EastLeeds

Leeds
East

Making a difference locally

April 2015
January
2015

Keeping crime down in

your community...

Crime in West Yorkshire at a 31-year low.

latest figures reveal. However, continuing
financial pressure and reducing resources
mean the success of the past year will be
increasingly difficult to sustain in future.
West Yorkshire Police continues to drive
down crime with 1,635 fewer victims of
crime in the year up to the end of March,
when compared with the same period the
previous year. Reductions in house burglary
and other burglaries have been recorded
with 760 fewer victims and the number of
thefts from vehicles is down by 2,743
offences.
Criminal damage and theft are also down
with a 27.4 per cent reduction in thefts from
people. West Yorkshire Police Temporary
Chief Constable Dee Collins said: "Crime is
now back at levels last seen in the early
1980s. This is a tremendous performance
when considering the challenging financial
climate we have been operating in during
recent years.
"Our officers and staff continue to work
hard to reduce crime and these results are
testament to their efforts. However as we
move forward with diminishing resources it
is difficult to see how this downward trend
can be sustained in fact, we are already
seeing an upturn in some crimes. "We are
committed to doing everything we can to
deliver the best quality service to support
the public of West Yorkshire. We are
investing in the very latest technology to

support the work of our frontline staff and

looking to deploy all our resources in the
most cost effective and efficient way."
Changes in the way crimes are recorded and
increased victim confidence to report
offences has led to increases in recorded
violent crime up by 5,531 offences mainly non-injury crimes such as verbal
harassment and common assault, and
sexual offences which are up by 1,353.
This reflects the trend nationally and is also
as a result of a change in recording practices
which puts victims as the focus and has their
crime reports recorded at the earliest
opportunity. This results in a better service
with victims reassured that their calls are
responded to quickly and effectively. Rates
of violent offending in West Yorkshire
remain low compared to other similar sized
force areas.
T/CC Collins added: "We are constantly
developing our procedures to ensure crimes
are recorded accurately, offering the best
possible service to victims ensuring they are
confident that their concerns will be taken
seriously and dealt with positively and
robustly. Mark Burns-Williamson, West
Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner,
said: "It is reassuring to see that overall
crime across West Yorkshire has fallen.
These figures demonstrate that West
Yorkshire Police officers and staff continue
to work hard to help bring down crime

despite severe budget pressures.

"I have raised with the Temporary Chief
Constable the issue of increases in recorded
violent crime and sexual offences and we
are discussing what more can be done to
bring these figures down.
"It is however positive that we have seen
decreases across many crime types, but this
does need to set alongside crime recording
issues, and although a lot of work is being
done by West Yorkshire Police to address
this, I will continue to closely monitor the
outcomes of this work.
"West Yorkshire Police has had to work with
fewer and fewer resources after severe
Government cuts but these figures
demonstrate that the hard work and
continued commitment of officers, staff and
colleagues working in organisations tackling
crime is currently working.
"While it is reassuring that crime has
reduced, police officers and staff are
required to deal with more and more
complex issues such as Child Sexual
Exploitation (CSE), cyber crime, human
trafficking and counter terrorism. I consider
data such as this on a timely basis to ensure
issues are identified quickly and acted
upon."

Scrapping crime in your community

West Yorkshire Police have teamed up with
Trading Standards and Leeds City Council
to crack down on scrap crime in Leeds.
The small operation we undertook involved
us targeting small goods type vehicles
believed to be involved in collecting scrap
metal in the Cross Green area of the city.
From an area of about a half mile radius at
Edmund House Social Club car park, we
pulled over several drivers to check vehicle
legality and scrap trading credentials. The
results were as follows:
10 x vehicles were checked.
Of the vehicles checked at a static point,
7 were legal in relation to vehicle condition,
driving documents and had waste traders
licence.

One vehicle was found to be

collecting with no scrap licence and
had two tyres below legal limit for
tread. The driver was issued with a
warning for the tyres and they were
interviewed and warned in relation
to the scrap.
Of the two other vehicles, one
made off from Police and was
abandoned. This vehicle came back
on our systems as having been stolen
so we made an arrest. The final
vehicle was found to have no
insurance so it was seized and a
ticket was issued.

Drugs Offender Remanded to Prison

On the morning of Monday 16th March
officers from Killingbeck Police Station
supported by a police search dog executed
a search warrant at a residential address on
Foundry Mill Walk, Seacroft. During the
search of the premises a quantity of
cannabis, amphetamine and a Taser
device were seized, all of which are illegal

under the Misuse of Drugs Act and Firearms

Act. The male occupant of the house was
arrested and he has now been charged with
possession of cannabis with intent to
supply, possession of amphetamine and the
Taser. The man appeared at Leeds
Magistrates Court on the morning of March
17th and the Magistrates supported our

request for a remand in to prison custody.

This is the latest of many successful search
warrants and we will continue to act upon
information passed to us, whether in
person or anonymously.

Two Men Charged Over Boston

Spa Armed Robbery.
Two men were arrested and charged after
a West Yorkshire village post office was
robbed by two people in wigs, with one
pushing the other in a wheelchair.

Leeds were charged with robbing the post

office in High Street, Boston Spa during
which a shot gun was also fired and a staff
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
Neighbourhood Policing Team was on
patrol and on the ball this week on Harehills
Lane when he sighted a known offender
who was wanted for four offences of theft .

PC Wilson instantly gave chase and saw the

wanted man enter a house on Trafford
Avenue. PCs Wilson, Preston, Wray and
Hislop contained the premises ensuring
there was no escape and when officers

entered he was subsequently arrested. This

man had been wanted by the Police for a
number of months and has now been
charged with four offences of theft from
shop.

Drug dealers caught after police

car chase
TWO men involved in heroin and crack cocaine
dealing have been jailed for a total of six years and
five months.

on the Peugeot and on drugs packaging.

Wisdom and Smyth admitted two charges of
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, Potternewton,
was also arrested after his fingerprints were found

Boxers career dealt knock out blow

A local professional boxers career has been
left in ruins after he was caught with almost
half a kilo of cocaine at his home in Leeds.
Leeds Crown Court heard Justin Newell had
agreed to store the drug in order to pay off
mounting gambling debts.
Newell was seen by officers briefly leave his
home and hiding something behind a
conifer in the garden. Officers recovered a
bag containing 486 grammes of the class A
drug with a purity of 88 per cent. The drug
are believed to have a street value of up to
43,000. Inside the property officers also

found amphetamines worth 2,000

and a quantity of benzocaine, a
cutting agent for the drugs.
Newell pleaded guilty to possession
of cocaine with intent to supply,
possession of a class B drug with
intent to supply and possession of
criminal property and was jailed for
three years and eight months after
he stashed the drug at a home in
Seacroft.

A man has been arrested after attempting to steal

coffee amongst other goods from local shops. On
Sunday 22nd March, the man went into the BP
Garage in Roundhay Road and attempted to steal
some coffee. He was challenged by staff and ran off.
He then went in the Co-op and tried stealing
deodorant before staff challenged him and he ran

PCSO Sian Riley organised a weekend of

Crime Prevention events in the Moortown
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!

off again. After this, he then went in to the

Morrisons Local and stole some meat ...and then
went to the TESCO and attempted to steal a mobile
phone and you guessed it, he failed miserably as
the security staff detained him.
PCs Rothery and Oldroyd attended and cuffed the
man who then assaulted PC Oldroyd so he was

taken into custody. PCSO Tunnard and PC Douglas

took statements and collected CCTV from all the
shops to gather together the evidence. We are
pleased to say that the shoplifter has now been
charged and remanded with 5 x shoplifting offences
and 1 x offence of assaulting a Police Officer.

WEEDING OUT CRIME HELPS

COMMUNITIES TO GROW
Local Officers have gone from being boys in
blue to helping those with green fingers
recently.
Following the uncovering of a cannabis
farm locally, a number of unused plant pots
were located. Rather than dispose of them,
PCSOs Andrew Moffatt and Phil Cannon
decided to donate them to Friends of
Gledhow Valley Woods. The group was set
up in March 1996 to protect and enhance

the natural beauty of the woods, increase

public awareness, support other local
groups, and liaise with all appropriate
organisations to achieve objectives. The
plantpots have been used to pot up some
cuttings. To name a few there are hardy
geranium cuttings, mint, rosemary, thyme,
spider plants, clematis, winter jasmine,
philadelphus and more to come.

The idea is that they will be sold

at the Friends of Gledhow Valley Woods
Fun Day Saturday 13th June, with proceeds
paying for the event and going to charity.
As there were so many pots, the group
has also been donated some to Chapel
Allerton Allotments and plans to donate
some to Lidgett Lane Allotments and St
Gemmas Hospice.

On the afternoon of the 17th March PCSO

Reedman and PCSO Metcalf were on patrol
on Harehills Lane near The Compton Centre
when they had cause to approach and deal
with a 47 year old male who was openly
drinking alcohol in contravention of the
Designated Public Place Order (DPPO.) This
order is in place to prevent and tackle antisocial behaviour linked to alcohol and it
remains a priority for local officers as
agreed at public meetings and from other
feedback by residents and local businesses.

The man in this case refused to comply with Compton Centre this has increased the
the order and he was therefore detained by amount of time we are spending on patrol
the PCSOs and quickly arrested by ward
in your community.
manager PC Bateman. After 10 and a half
hours in police custody and once sober, the
man was charged with being drunk and
disorderly and possession of cannabis.
PCSOs and the local ward manager will
continue to pro-actively patrol Harehills
Lane and the surrounding streets as much
as is possible and those causing a nuisance
linked to alcohol will face positive
intervention. With PCSOs now based at The

The Force is now going digital with state of

the art machines being installed across the
county.
West Yorkshire Police Assistant Chief
Constable Geoff Dodd said it will help bring
further efficiency savings to the Force:
"This transformation from analogue to
digital will save West Yorkshire Police
15,000 a month on tapes alone.

they can spend in our communities.

"The improved quality of audio makes for
easier and more accurate transcriptions,
with the additional benefit of visual
recordings available if needed.
"In the future, it will be possible for officers
to record audio and video interviews away
from police premises, using a portable
version of the new machines.

"The new digital format is easy and

paperless, allowing you to quickly listen
back to an interview.

The return of Horsewatch?

Your local team are thinking about reintroducing 'Horse Watch' for Wetherby
area, all the way to Aberford, Barwick In
Elmet, Scholes, Harewood , Shadwell and
Alwoodley. If you would be interested in
joining and would like more information

"Ultimately, the money we save can be put

towards frontline policing and protecting
our communities."

"Digital Interview Recording brings us even

closer to the forefront of modern policing,
allowing us to ensure the best possible
service for the victims and witnesses of
West Yorkshire."

"We have rigorously tested the machines

and used it over the busy Christmas period.
Staff found it helped make the investigative PC John Thornton from the Bradfords
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
any device connected to the forces
network, increasing the amount of time

"In the future were hoping to be able to

share recordings with other partner
agencies electronically, increasing the
speed of our processes.

please contact PCSO Jackson via email:

rebecca.jackson@westyorkshire.pnn.police
.uk or alternatively please contact 101 and
ask to speak with PCSO 470 Jackson.

Recording suspect interviews on tapes will

soon be a thing of the past for West
Yorkshire Police.

Cannabis farms located and shut down

After suspicions lead to PCSO Andrew Ross

taking out the thermal imaging camera to
check on properties in the Chapel Allerton
area. PCSO Ross located a cannabis farm.

Street Angels Leeds was set up to help

make Leeds City Centre a safer place to be
on a night out. They help people stay safe
and reduce crime.
Their teams are out every Friday and the
occasional Saturday and work from their
base at Holy Trinity Church on Boar Lane.

Over 300 plants were found at the property

and the farm was dismantled and cannabis
the cannabis was seized and destroyed.
Enquiries are still ongoing but we would

encourage anyone with information about

such crime in your area to phone us on 101
or report online
www.westyorkshire.police.uk/reportcrime.

You can't miss their teams, who are out

and about from 10pm - 3am, as they wear
bright yellow jackets labelled Street Angel!
They work alongside other agencies and
their aim is to provide practical care,
listening ears and look out for people as
they work and play in all the city has to
offer.

You can find them on Facebook and

Twitter (as well as the streets) - so do like
and follow them and if you see them go
and say hello!
For more information:
Website: www.leedsstreetangels.org.uk.
Twitter: @LdsStreetAngels

Got a question about policing and the Law?

Ask The Police is the official police resource for England and Wales. With an A Z
of frequently asked questions and the option to send your own questions in too,
its a valuable resource.

You can access the website at : www.askthe.police.uk

Online Watch Link (OWL) sends you the

latest local crime alerts to keep you
informed of whats going on, as well as
helping to keep communities safe and
reducing crime.
It's a shared, secure platform for the public

and local authorities to maximise the

potential of Neighbourhood Watch, Rural
Watch, Business Watch and dozens of
other schemes. OWL sends you the latest
local crime alerts and provides
management tools for maintaining and

expanding watches. OWL was recently

featured on BBC Crimewatch. Sign upto
OWL at www.owl.co.uk.

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 : Burmantofts, Richmond Hill, Gipton, Harehills, Killingbeck & Seacroft
Outer North East : Alwoodley, Wetherby & Harewood

Social Media Sites

West Yorkshire Police - Leeds Inner East
West Yorkshire Police - Leeds Inner North East
West Yorkshire Police - Leeds Outer North
Designed by:

Leeds Inner East - @WYP_LeedsInnerE

Leeds Inner North East - @WYP_LeedsINE
Leeds Outer North East -@WYP_LeedsOutNE

West Yorkshire Police Newsletter Author : Phillip Haigh