Video 18
Chief Superintendent Simon Willsher talks about Call Handling Issues and misuse of the 999 Emergency Number.
Last year West Yorkshire Police switchboard; 0845 6060606, took over two million calls for help from the public, we also answered half a million 999 calls, emergency numbers, for assistance. I’m here to talk about calls that shouldn’t be coming to us at all. A significant number of calls that we get in here, in the room you see behind me, relate to matters that are the responsibility, primarily of the local authority. Noise nuisance, environmental issues, minor parking difficulties, litter - these are issues that can be dealt with by others. Before you make the call consult your local directory, speak to a local councillor or even a local Neighbourhood Officer for advice, and they’ll be able to point you in the right direction.
More serious are the number of calls we get, some of them on 999, which relate to matters that shouldn’t see the light of day at all. The death of a goldfish, the date on a mobile phone not working, the puncturing of somebody’s ball in an accident in the back garden. Every one of these calls delays our operators, that you can see behind me, from answering calls from people who actually need our assistance and I’m here to ask you to consider what you’re doing before you pick up the phone. If its an emergency, something’s happening now, there’s a crime in progress, there’s been an accident, use the 999 system, but please, think before you dial!
Video 17
David Harrison- Crime Prevention Officer talks about the new Bluetooth Crime Prevention Messaging system.
In the advent of summer the force have launched a Sneak-in campaign, aimed at the reduction of burglary in hot spot areas.
We are using cutting edge technology, which is utilising the mobile phone. The idea is to use PCSOs to go into the hot spot areas and send out messages in the form of the video clip through the mobile phone, which detects other devices such as mobile phones, Sat-Navs and computers.
Once the device has been detected, the officer will then send the message, and it is up to the owner of the mobile phone as to whether they accept this message from West Yorkshire Police. If they do, it gives a clear message of the sneak-in campaign - a hand reaching through an unlocked door.
It is cutting edge technology that allows us the flexibility to deploy officers at specific times and locations whilst crimes are occurring. Looking towards the future, we can build up a number of different campaigns designed round localities, which could include vehicle crime, information gathering, burglary or anti-social behaviour.
We will be able to do this with any video clip, and we can deploy the PCSOs to specific areas to send out messages.
Video 16
West Yorkshire Police Crime Reduction Officer Detective Inspector Duncan MacNay talks about the latest Crime Prevention Campaign - Please Prevent a 'Shedache'.
I’d like to give you some advice about reducing your chances of being subject to a shed or garage burglary this spring and summer. ‘Please prevent a Shedache’.
Firstly look at the physical security of your shed, have a close look at any loose or rotting panel and perhaps make those as secure as possible. Look at putting grilling or a substantial wire mesh on your window to make that more secure. Use a shed bar, in conjunction with this use non-return screws or coach bolts on all your brackets and always use a good quality closed shackle pad lock.
You can chain all your valuable items together including bicycles, lawnmowers etc with a good quality chain, again with a closed shackle pad lock, to prevent the thief from easily removing these items.
Never leave valuable items out in the garden when you’re not with them or you leave the vicinity of your house, please get into the habit of always putting things back in the shed and ensuring that the door is secured.
Postcode your property please by using paint or an indelible marker pen with your postcode and house number. This will reduce their appeal to the thief and will assist us in returning the property to you and proving that somebody either stole it in the first place or received it knowing that it was stolen.
Video 15
Deputy Chief Constable Julia Hodson talks about the website 999tv and the National Neighbourhood Policing Team launch campaign.
I love 999tv, I’m a big fan and every time I log on there’s a new clip on there and I find something new about the organisation that I’m part of. I’ve just noticed that the Chief Constable is on there talking about Neighbourhood Policing so I am going to have a listen to what he’s got to say.
So again when you log on as a member of the community or a member of West Yorkshire Police, you can not only see the person, but you can see the environment that they working in and I can identify with that and I can say "Ooh look that’s Huddersfield Town Centre or that’s Leeds University or it’s the Sandal area of Wakefield" and I think that helps you to make a connection with the officer.
It’s important that people see officers working in their environment because it demonstrates that we’re here to serve the community, with the community in the area where they live, and Neighbourhood Policing Teams are working together to solve your problems with you.
So, week commencing the 14th of May, there’s going to be a national campaign to highlight the work of Neighbourhood Policing Teams and I think that’s a fantastic opportunity for us because we have fantastic people doing a great job with communities in the areas that they serve. So, lets make sure even more people know about that good work and how to contact their local Neighbourhood Policing Teams.
Video 14
The second video from West Yorkshire Police Chief Constable Sir Norman Bettison, this time Sir Norman talks about Neighbourhood Policing.
Neighbourhood Policing, what’s that all about then? It’s something that I’m personally committed to and West Yorkshire Police will develop a national reputation for this style of policing.
What it means is a team of officers, working in the heart of the community, working with the community and working with other agencies in partnership, tackling the causes of problems in that community.
Not screaming in night after night in fast cars putting a sticking plaster over the problem or waiting two hours for somebody to respond to something and then never hearing anything more about it
What it actually means is that this will become a group of officers and PCSOs, that’s Community Support Officers, who will become visible, constant, dedicated members of your patch. They will tackle all the problems that are happening within your community, and it will be your concerns and your priorities that will drive their business.
I look forward to developing this strategy in West Yorkshire Police and I look forward to you noticing the difference, because its only if you notice the difference that it becomes worthwhile.
Video 13
Craig Brown from the Police National Legal Database team talks about the Ask The Police Frequently Asked Questions website.
I’m Craig Brown and I work as a Quality Assurance Clerk for the Police National Legal Database here in Wakefield. We are a public service organisation, under the day to day control of West Yorkshire Police.
We have a free website askthe.police.uk. It is a database of questions that the police get asked every day. It is intended to reduce the number of non-emergency calls that the police receive by supplying the answers directly to the public via the Internet. We have over six hundred questions on the database, ranging from anti-social behaviour to identity theft, bats in the loft to learner drivers. In the last eighteen months our website has received over one and a half million hits from users all over the world.
So now lets take a look at the website. Select your local force, this will enable you to information from that force. Probably the easiest way to search the database is to use the A to Z of topics. For example; you’ve just received a Fixed Penalty Notice and want to know whether you can challenge it. Look under F. We can see the one that we want, so lets click on it. The site then displays the question and answer and tells you what you should do. Notice the information from West Yorkshire Police which provides contact details and opening hours for the Central Ticket Office.
On occasions when there is no suitable answer it is possible to ask us a question, and we will be happy to answer it. Whatever the question, we aim to provide a practical answer.
Please remember that the site must not be used to report emergencies or crimes and we are unable to comment on individual cases.
Take a look at the site and let us know what you think.
Video 12
An introduction from West Yorkshire Police New Chief Constable Sir Norman Bettison.
It amazes me, sitting here, thirty five years after I first got the bug to be a Police Officer, that all I ever wanted to do was walk the streets, make the place a safer, better place for people to live and to work and to do something about the bad guys. And here I am being transmitted down the ether of the internet. A lot has changed for policing and a lot has changed for the leadership and management of policing.
I’m delighted to be back in West Yorkshire, I’m a Yorkshireman. I was in West Yorkshire in the nineteen-nineties for a few years, and I’ve come back now on a five year fixed term appointment to be your Chief Constable.
I return to West Yorkshire at a time that its reputation is really blossoming and I ought to pay tribute in this first interview, to the fantastic work of Colin Cramphorn my predecessor.
West Yorkshire has a national reputation now as being the most improved force in the country in terms of its ability to tackle and to reduce, what we call volume crime. That’s things like thefts from motor vehicles and burglaries. What I do know however, is that people in West Yorkshire have a wider set of concerns than those. They’re worried about general yobbery and ant-social behaviour. They’re worried about graffiti and discourtesy and not feeling safe on the streets and West Yorkshire Police has therefore got to re-double its efforts in terms of helping people to feel safe and reassured in their community.
Video 11
PC Carole Munsey, Leeds Student Liaison Officer, offers some Student Safety Advice.
My role is to try to prevent students from becoming victims of crime and to give them advice to help them stay safe while they live in Leeds. It’s a difficult time for students moving away from family, home and having to live on their own for the first time, and keeping safe is very important.
One of the things we do find is that students quite often become victims of burglary, after keeping windows open and doors unlocked. Often a big problem with a lot of people living in the same house and presume someone locks the doors for them. So we give them a lot of advice on how to prevent themselves becoming victims.
As well as laptops, iPods, mobile phone and wallets are the bits of property that go frequently, so what we say to student is while walking on the streets is keep things hidden away in pockets and in bags, don’t make it obvious to criminals you have valuable property. While in the house, keep things hidden away, suggest in wardrobes, under the bed, making it difficult for thieves to take things from you.
Video 10
Sergeant Darren Norgate - Wakefield Division (Video 2) with Sue Thompson, of the Aysgarth Community Association.
Darren Norgate:
"Hello my name’s Darren Norgate, I’m a Sergeant for West Yorkshire Police and I work on the Neighbourhood Policing Team in Wakefield.
"One of the areas that I cover is the Lupset Estate. I work with people like Sue Thompson. Sue is the chairperson for the Aysgarth Community Association.
"One of the aims of Neighbourhood Policing is for us to get to know people on a personal level, so that they can tell us their problems and we can react to them. Do you think we’ve achieved that Sue?"
Sue Thompson:
"I certainly do, it’s been a nightmare on here, but now we’ve got the Police team, we know them and they know us, and they also, instead of sending five different police people out to solve a problem, the team know who all the villains are ,so that the finger is on the pulse all the time.
There’s monthly meetings that we all go to - to get to know the team and its worked absolutely brilliant for us. It’s quietened the estate down, its lovely. It’s a nice place to be now, it wasn’t before.
Video 9
Sergeant Darren Norgate - Wakefield Division
Hello my name is Darren Norgate, I am a Sergeant for West Yorkshire Police, currently working on Wakefield Neighbourhood Policing Team.
Our team is concerned with anti social behaviour, criminal damage, under-age drinking and misuse of motorbikes. We work closely with the public and try to consult as often as possible. We use monthly meetings where people know they can come and speak to us and share their problems. Then we will go away, action-plan those problems, then them the results back at the next meeting, or give an update personally or via telephone. Another mechanism we have is the web site. This is very up to date with all sorts of topical news, crime prevention advice, and will give you a good idea of the work we are doing in your area.
This is the front page of the West Yorkshire Police website. You can access this page by going to www.westyorkshire.police.uk. From the front page you can see what members of your local NPT (Neighbourhood Policing Team) have been up to by clicking this button, and then picking the area of map where you live. This will take you to a link page where you can find the exact area where you live and have an update on the work we’ve been doing.
These areas are Lupset, Ossett, Flanshaw and Alverthorpe. Go down the page, you can find out who the team leaders are, contact numbers, which areas we cover. There is a local safety Alert and a list of contact opportunities where you can come and meet the team and discuss your issues. Towards the bottom of the page, there is an extensive list of the officers and their contact numbers for your area.
We also work closely with Schools Liaison Officers, Tenancy Support and the Race Hate Crime Department. All these details are available on the web site.
I have just updated this page. At the weekend, a young man was arrested for being drunk and disorderly in one of our Anti Social Behaviour Hot Spots. If you want the most up to date information about what your local NPT is doing, find the relevant page for your area and look in right hand side for this link – subscription. Click on the link, once you have followed these simple instructions to register, you will receive an email to let you know the site has been updated and you should check for new information.
Video 8
PC Mandy Henderson - North East Leeds Division
My name is Mandy Henderson, I’m 28 years old, I’ve come from a nursery nurse background I’m now a Police Constable with West Yorkshire Police and I’ve been in the service since the third of July this year.
I wanted, from my previous job as a nursery nurse, I wanted variety, I wanted change, I’d got stuck in routine, I could tell you what I was doing at three o’clock on a Tuesday afternoon and I just wanted something different, something that was going to challenge, make us think, something to be proud of myself, so I thought the Police.
I’ve been at Training School now since the 3rd July, in that time I’ve been to University. You spend four weeks at University doing equality, diversity and rights. In that time you’ve got to produce a number of essays and then you come back to training school, here at Bishopgarth, where you do your law input, and, its very hard work. Its very enjoyable, you’ve got to 100% committed and passionate to the job that you’re doing, and if you are, then you’ll get through it. It is hard work, it does make you think, but at the same time it’s enjoyable.
From being Mandy Henderson the nursery nurse to being Mandy Henderson the Police Officer it’s a sense of achievement and it’s pride. I go in now and my mam’s got a photograph of me on her mantelpiece in this police uniform. It’s been a journey, and it’s a good one. If you’re passionate about the job, if you’re going to be 100% committed to it, you know that’s what you’re going to do, you’ll be alright and you’re family and friends will support you because they know that that’s what you want to do.
Video 7
PCSO James Roberts - Calderdale Division
My name is James Robert, I am a Police Community Support Officer, I am Charlie Sierra 412, I cover the ward of Sowerby Bridge in Calderdale.
My main duties, day to day, is high visibility foot patrol covering public reassurance, consulting with members of the public, any problems they bring forward.
The main problems at the moment are anti-social behaviour and criminal damage, and that is one of our Tasking Areas to reduce the amount of criminal damage in Sowerby Bridge, which we do by liaising with the Calderdale Community Wardens and other partner agencies such as youth services.
I feel that I do make a difference to Sowerby Bridge, consulting with members of the public, getting feedback from them in what needs tackling. We need member so the public to tell us problems in the areas, so we can devise an action plan to tackle those problems. We are appreciated by the public, I certainly get stopped quite a few times when I am on patrol by people saying how nice it is to see a uniformed presence on the street again, I think people have missed that recently.
We also have surgeries and ward meetings where people can come and tell us all the problems. They might be minor issues to the police but to those people it effects their standard of living and they are the things we tackle, that is our main role as the Neighbourhood Policing Team.
Video 6
PC Dave Osborne - Calderdale Division
I am Dave Osborne, Community Beat Officer for Sowerby Bridge area in Halifax.
I have been in the police force for 23 years, and been the Community Beat officer in Sowerby Bridge for about three years.
We have certain aims to try to reduce different aspects of crime, especially anti social behaviour. We work with several other agencies particualy Pennine 2000 Housing which took over from the council and they own a large amount of properities within the Sowerby Bridge area and we work closely with them, particulary in respect of anti social behaviour where they have quite a lot of powers as well. Then we work with Community Wardens, we have had two Community Wardens working in Sowerby Bridge for about 12 months now and gradually got to know them, they get to know the people on the streets as well and the information shared between us is valuable I feel that James (Police Community Support Officer James Roberts) and I certainly give quite a good service to the public, always thought since I started working in Sowerby Bridge it is quite a small tight- knit community and I really genuinely feel I can make a difference to the lives of people living here.
Video 5
PC Sohail Akhtar - Team 1 - Huddersfield Police Station
Hello I’m a regular Police Officer based at Huddersfield police station. I’ve been in Huddersfield since May 2005 now and my normal beat which I patrol is Huddersfield town centre. Huddersfield town centre is a richly diverse area, with students from different walks of life, local business, shopping centres, universities and colleges.
I became part of the police service back in 1996 as a special constable which was a stepping stone for me to join as a regular Police officer. As a regular police officer I underwent 12 weeks intense training at the Bruche National Police training school. Basically my twelve weeks involved learning the law and the legislation about the police roll and so I’m fully equipped before I go out and patrol on the streets and serve the public and become a professional image for West Yorkshire Police.
Basically when you’re out there every day is different, no two days are the going to be the same in a police officers role, no two jobs are going to be the same in a police officers role. You could be walking down the street or patrolling in a police vehicle and come across a theft from a shop even - it could be an assault, a domestic dispute. It could even be a burglary or a robbery, every day is different and every day you’re going to face a new challenge.
I enjoy this job very much and I think that it’s a fantastic job and I feel proud to be a police officer and I feel pride wearing this uniform and being part of this noble profession.
I must add that the key person in my life who wanted me to become a police officer was my mother, who’s not here with me today to see me in this uniform, I’m sure without her praise I couldn’t have achieved what I have achieved.
Video 4
Police Community Support Officers – Part of our Police Family
Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) Martin Richardson covers Bradford North Division.
"On a regular basis on my Beat in Lidget Green and Hawton Grange, the community, mainly an Asian community, over time as time has progressed they notice when you're not there now, rather than when you are there. That was one of the reasons why I started to take Urdu so I could at least communicate a little bit better with some of the elder Asian community.
"We work closely with the council as well, anti-social behaviour, nuisance youths, anti-crime partnerships. When the PCSO role started, youths were not receptive at all, and we've got a working relationship with these youths.
"The job I do is absolutely fantastic, really rewarding. Making the community feel a little bit easier, making them feel a lot safer in their homes and on the streets.
"Every day is different, no two days the same, no two jobs the same. How much more rewarding is this job to my old job? No comparison, I wouldn't go back, you couldn't pay me enough money to go back to a factory now, not, not enough. It really is the best job in the world."
Video 3
Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) Glyne Jordan Covering Dewsbury Town Centre for Dewsbury Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT).
“This job actually came up, PCSOs, I knew it involved a lot of work with the public, I think I’m that kind of person anyway who likes to intermingle with people, I think I’ve something to offer the public as well as regards life experience. Basically that’s it, just decided I wanted a new challenge.
“My main role today being in Dewsbury town centre would be to deal with purse thefts. It seems to be a problem in Dewsbury at the moment and my role today is to show a bit of a high visibility presence, along with going in and intermingling with some of the shop keepers and hopefully putting their minds at rest, dealing with the public at the same time, trying to advise them as regards to their handbags, to keep them zipped up. Hopefully keeping people’s purses where they should be, with them and them only.”
Video 2
Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) Dennis Bennett Covering Wyke for West Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT) in Bradford South Division.
“My names Dennis Bennett, I’m the PCSO for Wyke, which is a suburb of Bradford. I’ve been in Wyke now some two and half years, an interesting part of working in this type of environment, from a personal point of view, is as you can see I have a shopping area, I have six schools, I have a big industrial area, and having my mountain bike for the last eighteen months has enabled me to cover the area more effectively.
“It’s nice that all the local youths and children now have seen me on my bike, everybody knows who I am, what I’m about, what I’m here to do and so on. I think the situation with anti-social behaviour that was apparent when I first started, I think if you ask local residents its gone down a hell of a lot. The simple reason is that we are back on the streets.
“The first thing I encountered when I started walking about, in Wyke, was the children asking me what I was looking for. They couldn’t comprehend with never having seen a Police presence on foot patrol or on the bike they didn’t really know what I was about. It’s putting Police back on the streets and I can only say that as the Neighbourhood Policing units grow our job will become easier and easier.”
Video 1
Wakefield Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) Andrea Gill Covering Wakefield Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT) within the Wakefield Division
“I’m Andrea Gill and I’m the PCSO for the Agrbrigg, Sandal, Portobello and Belle View areas in Wakefield.
“80% of my time I’m high visibility on foot patrol walking round the areas. I get involved in lots of community activities. Part of my duties I go into the schools and speak to the children about road safety.
“It’s not just the school children that I deal with in the community, I also go and give talks to people like the Young at Heart clubs, which is the over 55s.
“My aim is to get everybody to recognise my face around the area. I’ve been into visit all the shops, I’m particularly well know in the community centres in the Agbrigg and Portobello area.
“Being part of the community, we work quite closely now with the local councillors and the council themselves.”