Area Committee NPT Update – Harrogate, Knaresborough & Boroughbridge

 

Area Commanders Update

 

North Yorkshire Police is committed to providing an outstanding service to the public of York and North Yorkshire, to keep them safe and feeling safe. As part of that commitment, we will continue to have a strong presence in neighbourhoods and communities; this helps us to understand and be responsive to community needs and to build public trust and confidence.

 

As the Superintendent for the Harrogate area, I am very much committed to this. Working alongside me as a Senior Leadership Team, are three Chief Inspectors: Chief Inspectors Jo Crooks-Rea (responsible for the Response Teams), Simon Williamson (responsible for the Neighbourhood Policing Team) and Matt Wilkinson (Responsible for Crime). I hope that in due course and during future meetings that you will have the opportunity to meet them all.

 

At present our Neighbourhood Policing Teams (NPT) are made up of both PCSOs and police officers. They are led by Sergeants and 1 Inspector. They are very much focused on crime prevention activities.

 

Harrogate Inner NPT is led by Inspector Greg Davies

Harrogate Outer NPT is led by Inspector Keeley Lockey-Smith

 

Harrogate Inner

 

NPT UPDATE:

We have welcomed several new officers and staff to Harrogate NPT inner in recent months.

 

South

PCSO Bigsby

PC James

PC Puntillo (student)

Sgt John Pepper

 

Town

PCSO Northcott

PC Cleary

PC Beardsley

 

North

PS Jon Moss

 

 

ASB and NTE – Last 90 Days

Hgte Inner = 14 Wards (Condensed to the main 3 areas North, Town & South)

 

North –

 

Killinghall

12 incidents

 

 

This consists of 8 ASB Nuisance and 3 ASB Personal, and 1ASB Environmental.

 

 

 

 

 

Saltergate

11 incidents

 

This consists of 6 ASB Nuisance and 2 ASB Personal, and 3 ASB Environmental.    

 

 

 Bilton

15 incidents

 

This consists of 13 ASB Nuisance and 1 ASB Personal, and 1ASB Environmental.

 

New Park

6 incidents

 

This consists of 2 ASB Nuisance and 4 ASB Personal.

 

 

 

Woodfield

20 incidents

 

This consists of 16 ASB Nuisance and 4 ASB Personal.  

 

 

Town

 

Town Centre - High Harrogate

21 incidents

 

This consists of 14 ASB Nuisance and 7 ASB Personal.

 

Town Centre - Low Harrogate

70

 

This consists of 596ASB Nuisance and 9 ASB Personal, and 4 ASB Environmental.

 

 

 

 

 

Harlow Moor

7 incidents

 

This consists of 3 ASB Nuisance and 4 ASB Personal.

 

 

South

 

Starbeck

24 incidents

 

This consists of 18 ASB Nuisance and 6 ASB Personal.

 

Hookstone

11 incidents

 

This consists of 6 ASB Nuisance and 4 ASB Personal, and 1 ASB Environmental.

 

 

Pannal

10 incidents

 

This consists of 5 ASB Nuisance and 5 ASB Personal.

 

Rossett

9 incidents

 

This consists of 4 ASB Nuisance and 5 ASB Personal.

 

Stray

11 incidents

 

This consists of 8 ASB Nuisance and 1 ASB Personal, and 2 ASB Environmental.

 

 

Granby

20 incidents

 

This consists of 14 ASB Nuisance and 6 ASB Personal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bilton – Reports of youths at house party, youths drinking in the street, ASB.

Repeat victim offender, NPT engaging with.

 

Woodfield – 3 occurrences relate to repeat victim/RP and known male nominal. NPT aware and supporting victim and taking appropriate action on male nominal.

Motorbikes on the greenway, multiple reports. Operation being planned to combat this.

 

Stray – reports of ASB nuisance on the Stray persons playing music through DJ equipment. This has been explored and local environmental health team notified for consideration to any breaches of stray act. But no evidence of any ASB currently. RP suitable advised. This area also identified as a popular spot for youths and groups and has been included in a dispersal zone should any dispersal notices be required.   

Further reports include male in tent on stary, NPT visited and male found support out of area.

 

Killinghall – Neighbour dispute, Moorlands Fold. NPT are engaged and working with housing to progress and reach a satisfactory solution.

Neighbour dispute at Nidd Croft. NPT aware and engaging.

 

 

The increase in ASB in Bilton, Woodfield and Stray wards when broken down is associated with youths and some ASB from known locations that are linked to vulnerable persons or drugs activity (Woodfield/Bilton). These areas have seen an increased focus in recent months around these issues and regular patrols are taking place, and increased engagement with our communities.

May is currently showing a reduction in ASB in all three wards.  

 

 

Child Exploitation CSE / CCE

 

Harrogate Inner has some of the highest risked victims in the County. There are four female victims seen to come to police attention with one young person with 377 involved occurrences linked to them. This does include intelligence, and 107 incidents linked to CSE, and many of these relate to missing person episodes.

However, through collaboration with partners, we have significantly reduced the number of incidents and engagement continues with the individuals, their families, partners, education and children’s social care.

 

We currently have 2 High Risk Child Exploitation Perpetrators. Continued work is ongoing to introduce a Slavery Trafficking Risk Order for one, and arrests and bail conditions, and CAWN’s have been put in place. These actions have had a significant impact on child exploitation, and we have seen a reduction in those we believe were at risk of exploitation. Missing and Exploitation Team are continuing positive work with partners and families to engage with both victims and perpetrators.     

All of this has resulted in much fewer calls for service and fewer victims.

 

Op Buggy was introduced to provide a focus on a specific group of young persons believed at risk of Child Criminal Exploitation and to target perpetrators. The ongoing work between NYP and partners has been positive with a significant change in the intelligence picture around these young persons and their risks and exposure to exploitation.

 

Current PSP’s & Operations 

 

Op Buggy is the operation focused on identifying the perpetrators of child criminal exploitation against vulnerable young persons and taking appropriate action to safeguard the children and to bring offenders to justice. Since the introduction of Op Buggy, we have seen a significant and positive change in the intelligence picture and continue to work hard to safeguard young persons.

Op Cone is the operation introduced to combat ASB in the Harrogate Town Centre by youths and adults. After seeing a sudden increase in ASB amongst a large group of young people, Harrogate NPT and partners took positive action to identify all those involved. Due to the level of violence that was evidenced in some incident’s arrests were made on a small group of young persons. Dispersal orders were actioned where appropriate, bail conditions introduced, and other young persons identified as being part of the groups causing the ASB were spoken to with parents. Working with the Community safety Hub we have issued ABC warning letters and introduced ABC’s to several young persons. We have also taken the time to engage with parents and carers alongside partners to provide the appropriate support to them.      

 

Op Codon Following the successful prosecution and convictions of 3 males for burglary offences in the Harrogate area, we introduced Op Codon to investigate a series of 2in1 burglaries in the Harrogate area. Following proactive patrols in targeted areas and intelligence led policing we have arrested five nominals for offences of burglary. These investigations remain ongoing and we have seen a reduction in 2in1 offences since August 2025.

 

Op Solar Whilst not a problem-solving plan, we have continued our active engagement and reassurance patrols to our Jewish community following several violent incidents both nationally and internationally.  

 

Op Sceptre / OP Divan

Knife crime is a national concern particularly with youths. Our NPT teams often work with our school liaison officers to produce and deliver crime and safeguarding education at our local schools and colleges. We have a knife amnesty bin in the town centre that is emptied weekly removing potential future risks.

 

PSP’s

·         PSP for shop theft in town centre and the wider Woodfield estate. This also includes CBOs for prolific offenders.

·         PSP for Op Cone -ASB Youths, ABC’s also issued.  

·         Motorbikes on Greenway/Harrogate.

 

 

 

Cuckoo / Vulnerable Victim’s

Our teams regularly conduct impromptu welfare checks on some or very vulnerable potential “Cuckoo” victims in company with Housing staff and the Community Safety Partnership Hub to ensure they get the support that they need and are as protected as well as much as is possible.

Recently as part of Op Tornado the NPT Team and Community Safety Partnership Hub have carried out several arrests for drugs offences and are currently working towards a full premises closure order. We have also led focused days of activity on the Bilton and Woodfield estates

Good work of note – following multiple reports of drugs activity and ASB, officers conduct regular cuckooing visits of an address in Harrogate, and an adult female is arrested for drugs offences. As a result of the continued activity, we are working with CSH to obtain a closure notice of the premises.

 

 

Priorities – Tasking & Vulnerability Patrol Plan (TVP)

 

·         OP BUGGY

·         OP CODON

·         Op CONE

 

·         Safeguarding Most Vulnerable - Visiting and safeguarding our most vulnerable victims of Domestic abuse, CSE / CCE and Cuckoo victims by actively targeting/disrupting the perpetrators and supporting victims.

 

·         Nighttime Economy and Op Hotspot patrols  

 

·         VAWG – Op Vigilant patrols

Compared to the same period last year we have seen a -25% reduction in VAWG related crime. 

2025

2026

 

VAWG

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

25

54

77

55

37

223

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

25

35

57

50

25

167

-35%

-26%

-9%

-32%

-25%

 

·         Prevention work – Providing focus and planning for the release of convicted criminals to provide the appropriate support to prevent re-offending and take robust and positive action to those who continue to offend upon release.

 

·         Retail Crime – New dedicated team for prevention and early intervention in retail crime, for Harrogate Town.

Positive outcomes data period 21/05/2024 – 01/05/2025 (Dashboard only begins from 21/05/2024)

County Command as a whole – 55.67%

Harrogate (inner and outer) – 59.26%

 

Positive outcomes data period 01/05/2025 - 01/05/2026

County Command as a whole – 61.52%

Harrogate (inner and outer) – 65.84%

 

Particular good work highlights over the last 12 months

 

Chocolate shop thefts – February 2026

An OCG travelling group being monitored by Op Opal came to North Yorkshire and committed a series of high value chocolate thefts (£5000 in total) over the course of a week around the York/Harrogate/Knaresborough area. 2 of the offenders were identified and stopped by RPG. They were charged with the thefts and received an 8-month jail sentences suspended for 12 months. They were also issued a CBO banning them from entering any Tesco’s, Sainsburys and CO-OP anywhere in the UK.

 

Prolific cross-border criminal September 2025

An unknown nominal was frequently travelling to Harrogate/Boroughbridge to commit high value alcohol thefts. Officers linked in with Op Opal and neighbouring forces to establish an identity for the male and the same day, successfully obtained an ID and managed to stop the vehicle in a neighbouring force. The nominal was arrested and charged where he then received a 34-week prison sentence.

 

The retail crime team continue to work with the CSH to obtain CBOs on the most prolific nominals and with IOM/probation to achieve recall to prisons thereby keeping prolific offenders in custody for longer.

 

 

 

 

 

Upcoming events of focus

Fifa World Cup 2026 – NTE resources in place with high visibility patrols.

Great Yorkshire Show

 

 

 

G. Davies

Inspector 1760

Harrogate Inner Neighbourhood Policing Team