EastEast Leeds

Making a differencelocally JanuaryApril 2015 2015 Keeping crime down in your community...

Crime in West at a 31-year low…. latest figures reveal. However, continuing support the work of our frontline staff and despite severe budget pressures. financial pressure and reducing resources looking to deploy all our resources in the "I have raised with the Temporary Chief mean the success of the past year will be most cost effective and efficient way." Constable the issue of increases in recorded increasingly difficult to sustain in future. Changes in the way crimes are recorded and violent crime and sexual offences and we Police continues to drive increased victim confidence to report are discussing what more can be done to down crime with 1,635 fewer victims of offences has led to increases in recorded bring these figures down. crime in the year up to the end of March, violent crime – up by 5,531 offences - "It is however positive that we have seen when compared with the same period the mainly non-injury crimes such as verbal decreases across many crime types, but this previous year. Reductions in house burglary harassment and common assault, and does need to set alongside crime recording and other burglaries have been recorded sexual offences which are up by 1,353. issues, and although a lot of work is being with 760 fewer victims and the number of This reflects the trend nationally and is also done by to address thefts from vehicles is down by 2,743 as a result of a change in recording practices this, I will continue to closely monitor the offences. which puts victims as the focus and has their outcomes of this work. Criminal damage and theft are also down crime reports recorded at the earliest "West Yorkshire Police has had to work with with a 27.4 per cent reduction in thefts from opportunity. This results in a better service fewer and fewer resources after severe people. West Yorkshire Police Temporary with victims reassured that their calls are Government cuts –but these figures Chief Constable Dee Collins said: "Crime is responded to quickly and effectively. Rates demonstrate that the hard work and now back at levels last seen in the early of violent offending in West Yorkshire continued commitment of officers, staff and 1980s. This is a tremendous performance remain low compared to other similar sized colleagues working in organisations tackling when considering the challenging financial force areas. crime is currently working. climate we have been operating in during T/CC Collins added: "We are constantly "While it is reassuring that crime has recent years. developing our procedures to ensure crimes reduced, police officers and staff are "Our officers and staff continue to work are recorded accurately, offering the best required to deal with more and more hard to reduce crime and these results are possible service to victims ensuring they are complex issues such as Child Sexual testament to their efforts. However as we confident that their concerns will be taken Exploitation (CSE), cyber crime, human move forward with diminishing resources it seriously and dealt with positively and trafficking and counter terrorism. I consider is difficult to see how this downward trend robustly. Mark Burns-Williamson, West data such as this on a timely basis to ensure can be sustained – in fact, we are already Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner, issues are identified quickly and acted seeing an upturn in some crimes. "We are said: "It is reassuring to see that overall upon." committed to doing everything we can to crime across West Yorkshire has fallen. deliver the best quality service to support These figures demonstrate that West the public of West Yorkshire. We are Yorkshire Police officers and staff continue investing in the very latest technology to to work hard to help bring down crime

Scrapping crime in your community

West Yorkshire Police have teamed up with • One vehicle was found to be Trading Standards and collecting with no scrap licence and to crack down on scrap crime in Leeds. had two tyres below legal limit for The small operation we undertook involved tread. The driver was issued with a us targeting small goods type vehicles warning for the tyres and they were believed to be involved in collecting scrap interviewed and warned in relation metal in the Cross Green area of the city. to the scrap. From an area of about a half mile radius at • Of the two other vehicles, one Edmund House Social Club car park, we made off from Police and was pulled over several drivers to check vehicle abandoned. This vehicle came back legality and scrap trading credentials. The on our systems as having been stolen results were as follows: so we made an arrest. The final • 10 x vehicles were checked. vehicle was found to have no • Of the vehicles checked at a static point, insurance so it was seized and a 7 were legal in relation to vehicle condition, ticket was issued. driving documents and had waste traders licence. Drugs Offender Remanded to Prison

On the morning of Monday 16th March under the Misuse of Drugs Act and Firearms request for a remand in to prison custody. officers from Police Station Act. The male occupant of the house was This is the latest of many successful search supported by a police search dog executed arrested and he has now been charged with warrants and we will continue to act upon a search warrant at a residential address on possession of cannabis with intent to information passed to us, whether in Foundry Mill Walk, . During the supply, possession of amphetamine and the person or anonymously. search of the premises a quantity of Taser. The man appeared at Leeds cannabis, amphetamine and a “Taser” Magistrates Court on the morning of March device were seized, all of which are illegal 17th and the Magistrates supported our

Two Men Charged Over Armed Robbery.

Two men were arrested and charged after Leeds were charged with robbing the post a West Yorkshire village post office was office in High Street, Boston Spa during robbed by two people in wigs, with one which a shot gun was also fired and a staff pushing the other in a wheelchair. member hit with a crowbar.

Martin James Pick, of Willow Avenue, Clifford, and Mark Pick, of Lea Farm Road, Eagled eyed officer spots repeat offender

Eagle eyed PC Carl Wilson from Inner East PC Wilson instantly gave chase and saw the entered he was subsequently arrested. This Neighbourhood Policing Team was on wanted man enter a house on Trafford man had been wanted by the Police for a patrol and on the ball this week on Avenue. PCs Wilson, Preston, Wray and number of months and has now been Lane when he sighted a known offender Hislop contained the premises ensuring charged with four offences of theft from who was wanted for four offences of theft . there was no escape and when officers shop. Drug dealers caught after police car chase

TWO men involved in heroin and crack cocaine on the Peugeot and on drugs packaging. dealing have been jailed for a total of six years and Wisdom and Smyth admitted two charges of five months. possessing Class ‘A’ drugs with intent to supply. Wisdom also admitted dangerous driving and was Ian Wisdom, 22, was arrested after a police pursuit jailed for 32 months and banned from driving for when a Peugeot car spotted driving on a pavement two years. failed to stop on Ashton Road at around 1am on March 22 2014. Wisdom failed to give way at a junction and crashed into a Citroen Picasso, abandoned the car and was spotted running away from the scene. When arrested, Wisdom was caught in possession of 39 wraps of crack cocaine and 31 wraps of heroin, with a total street value of more than £2,000 . He also had more than £2,000 in cash in his possession. Brett Smyth, 25, of Scott Hall Place, , was also arrested after his fingerprints were found

Boxer’s career dealt knock out blow

A local professional boxer’s career has been found amphetamines worth £2,000 left in ruins after he was caught with almost and a quantity of benzocaine, a half a kilo of cocaine at his home in Leeds. cutting agent for the drugs. Leeds Crown Court heard Justin Newell had Newell pleaded guilty to possession agreed to store the drug in order to pay off of cocaine with intent to supply, mounting gambling debts. possession of a class B drug with Newell was seen by officers briefly leave his intent to supply and possession of home and hiding something behind a criminal property and was jailed for conifer in the garden. Officers recovered a three years and eight months after bag containing 486 grammes of the class A he stashed the drug at a home in drug with a purity of 88 per cent. The drug Seacroft. are believed to have a street value of up to £43,000. Inside the property officers also A man has been arrested after attempting to steal off again. After this, he then went in to the taken into custody. PCSO Tunnard and PC Douglas coffee amongst other goods from local shops. On Local and stole some meat ...and then took statements and collected CCTV from all the Sunday 22nd March, the man went into the BP went to the and attempted to steal a mobile shops to gather together the evidence. We are Garage in Road and attempted to steal phone and… you guessed it, he failed miserably as pleased to say that the shoplifter has now been some coffee. He was challenged by staff and ran off. the security staff detained him. charged and remanded with 5 x shoplifting offences He then went in the Co-op and tried stealing PCs Rothery and Oldroyd attended and cuffed the and 1 x offence of assaulting a Police Officer. deodorant before staff challenged him and he ran man who then assaulted PC Oldroyd so he was

PCSO Sian Riley organised a weekend of Crime Prevention events in the area. Along with colleagues PCSO Josh Lowcock & Phil McHale they took the Police exhibition van to Waitrose and the David Lloyd Sports centre. Members of the public were encouraged to come along and learn about crime prevention, including tamper proof screws for vehicle number plates, timer switches, chimes for doors, bells to prevent purse dipping and personal attack. alarms. They also brought along some finger printing kits for the young ones to have some fun with! WEEDING OUT CRIME HELPS COMMUNITIES TO GROW

Local Officers have gone from being boys in the natural beauty of the woods, increase The idea is that they will be sold blue to helping those with green fingers public awareness, support other local at the Friends of Valley Woods recently. groups, and liaise with all appropriate Fun Day Saturday 13th June, with proceeds Following the uncovering of a cannabis organisations to achieve objectives. The paying for the event and going to charity. farm locally, a number of unused plant pots plantpots have been used to pot up some As there were so many pots, the group were located. Rather than dispose of them, cuttings. To name a few there are hardy has also been donated some to Chapel PCSOs Andrew Moffatt and Phil Cannon geranium cuttings, mint, rosemary, thyme, Allerton Allotments and plans to donate decided to donate them to Friends of spider plants, clematis, winter jasmine, some to Lidgett Lane Allotments and St Gledhow Valley Woods. The group was set philadelphus and more to come. Gemma’s Hospice. up in March 1996 to protect and enhance

On the afternoon of the 17th March PCSO The man in this case refused to comply with Compton Centre this has increased the Reedman and PCSO Metcalf were on patrol the order and he was therefore detained by amount of time we are spending on patrol on Harehills Lane near The Compton Centre the PCSOs and quickly arrested by ward in your community. when they had cause to approach and deal manager PC Bateman. After 10 and a half with a 47 year old male who was openly hours in police custody and once sober, the drinking alcohol in contravention of the man was charged with being drunk and Designated Public Place Order (DPPO.) This disorderly and possession of cannabis. order is in place to prevent and tackle anti- PCSOs and the local ward manager will social behaviour linked to alcohol and it continue to pro-actively patrol Harehills remains a priority for local officers as Lane and the surrounding streets as much agreed at public meetings and from other as is possible and those causing a nuisance feedback by residents and local businesses. linked to alcohol will face positive intervention. With PCSOs now based at The Recording suspect interviews on tapes will they can spend in our communities. "In the future we’re hoping to be able to soon be a thing of the past for West share recordings with other partner "The improved quality of audio makes for Yorkshire Police. agencies electronically, increasing the easier and more accurate transcriptions, speed of our processes. The Force is now going digital with state of with the additional benefit of visual the art machines being installed across the recordings available if needed. "Ultimately, the money we save can be put county. towards frontline policing and protecting "In the future, it will be possible for officers our communities." West Yorkshire Police Assistant Chief to record audio and video interviews away Constable Geoff Dodd said it will help bring from police premises, using a portable further efficiency savings to the Force: version of the new machines. "This transformation from analogue to "Digital Interview Recording brings us even digital will save West Yorkshire Police closer to the forefront of modern policing,

£15,000 a month on tapes alone. allowing us to ensure the best possible

service for the victims and witnesses of "We have rigorously tested the machines West Yorkshire." and used it over the busy Christmas period.

Staff found it helped make the investigative PC John Thornton from the Bradford’s process quicker, smoother and more Suspect Management Unit said it is a great effective. improvement on the old way of working: “ "Officers are able to access interviews from "The new digital format is easy and “ any device connected to the force’s paperless, allowing you to quickly listen network, increasing the amount of time back to an interview. The return of Horsewatch? Your local team are thinking about re- please contact PCSO Jackson via email: introducing 'Horse Watch' for [email protected] area, all the way to Aberford, Barwick In .uk or alternatively please contact 101 and Elmet, Scholes, , Shadwell and ask to speak with PCSO 470 Jackson. . If you would be interested in joining and would like more information Cannabis farms located and shut down

After suspicions lead to PCSO Andrew Ross Over 300 plants were found at the property encourage anyone with information about taking out the thermal imaging camera to and the farm was dismantled and cannabis such crime in your area to phone us on 101 check on properties in the the cannabis was seized and destroyed. or report online area. PCSO Ross located a cannabis farm. Enquiries are still ongoing but we would www.westyorkshire.police.uk/reportcrime.

Street Angels Leeds was set up to help You can't miss their teams, who are out You can find them on Facebook and make a safer place to be and about from 10pm - 3am, as they wear Twitter (as well as the streets) - so do ‘like’ on a night out. They help people stay safe bright yellow jackets labelled Street Angel! and ‘follow’ them and if you see them go and reduce crime. They work alongside other agencies and and say hello! their aim is to provide practical care, Their teams are out every Friday and the For more information: listening ears and look out for people as occasional Saturday and work from their Website: www.leedsstreetangels.org.uk. they work and play in all the city has to base at Holy Trinity Church on Boar Lane. Twitter: @LdsStreetAngels offer.

Got a question about policing and the Law?

Ask The Police is the official police resource for and Wales. With an A– Z of frequently asked questions and the option to send your own questions in too, it’s a valuable resource. You can access the website at : www.askthe.police.uk Online Watch Link (OWL) sends you the and local authorities to maximise the expanding watches. OWL was recently latest local crime alerts to keep you potential of Neighbourhood Watch, Rural featured on BBC Crimewatch. Sign upto informed of what’s going on, as well as Watch, Business Watch and dozens of OWL at www.owl.co.uk. helping to keep communities safe and other schemes. OWL sends you the latest reducing crime. local crime alerts and provides It's a shared, secure platform for the public management tools for maintaining and Contact us Always call 999 in an emergency where is a danger to life, or a crime progress. Call 101 for non-emergencies where police attendance is requires, to report a crime or any incident which requires the police.

East Leeds Neighbourhood Policing Division: Inner North East : Chapel Allerton, Moortown and Roundhay Inner East : , Richmond Hill, , Harehills, Killingbeck & Seacroft Outer North East : Alwoodley, Wetherby & Harewood

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© West Yorkshire Police Newsletter Author : Phillip Haigh