The beating ‘Hart’ of Hull city centre – meet the Inspector in charge

It’s been three months since Inspector Julian ‘Jules’ Hart took up the post of Inspector for the area covering Hull city centre. He took some time out of his day to sit down and tell us about the work his team does and his vision for the future. 

Q. Firstly, tell us a bit about your background Jules?

“I was born in Hull and as a child lived on several council estates – mainly in the central area that we now cover, including Hessle Road, Great Thornton Street, Fountain Road and Spring Bank. 

“I went to Amy Johnson School which has now been replaced with a new housing estate on what was the troubled Woodcock Street area. I’ve seen a few transformations since then!

“I joined the force in 2001 at the age of 24 after working in several jobs including car salesman, office work, retail and even a job in the fish industry. 

“I’d just had a daughter and had always wanted to be a police officer since being a schoolboy. I’d seen domestic abuse when I was young and wanted to help people, especially those in similar circumstances. I got in at the third attempt and was really pleased to achieve my ambition.

“My career has seen me work largely in patrol or neighbourhood roles, with the exception of some short attachments to investigation and pro-active teams. I’ve been based at Queens Gardens, Bransholme, Tower Grange, Pickering Road, Preston Road, Clough Road, Gordon Street and Osborne Street Police stations so I’ve covered lots of areas of the city.

“I’ve been lucky enough to work across the country for pre-planned events such as football matches, protests and even Presidential visits. I was also involved in working during the London Riots. This has mainly been as a PSU (Police Support Unit) officer who are probably better known as ‘riot police’. 

“I recently qualified as a Bronze Commander to deploy PSUs operationally. It’s an area of policing I’m really interested in. It’s been a very enjoyable and rewarding career so far.” 

Q. What are the main challenges you’ve faced since you started in your new position?

“Hull has its challenges – most of which we share with the majority of cities all across the country. 

“The area which we cover is very diverse and with that we have to have a unique approach to the way we police it. There are lots of different communities of different backgrounds, countries, religions, and cultures and we have to be mindful of that. 

“The area which we cover stretches to the river, east along to Myton Bridge, west up Hessle Road almost to the KCOM stadium and north nearly to the university, so it’s a larger and much busier patch than you’d think. 

“We have a very high concentration of residents so it’s a good opportunity for us to be able to provide a service to all those communities which can all have their own specific requirements. 

“There is a bigger footfall in Hull city centre than anywhere else in the force area. The largest and busiest transport hub is based here as well. 

“There are more than 700 shops in the city centre alone, so we work very closely with local businesses, larger chain stores, and transport companies and have regular meetings about how we can prevent and tackle issues. 

“There are hotels, schools, Hull college, and the some of the main thoroughfares in and out of the city. 

“We have almost twenty large events that are happening in the city this year alone from races, a marathon, football matches, rugby matches, music events, the Freedom Festival, Humber Sesh, Pride, and of course gigs at the Bonus Arena – lots of things! 

“We also have a rich nightlife which we call ‘night time economy’ as well the museum quarter, old town, marina and a host of other attractions. So we do have a lot of things to think about!

“This all adds to the vibrancy and ‘buzz’ that a city like Hull should have. I enjoy living here, I’m proud to live here and I’m proud to be a part of it. 

Q. Recently there has been a lot of attention and stories about drugs and antisocial behaviour in the city centre. Can you tell us more about that?

“We have heard a lot about problems with drugs and related antisocial behaviour in some parts of the centre – particularly in local press reports. 

“I know it is a concern for people who come into the centre and I want to clear a few things up about that.

“Operation Ignition is our high profile ongoing operation to specifically tackle antisocial and criminal behaviour in the city centre. I have officers out every day working on Operation Ignition. 

“We have had issues that we’ve had to deal with and we’ve had success in the city centre. The thing is, is that we will continue to deal with the issues to make sure they don’t get any worse.

“We’ve made well over three hundred arrests, stopped, searched and spoken with over a thousand people, and issued more than six hundred dispersal orders. 

“That means we can make people leave a certain area for up to 48 hours. If they come back in that time they can be arrested. We’ve done that on lots of occasions. 

“You might not see a bobbie on every corner every minute of every day. We wish we could but we simply can’t – but we are in the area. 

“I have a team of two dozen officers whose jobs are specifically to look after the city centre, and we obviously have support from officers from other areas if we need them.

“We work with the city council and our other partners have access to CCTV systems so we are fully aware of what’s going on and can deal with any problems that may arise promptly.

“There is a small group of people who are mainly involved in drug use in the centre and we know them well.

“If someone is committing a crime and an arrest is required we act promptly, proportionately and appropriately. 

“If someone needs longer term help with, say, an addiction or being homeless, then we will help them get the right help they need and point them in the right direction of other agencies. 

“They are best placed to deal with some of the very complex issues some of those people have. We not only have a duty of care to the public but also to vulnerable people who might need help.”

Q. You talk about the importance of diversity in the city. Why does that make such a difference? 

“I’m from a mixed race background myself and I’m very keen on promoting the diversity Hull already has. Bringing people together and being able to understand and accept each other’s differences is key. It’s all about working together. 

“I have to be honest and say that some communities aren’t very accepting of police officers. That may be due to cultural factors, so part of our job is to listen and talk and build and maintain trust.

“We spend a lot of time meeting with and spending time with different groups. I want people to speak with us, come forward with any concerns they have and have those lines of communication open. 

“Having said that we have a very positive relationship with the vast majority of residents in Hull – it’s a minority that we don’t have that relationship with but that’s something we work very hard at improving.”

Q. What do you want to see in the future?

“I feel really privileged to be given this opportunity and I’m really pleased to be back in the city centre as a neighbourhood inspector. 

“Most of my officers are from Hull, live in Hull or have close ties to the city and I feel their legacy is all about how we serve the public in the best possible way we can, and the reassurance that we give that we’re here for our communities when we’re needed. 

“There are several challenges. Some are about long term problem solving and some are issues that occur on a daily basis. We have a great team at Osborne Street station who are committed and enthusiastic and we have really strong partnership links to help us achieve our goals. 

“I can’t stress enough how important it is that we all work together, not only with our partners but with the public. 

“Most people who live in Hull are very proud of their city and want the best for it. I know I do and my officers do. We want to help build stronger communities and help keep Hull a great city to live, work and visit.”

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