‘Gangs of youths are turning village into crime hotspot’
POLICE CRIME COMMISSIONER CANDIDATE SAYS MORE SHOULD BE DONE TO TACKLE ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIOUR
GANGS of youths are turning Brough into a crime hotspot, according to the man hoping to take charge of Humberside Police.
Conservative candidate for Police and Crime Commissioner Craig Ulliott warned insufficient police work in small towns is leading to a rise in antisocial behaviour.
Mr Ulliot, who previously spent 12 years as a Humberside police officer, is calling for more neighbourhood policing after being contacted by scared Brough residents.
“I’ve seen evidence of criminal damage and antisocial behaviour,” he said. “People are fed up with it.
“Gangs of youths are meeting on estates in Brough and they are dealing drugs, there’s indecent exposure and they are abusive to neighbours.
“I have residents telling me that they don’t dare to go out because they are scared of these kids. We can’t have people feeling unsafe in their own houses. “Nobody has come to deal with it.
we had proper neighbourhood
If policing in these communities, they could deal with it.”
Mr Ulliot, who is challenging incumbent Labour PCC Keith Hunter in the election scheduled for May 6, also stressed his concerns regarding the gangs not abiding by social distancing or other Covid-19 regulations.
“There are these issues all over and this is just in one village,” he said.
Mr Ulliot says that the main problem in these communities is a lack of neighbourhood policing. He says the Humberside Force is stretched from Spurn Point to South Cave, meaning there is not enough police in small areas like Brough.
“They don’t see enough police visible in the community. They have a team of police officers working from Beverley and Goole, but you can’t call it real neighbourhood policing because they aren’t working in the community.
“If you have to travel from Beverley over to Spurn Point, that’s hours and hours of driving.”
He added: “They’re covering miles and miles of areas. We need to get g them back into the community and into much smaller areas so if something happens in that area it is getting dealt with there and then.
“Otherwise, crime will keep happening. People are fed up with it and they are fed up with being ignored. Their area is being let down.
“Brough has a perfectly good working police station that is closed. My vision long-term is to create one police team for one area, right across the force.”
Without police in these communities, Craig says criminals will continue to commit crimes because they’re used to getting away with it.
“That’s why today we’ve got more crime recorded today that we did in 2016, crime figures are going up and up and up. I do think the police are doing a fantastic job they are professional, but they don’t have the resources.”
According to Mr Ulliott drug crime has been on the rise each year for a long time.
“For me we need a zerotolerance approach to drugs. I’ve seen evidence of drug crime in Brough and in Hull, wherever you go it’s happening,” he said.
“I have seen evidence of drug dealing and taking and there are these pouches that they carry it in and needles everywhere.
“You’re getting gangs of youths, from age 12 up to 19, more so the older end. They are gathering in fields and parks and smashing up fences, damaging park swings and if anyone comes out and says something, they start abusing them and shouting.
“There is loud music playing in the late hours of the night, they are shouting and swearing. Being a general nuisance. I have been told there is elements of indecency happening. They don’t generally care. It’s just not acceptable.”
Craig is currently speaking to as many people as he can in communities like Brough to be “voice of the people” and make policies from what the concerns shared with him.
Humberside Police Chief Inspector for East Riding, Craig Nicholson, said: “What matters most to us is ensuring that the communities we serve are safe and that they feel safe – that’s what community policing is all about.
“We have a team of dedicated officers who are based in Brough – though you won’t often find them in the station, as they spend the majority of their time out and about, dealing with issues and speaking with residents.
“We know from our conversations with residents when we’re out and about and through our Humber Talking surveys that a number of people are concerned about groups of youths gathering in the area and potential breaches of the Covid-19 restrictions.
“Our teams are carrying out regular patrols in these areas to deal with these issues.”
To report crime visit the Humberside Police website or call the non-emergency 101 line. If it is an emergency dial 999.