Deputy PCC Mayor Hails Big Anti Social Behaviour Drop in Scarborough Hotspot

North Yorkshire's Deputy Mayor for Police Fire and Crime has been speaking on continuing plans to curb antisocial behaviour locally.

Jo Coles says authorities are looking at the issue carefully through online public meetings and through an uplift in Neighborhood Policing teams.

She added that there's been a significant reduction in antisocial behaviour in Trafalgar Square in Scarborough and the centre of town in general due to a prohibition on consuming alcohol on the street.

But things like under reporting crimes are a concern:

 

"Antisocial behaviour data can be quite difficult to pin down because it's not always crimed and labelled in that way. But for example, issues that are resolved through a community resolution order, which is the lowest disposal type that is, that is available to the police. Are things that are being allocated as antisocial behaviour offenses.

"It also means that through that approach, which the Neighborhood Policing teams are taking, that victims of low level crime and antisocial behaviour can have a greater say in what happens as a result of things that they've been reporting. I am, it is something I'm concerned about underreporting around antisocial behaviour, which I'm sure other members of the committee would also be concerned about."

She says North Yorkshire police that have been undertaking safer streets work and hotspot policing over the summer as a result of additional funding that has been provided by the government.

And as a result of that, over the course of the summer, 45 hotspots were identified across York and North Yorkshire:

" For example, Trafalgar Square in Scarborough. Over 76% reduction in antisocial behaviour. So overall there has been some real, really good impacts from the additional resources that we've put in place. We've also had a public space protection order in place in Scarborough which has made policing of Scarborough Town Centre over the summer.

"Significantly easier in terms of prohibiting the consumption of alcohol in Scarborough Town Centre. And we're also trying to just make sure that we are proactively finding ways for the public to report more easily that is going to be easier through the increase in Neighborhood Policing that we are going to see across the across the region."

There was a 13% overall reduction in those areas where that hotspot policing took place. It was the funding that 45 areas, 6,622, additional hours of additional high profile policing patrols took place as a result of that hotspot policing.

She added:

"Just to draw people's attention to. I know that certain town and parish councils have been, have raised particular concerns in their areas. Sherburn Town Council I met with them over the summer because there'd been a particular issue in Sherburn. And the Neighbourhood Policing team came out to meet with them and, there is also work that we are looking at in terms of early intervention and prevention to make sure that we tally together information around antisocial behaviour with the early intervention and prevention work that we're trying to make sure that we're doing through the commissioning partnerships to make sure that we're also commissioning interventions in the places where we've got particular problems to pick up on those as well."