in the Centre, answering any questions or concerns they may have and make onward referrals to aftercare services as required. All victims are routinely offered onward referrals onto ISVA services.

Panel members can access our Commissioned Services pages if they would like to learn more about services commissioned by the PFC Directorate.

The Deputy Mayor agreed to share data about usage of Acer House. The below data is from NHS England regarding Qtr 1 performance compared with the same period from the previous year.

	Q1 2025/26	Q1 2024/25	Difference
Referrals	82	74	+8 / 11%
Examinations undertaken	40	30	+10 / 33%
Phone/Email Advice only	39	35	+4 / 11%
All Successful Contacts with Service	79	65	+14 / 22%

What is the usage of the centre by West Yorkshire Police and/or other police areas rather than North Yorkshire Police with the therapeutic treatment? Are there numbers available on this?

As above – no therapeutic services delivered from the Centre. We do have numbers on SARC Forensic Medical Examinations completed at the Centre for victims from other areas (See section 7).

Does North Yorkshire Police benefit financially from other forces using Acer House?

No, victims from across the Yorkshire and Humber may be seen at the Centre in York (as appropriate) as part of the Regional Adult SARC Contract.

Have there been any times when the 24/7 service is not available at Acer House?

Adult SARC services are available 24/7 in line with the Regional Contract.

Whilst Acer House is not staffed 24/7, wider provisions remain available.

Langdale Moor Fire

Response

Could the fire and rescue service performance pack be shared with the Panel.

The performance pack for the 20 November 2025 Online Public meeting was circulated to all Panel members for information. These reports will continue to be shared with Panel once published by the PFC Team.

Panel requested to be kept updated on the progress of the ongoing investigations into Langdale Moor wildfire and provided with info on the finalised costs of the incident when available.

This has been noted and agreed – further information to be shared with Panel when available.

Panel asked about the approach of the Fire and Rescue Service to munitions fires and how the wildfire incident has informed future thinking.

Response from North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (NYFRS):-

At Fylingdales Moor, we responded to a large wildfire where more than 20 explosions took place across the site due to buried unexploded ordnance (UXO). As a result, we had to change our operational tactics and limit firefighting activity to established access routes and prepared pathways.

This significantly increased the complexity of the incident and reduced the types of actions crews could safely carry out. The presence of UXO meant that we continued firefighting, but we had to do so in a more limited and controlled way, as some of the more direct and intrusive tactics were not possible without creating unacceptable risk. Managing incidents of this kind is always a balance between maintaining safety and using other methods to attack and control the fire. It was due to these unforeseen, high-risk conditions that Bellwin funding was granted.

Our approach is fully consistent with PI2016/01 – Guidance for Unexploded Ordnance in Infrastructure Activities, which is issued by the UK Ministry of Defence through the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO). This guidance sets out how organisations should assess and manage UXO risk when operating in environments where unexploded ordnance may be present, and it reinforces the need to prioritise life safety and maintain appropriate safety cordons. The guidance can be accessed here.

Our own NYFRS procedures, training and operational guidance mirror these same principles, particularly around risk assessment, life-safety prioritisation, and operating at a safe distance where UXO risk is present. These principles apply equally in wildfire environments: when UXO is present, responders must operate at a safe distance and public safety must remain the highest priority.

Both the Local Resilience Forum (LRF) debrief and our internal organisational debrief are still in progress. These reviews are deliberately thorough to ensure that learning is accurately captured and can meaningfully inform future practice. Once they are complete, we will review our procedures in line with the findings. However, it is foreseeable that the safe evacuation and stand-off distances for responders are unlikely to change, and that future learning is more likely to focus on how we further enhance alternative and remote methods of firefighting/containment in these types of instances.

As part of this learning, several changes have been reflected in the CRMP to strengthen our capability to deal with similar incidents in the future. These changes enhance our capacity to use alternative tactics and equipment where it is safe to do so and improve how we plan for and respond to wildfires. Two Areas of Focus have been added to support this:

1. Developing a Community Asset Register and formalising contracts with third-party providers to support our response to wildfires and other major incidents.

2. Working closely with partners to ensure we maintain suitable and resilient water provision across the Service area.

Following the Fylingdales Moor fire and feedback received through public consultation, we have also broadened a further CRMP Area of Focus to ensure investment better reflects wildfire risk: Replacing one of our two water bowsers and redirecting investment toward wildfire training, alternative vehicles, equipment and PPE, in order to improve water provision and strengthen our wildfire and rural incident response, in line with the community risk profile.

Protecting Vulnerable People

Response

Question related to Operation Encompass and how it aims to protect children from sexual abuse to help them to recover.

This is a question for North Yorkshire Police who have provided the below response:

What is Operation Encompass:

· A national early-notification scheme linking police and educational settings to support children affected by domestic abuse incidents at home.

· It ensures that if a child is present or connected to a domestic abuse incident attended by police, their school’s designated safeguarding lead (DSL) is alerted before the next school day, enabling prompt pastoral and emotional support.

· Following the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, this practice became statutory, making it a legal obligation for police forces in England to notify schools.

How It Works (General Process)

1. Incident attended - Police attend a domestic abuse incident where children are present, witness it, or are connected to the household.

2. Notification sent - An early alert email is sent to the school's Key Adult or DSL before the next school day. It includes the child’s name, incident date, police reference, and basic details.

3. Follow-up details

· Later in the day, the school receives a more detailed report:

· date/time/location of the incident

· persons involved and their relationships

· whether the child was present, and their location

· observations about the child’s demeanour and whether they were spoken to by officers.

4. School support -The DSL uses this information to offer trauma-informed, personalised support, adjusting the child’s day or schedule to mitigate emotional impact.

5. Training & resources - Operation Encompass provides free training and materials for staff in schools, nurseries, and childminders to better identify and help affected children.

North Yorkshire Police: Specific Implementation

· Dedicated team: A two-officer unit within the department’s Vulnerability Assessment Team manages the operation.

· Structured notifications: Early-alert email: Sent rapidly with minimal but critical details (child’s name, date, reference number). Full report: Provides comprehensive context—incident specifics, who was involved, child’s presence/location, demeanour, and background.

· Purpose: Empower schools to understand each child's lived experience and deliver tailored pastoral care.

· Advice-driven: Early alerts come with guidance on follow-up actions and emphasise trauma-informed approaches.

· Contact point: For further queries, schools can reach out to the police unit via opencompass@northyorkshire.police.uk.

Impact and Benefits

· Timely intervention: Alerts before school enables immediate support, reducing children arriving at school in crisis.

· Consistent coverage: Applies to all schools and eligible early years settings across the force area.

· Staff training: Ensures school-based DSLs and staff are prepared to respond effectively.

· Legislative compliance: Fully aligns with national mandatory data-sharing requirements under the Domestic Abuse Act.

Operation Encompass, therefore, plays a key role in North Yorkshire by ensuring that children affected by domestic abuse receive prompt, informed support within education settings. The combination of immediate alerts, structured information, DSL empowerment, and dedicated police coordination makes it a proactive safeguarding tool, embedding trauma-awareness into both policing and educational practice.

Question (FF) on the Community Safety Serious Violence Fund (section 3.6): What is the allocation for 2025/26 and how will it be spent?

The total Community Safety Serious Violence Fund (CSSVF) budget 2025-26 is £357,465.17:-

· SVD specific element £221,692.32

· CS £135,772.85

CSSVF 2025-26 projects shows the total spend against each project and it is referenced if was SV funding only if this helps inform the Panel of the specific detail.

What is the support given to adults and child victims in respect of therapeutic intervention whilst a criminal investigation is ongoing and is there data on the current time lag between an investigation ending and when any court proceedings are completed?

This matter has been referred to the Local Criminal Justice Partnership Board. The DMPFC will report back to the Panel in due course. NYP have provided the following information:

North Yorkshire Police deploy Family Liaison Officers (FLOs) in line with Authorised Professional Practice and the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) Practice Advice. The Victims’ Code also outlines the rights relating to FLO deployment. Detailed records are kept for every deployment; however, these do not distinguish between deployments to victims’ families and those involving suspects’ families. Each deployment includes a strategy set by the Senior Investigating Officer (SIO), outlining the reasons and specific actions.

It is likely that FLOs have been deployed to perpetrators’ families in multiple incidents. For example, in domestic homicide cases, FLOs are often assigned to children of both the victim and the perpetrator, as their relationship to the victim necessitates deployment. In cases of child death where parents are suspects, FLOs would not be deployed to the parents but may be assigned to grandparents who have rights under the Victims’ Code. Each decision depends on the unique circumstances and family structure of the investigation.

Is data held for York and North Yorkshire on the number of children under the age of 12 (that have been subject to sexual abuse) and how long the court delays are in these cases?

Data regarding specific crimes reported are not held by the PFC Directorate as they are recorded and published by NYP.

In terms of how many ‘IDAS’ support for the period (who are the commissioned service provider of our ISVA service): -

Q2 of 25/26, 67 of cases being supported were aged were aged 0-15

Q2 of 24/25, 89 of cases being supported were aged 0-15.

The matter of court delays will be picked up with the Local Criminal Justice Partnership Board.

Tackling Online Fraud and Cyber Crime

Response

Question raised regarding 3.4 dashboard ‘Other Fraud’ (blue bar) is the second highest category, but what does it comprise?

Action Fraud is being replaced, publicly being launched in January 2026 (see action 18). The "Other" category is a "catch-all" and is often large, illustrating the difficulty in classifying the constantly evolving nature of fraud crimes with fixed counting rules.

The New Report Fraud tool is working to update and provide better data, further information can be found at A-Z of fraud and cyber crime - Report Fraud

Question raised about younger people falling victim to sextortion online blackmail and if we know the scale of it.

NYP have run external comms campaigns to raise awareness of sextortion and help people protect themselves and their families. Our School Liaison Officers deliver inputs and interventions in online safety which support the messages to keep young people safe. We also have a page on our public facing website - Online child abuse | North Yorkshire Police - which deals with sextortion.

Increasing access to social media by young people as well as increased awareness and confidence to report is potentially behind the increase in reports we have seen specifically from young people under 18. Further details have been circulated to the Panel by NYP on this matter.

Request/action regarding promotion of Action Fraud in the wider community.

Action Fraud is being replaced in January 2026 with a new service called Report Fraud. A National campaign is being rolled out in January 2026 which we will actively promote in the New Year.

CRMP

Response

Costs of bowsers – would renting one be cheaper than sticking with existing two?

On the change proposals, it was noted by the Deputy Mayor that the FRS was looking at both the alarm extension and the bowser change proposals again to provide assurances to the Deputy Mayor around what the impact on commissioning will involve going forwards. It was stated that “further clarification will be put in the public domain on this in due course.”

Please see the attached decision notice: DN6/YNYCA/M/2025 - Approval of the new NYFRS Community Risk Management 2025-2029 - York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority – Policing, Fire and Crime Team