Hull: Police here to keep Orchard Park safe

There have been numerous reports in the media this week about an incident where stones were thrown at a bus by a group of teenagers in Orchard Park.

In reaction to this Humberside Police have issued the following statement to residents.

Communities Chief Inspector Lee Edwards said: “We know that the majority of the residents of Orchard Park are decent, law abiding citizens and I appreciate the impact that anti-social behaviour can have for those people.  

“I want to reassure you today that we are out and about in your community and will continue to be so and to work with you to ensure that Orchard Park remains a great place to live and work.

“North Hull can be a busy area for us, however we have a strong team in place who know the area well and regularly talk to residents and take proportionate action to address their concerns and reduce incidents of this nature.

“The local team regularly go into schools in the area, both primary and secondary, to talk to the children and young people about the impact and potential consequences of behaving anti-socially. We also work closely with the council, social services and other agencies to offer support to families that are struggling and deter young people from committing this type of offence.  

“Where we see repeated incidents by the same offender or incidents that pose a particular threat we use various different methods of enforcement.

“We had an example of this earlier week following reports that a 4-year-old boy was assaulted by older children in a play park on Dringshaw.

“Officers worked with the victim and his family and we have now resolved the situation through a community resolution. This means that the offenders have entered into an agreement to prevent further incidents of this nature. This approach was fully supported by the victim and his family.

“We work closely with Hull City Council who have 17 CCTV cameras in operation on the Orchard Park estate. The cameras are monitored by operators who work closely with officers and record footage to be used as evidence when crimes are suspected.

CI Lee Edwards continued: “When a crime has been committed we do investigate and seek to identify the person, or people, responsible.

“There are a number of enforcement options available to us. As well as arrests and charges, we can apply for criminal behaviour orders, exclusion zones and home detention curfews. These options enable us to manage the behaviour of known offenders preventing them from committing further offences.

“We do see increases in reports of ASB at certain times of the year, particularly during the school holidays. Children and young people will meet with friends and hang out in groups near to shops, parks and other local landmarks.

“I appreciate that this can sometimes feel intimidating but the majority of the time they are just socialising with friends and not causing any harm or committing any offences. Where offences are committed we will investigate and take appropriate and proportionate action.

“It is important to me that we continue to work with the local community to address concerns and tackle issues. I encourage anyone with any information about criminality or anti-social behaviour to get in touch with us.

“The local community policing team host regular police surgeries where residents are invited to come and speak to officers about concerns and issues. This provides us with an opportunity to offer safety advice and speak to members of the local community. These are advertised on the local Twitter page @HP_HullWest and through My Community Alert, www.mycommunityalert.co.uk.

“You can also contact us by emailing the local team NorthHull@humberside.pnn.police.uk, online at www.humberside.police.uk or calling our non-emergency number 101.

“I would also encourage residents to sign up for My Community Alert to receive regular email updates about what is happening in your local area.”