It began with a farm burglary in Skipton and ended with a mass brawl in York.
And during the intervening 12 hours, all human life was there.
This was the North Yorkshire Police Tweetathon, where they Tweeted every call to the York force control room between 2pm yesterday and 2am this morning (Saturday, 18 December).
Because it leads into the last weekend before Christmas, the night is known as Mad Friday. And there were plenty of strange and eye-opening incidents among the hundreds of calls to the police.
Some of the stranger incidents included a sheep loose on Penny Pot Lane in Harrogate, an unknown caller who “knocked so loud it set off the Christmas decorations”, a naked drunk-driver in Northallerton, and this one:
But how was the night for police in York? Well, extremely varied. Here are the main incidents in the city reported during the 12-hour Tweetathon.
The afternoon: Falls and altercations
2.24pm: Call from a film company to say that there will be a large explosion and controlled fire in the Selby district the evening. No risk to the public
3.27pm: Report of a shop theft from a York store. Two suspects took items into a changing room, removed security tags and left, making no attempt to pay. Police will follow up and look at CCTV
4.23pm: Caller reporting a damage only road traffic collision near York. The other driver drove off but caller said they may not have realised what had happened.
4.46pm: Reports of a suspected drink driver turn out to be false:
4.58pm: A man has been causing issues at a hostel in York. “He left and is not there now, but we have the details should he come back,” say police.
5.42pm: A caller is reporting ongoing issues with antisocial behaviour in an area of York. “We’re concerned these could escalate, so our local Neighbourhood Policing Team will be looking into this further.”
5.43pm: Automated message received from an Apple watch stating the wearer had fallen in York. Contact made with someone on scene who confirmed the wearer had fallen and injured themselves. Ambulance called.
6.40pm: Reports of an altercation near a bus stop in York. Officers attend but those involved have left the scene.
6.59pm: Call from police officer reporting a driver who has been transporting a passenger in their car boot. The driver is due to appear in court.
7.06pm: A ‘loud noise’ is heard in York:
7.44pm: A bus driver has reported difficulty getting through Haxby Road in York – cars are parked all over the place. “We’re just taking the details, but if your car is parked there, now would be a great time to move it out of the way!”
Night-time violence begins
8.04pm: We’ve had a report of an incident of violence at a city centre bar in York. The suspect has left the scene.
8.19pm: Pub near York reports an individual who’s claiming they’re unable to pay after racking up a substantial bill. They are becoming aggressive to pub staff. Officer at the scene.
9.08pm: Caller reporting that a family member was assaulted earlier this evening outside a pub in York and that they received a blow to the head. Police take the details and arrange a follow up.
10.15pm: Report received of a vehicle found crashed into a lamp post and driver nowhere to be seen. “Officers are at scene and have run plate, contacted registered keeper who reports car as stolen. We’re taking details and contacted City of York Council to report damaged lamp post.”
10.40pm: A teenager has had a bad night:
10.54pm: A woman has contacted police to say her mobile phone was stolen out of her bag last night in a take-away in York The woman is from Liverpool and was on a night out so doesn’t know the name of the take-away.
11.16pm: Car driver seen going the wrong way down a street in central York. Officers locate it and issue the driver with a traffic offence report.
11.24pm: CCTV has captured footage of a man smashing a window in York city centre. Officers attend and arrest a suspect.
12.00am: As Mad Friday hits midnight, there is a problem at a York hotel:
12.22am: Caller reports that his girlfriend has just been assaulted by an unknown male in York city centre. The caller gives a good description of the man, “and details passed to CCTV to locate male”.
12.38am: “Man acting in an intimidating and suspicious way near a property in York. Caller is home alone and very alarmed and scared An officer has been dispatched”
1.09am: A 15-year-old is arrested on suspicion of affray after officers responded to a domestic incident in York.
1.38am: A man has been assaulted and hurt in York, with injuries reported to his hand. His attacker’s description is passed to the CCTV team who look out for him in the city centre.
2.01am: The Tweetathon comes to an end with another report of violence in York, this time a “massive brawl in Tang Hall”: