Minutes:
In response to a question received about anti-social behaviour reports, how successful the police detects those involved and how the crimes reported are followed up, the Deputy Mayor set out the work to carefully monitor data on offences committed and how this is publicised through the online public meetings. It was cautioned that anti-social behaviour data can be difficult to draw accurate trends on, as it is not always labelled as such in the reporting system and there are concerns of underreporting in communities. In terms of resolving anti-social behaviour complaints, Community Resolution Orders are increasingly used to enable victims of low level crime and anti-social behaviour to have a greater say in any outcomes. It was further noted that North Yorkshire Police have been undertaking ‘Safer Streets’ work and hotspot policing over the summer, as a result of additional funding from central government. 45 areas were identified as hotspots, receiving extra resources through 6,622 additional hours and 14,337 extra high profile policing patrols over the summer. This has led to a 13% overall reduction in reports from those targeted hotspot areas. Some examples include:
· Thirsk Market Place - 50% reduction
· Skipton Road, Harrogate - 50% reduction
· Sycamore Avenue, Old Malton - nearly 60% reduction
· Trafalgar Square, Scarborough - over 60% reduction
· Haxby, York - 76% reduction
The Deputy Mayor also highlighted the impact of a public space protection order in Scarborough town centre over the summer, that has assisted officers in prohibiting the consumption of alcohol in that high footfall area. Proactive work is also underway to make it easier for members of the public to report anti-social behaviour concerns more easily. The recent increase in neighbourhood policing officers will also help tackle anti-social behaviour across the region. Work is also underway to link the data together with the early intervention and prevention information through the commissioning partnerships.
Following concerns raised by town and parish councils, the Deputy Mayor flagged that she had attended Sherburn-in-Elmet Town Council in the summer, with the Neighbourhood Policing team also going out to meet with them. In response to a supplementary question setting out details of a particular incident, it was agreed for the committee member to share details with the Deputy Mayor in writing to follow this up.
Linked to this issue, a member raised an incident of alleged threatening behaviour related to PROW access in a rural area of the region, and the need for the Rural Taskforce to be alive to the increasing frequency of these incidents occurring. The Deputy Mayor suggested the new measures from the Crime and Policing Bill, currently going through the House of Lords, in particular the proposed ways of dealing with anti-social behaviour, may be an area of interest for the Panel in the future.
A further question was raised on the growth of youth gangs, particularly in York, concerning violence and two wheeled crime. It was asked how the police are taking a strategic approach to this increase in gang activity, as well as how the Panel can be reassured that a process is in place to address this. In response, the Deputy Mayor explained that the joint work of the neighbourhood policing teams, together with the schools teams and the local authorities through the youth justice teams is all tied in together, along with the commissioned services to ensure there is a partnership approach. The work of the police, fire and rescue service to respond to particular arson incidents was highlighted, and the spread of these across multiple areas of the city. Work is going on to reach out through schools to highlight to young people the risks involved and the possible criminal implications of arson.
On illegal bikes, police are progressing a number of specific operations on this, with a number of e-bikes already seized. New measures in the Crime and Policing Bill should enable officers to seize bikes that are used illegally. In crimes such as these, the reporting is crucial to help identify and respond to any data trends early as they emerge.
In response to a question on how the flying of flags on lampposts and painted on roundabouts impacts on the strategic aim of the Deputy Mayor to make people feel safe and be safe in York and North Yorkshire, it was noted in response that it is a complicated situation, as it sits between the responsibilities of the local authority and the police. Flags are seen as symbols of national pride by some, whereas others see them differently as signs of intimidation. The Deputy Mayor felt that people are entitled to fly flags on personal property or on vehicles, but they can’t be used as a green light to behave differently towards people in their communities.
The Deputy Mayor emphasised that she has been closely monitoring reports of intimidation and hate crime that have been received, but the anecdotal information isn’t currently reflected in the data presented to the Hate Crime Partnership meetings. Quarterly data from July to September 2025 showed 387 hate crime reports were recorded across the force area, of which 149 were in York, which was actually a slight drop on the data from the previous quarter. Over a longer period of time, the data shows a big increase in hate crime incidents across the whole patch since 2020, of which approximately 60% is believed to be racially motivated. The Deputy Mayor expressed concern about the effect this may have on communities and wider public sector workers, particularly the Police and Fire and Rescue workers who are subject to hate crime and intimidation. If people don’t feel safe, then they should have the confidence to report what happened through the various means, such as by calling 101 and they now have the option of reporting street-based harassment anonymously through the new ‘Start Safe, Stay Safe’ app. The Deputy Mayor reiterated that reporting any incidents is important to help build a picture of what is happening out there in communities.
The Deputy Mayor noted there is a wider challenge for the Hate Crime Partnership to ensure that incidents in communities are picked up in real time, to make sure people feel safe. After attending an event at the synagogue in Harrogate on Saturday, whilst sad that a police presence is required at times outside mosques and synagogues, it is key that the police are engaging with our places of worship across the region. Any schools that have concerns are welcome to make contact with the Neighbourhood Policing teams to discuss how they can help. Recent examples include visits to the primary school in Stokesley to talk about restorative justice. The Chair also suggested that Town and Parish Councils be used as a conduit to relay and share information to raise awareness in local communities.
Finally, the therapeutic work taking place at the Acer House Victims’ Centre was queried, such as the number of cases where therapeutic treatments has been offered and whether it was subsequently accepted and rejected. It was also asked about if other policing areas use the facility. In response, it was shared that since the opening in March up to the end of September 2025:
· 65 victims over the age of 16 and 4 young victims aged 13 to 15 had undergone a forensic medical examination at Acer House
· 19 victims over the age of 16 and 3 young victims had undergone forensic medical examination at another SARC site in Yorkshire and the Humber.
· 8 victims under the age of 12 had a non-recent examination at Acer House.
· 7 victims under the age of 12 had undergone a forensic medical examination in West Yorkshire.
· 213 Video-Recorded Interviews had been offered at Acer House. The video recording suites have been operational since February 2025.
· It was important to note that partnerships exist at other sites to the North and the West of the region to allow victims a choice of facility.
The information was welcomed, but the lack of data regarding therapeutic treatments to better support victims as part of their recovery and healing was of concern. Further detailed information on this was to be provided by the Deputy Mayor.
It was further emphasised that contact with the police is not required in order to attend Acer House following any incident, this can be done easily by directly contacting the centre, to enable forensic evidence to be gathered without delay.
Following this, the item was brought to a close.