Police and street rangers team up to tackle problems in York city centre

A two-week operation led to more than a dozen arrests in York city centre.

Operation Fisherman saw police work alongside the York BID’s street rangers to respond to issues raised by local people, including anti-social behaviour linked to drug use.

Acting on reports from members of the public and businesses, officers from York’s Neighbourhood Policing Team conducted extensive patrols in hot-spot areas with support from the street rangers.

This operation alone resulted in ten people stopped and searched under the Misuse of Drugs Act.

More than a dozen people were arrested for offences including drunk and disorderly, possession of drugs, and failure to attend court.

Extra ‘eyes and ears’

Inspector Andy Godfrey of York Police, said:

We acted on information from local businesses, who reported concerns about issues linked to drug use in parts of the city centre.

Officers have been targeting those areas with highly-visible, proactive patrols, and dealing robustly with any issues.

The York BID Street Rangers give us extra ‘eyes and ears’ to help us identify issues early, and deal with them appropriately, as well as providing reassurance and deterring anti-social behaviour in the first place, so our partnership working with them is extremely beneficial.

He said the patrols had generated very positive feedback from city centre businesses, who reported a drop in anti-social behaviour.

Patrol every day

Executive director of the York Business Improvement District (BID) Andrew Lowson said:

The rangers’ ongoing business engagement brought particular concerns to light and we’re proud to be part of the coordinated response.

One of the lesser-known BID roles is to lobby key agencies on behalf of the business community we serve, and this recent police operation is an example of the fantastic partnership we’ve built with North Yorkshire Police and City of York Council.

The rangers patrol the streets of York every day because we take anti-social behaviour involving drugs and alcohol extremely seriously and want to do our part to reduce the impact for the benefit of York’s residents and visitors.

Insp Godfrey said persistent offenders may be the subject of Criminal Behaviour Order applications, with positive requirements for them to attend courses to address the underlying issues behind their behaviour or drug use.

The proactive patrols will continue through the summer. If you have concerns contact North Yorkshire Police by:

• dialling 101
• emailing [email protected]