Concerned residents in one area of York are urging parents to keep their children in check.
It follows complaints from several people that a youth has been carrying a knife in Haxby.
Police presence has increased in the area, but some frustrated locals fear this isn’t enough.
One Haxby resident, who has asked to remain anonymous, told YorkMix what she knew about the individual.
“The first time I came across him was four or five years ago when he mindlessly destroyed a public toilet, rendering it completely unusable.
“He would also often disturb diners at the Curious Coffee shop,” she said.
‘Nothing done’
She believes nothing is ever done to stop him, which has made things worse as time has gone on.
“He regularly cavorts round the village with his mates, destroying property and threatening people but nothing is ever done.”
She and another local told YorkMix that they hadn’t noticed the increased police presence in the area.
“My view is the police don’t appear to do very much, he should have been stopped as a young teenager. Now he carries knives and has been getting increasingly threatening in his behaviour,” she added.
The Haxby resident also recalled a recent incident when the individual pushed over an older female passenger who tried to stop him from damaging the bus.
“Years ago they’d have been put in borstal, but everyone just lets it escalate now,” she said.
Another mum from Haxby told us: “I’m only aware of what’s going on through social media, but it scares me having young children who are starting to go out on their own into the village.”
Getting worse
The residents felt like anti-social behaviour had escalated in Haxby over the last year.
During the summer, Haxby Sports Bar had to stop showing the England Euro football matches. This was after a fight broke out in the premises.
They stated: “Unfortunately due to the events that occurred during the recent England match, until further notice we will not be showing any Euro 2024 games.
“We appreciate that this is disappointing but after discussions with the council, we believe it is in the best interests of the club.”
The bar was also forced to operate on a ‘members only’ basis due to troublemakers.
Earlier that month, officers introduced a Section 35 dispersal order for Haxby on 5 July.
This was in response to reports of young people planning a ‘huge fight’, and parents were asked to check where their children were that evening.
One resident revealed that a local bus driver had recently labelled Haxby as the worst area in York for violent behaviour on the bus.
‘Huge concern’
YorkMix spoke to Andrew Hollyer, Liberal Democrat Councillor for the Haxby and Wigginton Ward.
He understands residents’ concern, particularly over the reports of youngsters carrying knives.
“Obviously that’s a huge, huge concern. And it’s not just something in Haxby, it’s across the country at the moment.
“But it’s something that definitely needs stamping out as quickly as possible,” he said.
Cllr Hollyer also feels for the older community of the area, saying: “Haxby and Wigginton have a slightly older demographic, and the anti-social behaviour is something that can prevent people going out and enjoying their normal day to day routines.” he said.
In response to the anti-social behaviour, Cllr Hollyer believes more deterrents need to be introduced.
“One of the issues we faced is the resourcing. We used to have quite a significant fund for the ward, which we were planning to use to help do things such as install CCTV.
“Unfortunately, it got cut when Labour came in, so we’ve not been able to take forward some of the projects we’d have liked to which would have helped with some of the issues,” he added.
Not only does Cllr Hollyer believe that more CCTV in Haxby could limit anti-social behaviour, but he also feels it’s necessary to reassure residents.
He urges anyone who witnesses any crime or anti-social behaviour to contact the Police directly, so issues can be dealt with efficiently.
“I think the main thing is to try and get people to report every single instance. We sometimes go and say to the police that we’re getting lots of reports on behaviour, and they’ll have no trace of it on their system,” he said.
Police response
The local neighbourhood policing Inspector, Lee Pointon, said: “We are aware of the antisocial behaviour issues in Haxby and understand the impact that they are having on the local community.
“As part of our response we have implemented a targeted activity plan which includes patrols at designated times in hot spot areas, working with our partners in the community and conducting home visits.
“We want everyone to be able to enjoy living and working in their local area. We’ve conducted various resident engagement events to ensure we understand the concerns and problem areas so we can better address the issues.
“I’d urge anyone experiencing or witnessing incidents of antisocial behaviour to please report online via our website or call 101. You can also receive direct alerts from us by signing up to North Yorkshire Community Messenger.”
You can report incidents to the Police by calling 101, or online through the North Yorkshire Police website.