Windhill and Wrose Ward - Community Alert Survey Results

Good Evening and thank you to those that took the time to respond to the survey I put out last month

Please click here to complete the survey

If you haven't had time to reply to the survey then please feel free to add your comments to it.

I am writing to give you the results of the survey conducted so far and what we as your NPT are doing to combat some of the issues raised. 

Firstly the main issued raised was Drug Dealing across the Wrose and Windhill area, we know this is a massive issue and one we are committed to tackling every day. We have had a number of arrests of persons suspected of drug dealing, these investigations are ongoing and are lengthy in their requirements to present to the Crown Prosecution Service. Of those that we have arrested, they are subject to bail conditions and where appropriate I will look to ban them from entering our Ward area. 

We also have been targeting Cannabis Farms which we know help fund the organised crime groups that operate across the district. Let me be clear, these aren't small set-ups run by local people, these are significant and complex operations that will have taken substantial planning and bring with them a whole host of further offences like Modern Day Slavery and Human Trafficking. We are also tackling those landlords that are happy to rent out their properties to these organised crime groups and are taking a number of landlords to court over their involvement in these matters. 

This isn't a quick fix, the work has intensified as the criminal groups change up their processes - for example the use of e-motorbikes to deal drugs from. 

That leads me nicely onto the second issue raised, the use of e-motorbikes, off-road motorbikes, and stolen motorbikes on our roads. This is a epidemic that is rife across the country as seen by local and national incidents recently. There is a section of society that believe they can ride around on these bikes wearing balaclavas and that the community will just accept it. This survey shows that is wrong! We have had some good results with e-motorbikes and stolen motorcycles being recovered. One of which I put out on our Facebook page, which was then subsequently picked up by the local press. We will not stop relentlessly trying to take these off the street, the issue we have is two fold. 1 - the attitude of the minority whereby they tell us they will just get another one and wont stop their activities, this is made worse by parents telling us the same. We are trying to tackle this by our PCSO's delivering inputs at local primary schools about the dangers or riding these things, highlighting recent deaths that have occurred in the community. 2 - We need to know where these motorbikes are being stored, I understand the community maybe reluctant to tell us due to fear of reprisals, but we are limited with our powers when they are on them on the road - the dangers are too high to pursue them and I would not expect ANY of my officers to put themselves in that position as the law currently stands. Therefore we need to know where these items are being stored, so we can go seize them without anyone being put in danger. This can be done anonymously via Crimestoppers or through our Webchat facility on our Website. I implore you, if you know where these are being stored and are as fed up as we are of them riding around committing crime on an evening - let me know where they are!

Finally, one of the issues I have seen raised are the ongoing issues on the canal towpath. Between ourselves and Bradford East we have seen an increase in offences of theft, robbery and assault - mainly by those using the motorbikes above to steal e-bikes from genuine users of them and children. We have increased patrols in these areas and are conducting joint operations with Bradford East NPT and Operation Steerside to try solve this issue. We have seen a recent decrease but that does not mean we will take our foot off the gas, we are continuing to try identify those responsible for some pretty nasty incidents. 

I am looking to arrange a PACT meeting in the coming months, I am trying to find a suitable location that would be able to accommodate as many people as possible to discuss these issues in person with my officers, along with potentially our local councillors. It may be that we trial an Online PACT meeting first, if there is an appetite for that to happen, please respond to this email and I will look to set one up in the coming months. 

If you have any thoughts, concerns or questions - please send them through to me on here and I will endeavour to reply as soon as I am able. 

Kind Regards

Sgt 436 Sam Brown

Bradford District – Shipley NPT T2

West Yorkshire Police

( : 

Email : sam.brown@westyorkshire.police.uk

Address : Shipley Police Station, Manor Lane, Shipley, BD18 3RJ

To report a crime, please ring 101. Always dial 999 in an emergency.