Police to crackdown on drugs

As summer gets into full swing, here Inspector Martin Wedgwood provides an update on local policing in the area.

Since my last update we have been busy moving in to the new Police Office. The Police Station located on Porthome Road is now closed and the local police officers are working from the new office which is located within the District Council Offices on Doncaster Road in Selby. This creates a new opportunity for North Yorkshire Police to work closely with our Council Colleagues to serve the public more effectively and efficiently. The front counter is open to the public between 9am and 4pm.

We have also been targeting drug taking and supply in the Selby Town area in particular. In partnership with the Council we have closed down a known drugs haunt on Flaxley Road in Selby. We have now turned our attentions to other addresses that seem to be attacking more than the average number of callers. If you suspect that there is drugs activity near you then I encourage you to let us know about it. I am committed to making Selby a safer place to live. Whilst North Yorkshire is one of the safest places to live in the country it is important that you; the community, have trust in what the local police are doing and I am keen for you to feed us with any information you may have.

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Lastly, we have been looking into crime patterns that have a real effect on the community. I am always keen to target those who find it acceptable to burgle houses in the Selby District. We live in an area that borders with Humberside, South and West Yorkshire and it is no surprise that people we suspect to be committing burglaries (and other crime) particularly in the rural areas travel across these borders without hesitation. We have secured the invaluable experience from a historic figure with Selby Police in Dave Pegg who’s sole responsibility (and indeed passion) is to put these people behind bar. Working alongside Ps Lee Maeer; who managing our local operations against travelling criminals, he has assisted our neighbouring forces to prosecute a nasty gang of burglars from the Bradford area who had targeted the Sherburn area recently. He is also looking into a couple of crimes where we believe that the offenders may be targeting firearm holders.

When people talk about local policing, they often raise the question of police numbers and the visibility of officers. As a force, we have been actively recruiting, and by the end of this financial year we will have recruited over 200 new officers – including both experienced transferees, PCSOs and student police officers. Over the next few months we will also see the inception of six new teams of officers who are being tasked with various remits including tackling crime, improving partnerships, mental health, digital engagement and problem solving but each working in collaboration with our Neighbourhood Policing Teams, Response Teams and CID to enhance and improve local policing in our area. Local policing has always been right at the heart of our service here in North Yorkshire and we will continue to work hard to ensure we have the right people in the right places to tackle the issues that affect you most. More updates coming soon – watch this space!

Over the next couple of months we will be continuing to target the following areas of business - Burglaries, anti-social behaviour, targeting those individuals who chose to prey on the members of our community who are most vulnerable.

One thing that I am trying to improve; alongside Chris Hailey-Norris who is the head of volunteer services in Selby, is the reporting of crime that is usually categorised as ‘hate crime.’ We have only just started upon this venture but we are looking to move things on as soon as we can.

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You can contact the team via email at [email protected] or to speak to an Neighbourhood team member about on-going cases ring 101, select option 2 and dial in the team members collar number, shown below before their name. For all other enquires please ring 101 and selection option 1 and always report crime through either 101 or in emergencies through 999.