New action on crime and anti-social behaviour in Harrogate town centre is launched by council and police

Project Spotlight, which launches today, is a joint initiative spearheaded by North Yorkshire Council and North Yorkshire Police.

The new initiative builds on existing work between North Yorkshire Police, North Yorkshire Council and other organisations which have been working together to address street crime, retail theft, begging, rough sleeping, substance abuse and anti-social behaviour.

In a sample of 140 patrols of the town centre since October 2023, police made 10 arrests and moved people on or gave words of advice 54 times. Officers also issued one dispersal order, which effectively bans someone from an area for a certain amount of time.

Project Spotlight’s aims

The initiative will see teams working with residents, shoppers, town-centre workers and businesses in order to:

Prevent begging and rough sleeping by ensuring vulnerable people have access to the services they need and are being encouraged to use them.

Reduce thefts, anti-social behaviour and other crimes during both the daytime and night-time by working on initiatives with retailers and licensed premises.

Reduce drink and drug-related crime by working with specialist teams, licensed premises and support services.

Gather ongoing information about crime and anti-social behaviour and use it to target police and local authority resources at key times and key locations.

‘Design out crime’ by making changes to the town centre environment.

Keep the public informed about the project and its progress, encouraging them to keep sharing information about any town centre issues affecting them.

Harrogate Neighbourhood Policing Inspector, Nicola Colbourne, said: “Project Spotlight will see us stepping up that positive work we’ve already done with partner organisations, the public and town-centre businesses.

“We’re using a good old-fashioned mix of community engagement, information-gathering, targeted policing and robust law enforcement.

“Harrogate is already an incredibly safe town, in what is officially England’s safest county.

"With the help of the public, businesses and key organisations, we’re working hard to make it even safer.”

North Yorkshire Council’s assistant chief executive for local engagement, Rachel Joyce, said: “Alongside North Yorkshire Police and others, we have been working hard to maintain Harrogate town centre’s reputation as a safe and welcoming place in which to visit and work."