North Yorkshire Police : Ryedale Safer Neighbourhood Area

Ryedale Safer Neighbourhood Area

Ryedale is a large rural area of 575 square miles situated between York and the Heritage coastline of North Yorkshire. Ryedale contains several small market towns, villages and isolated dwellings.

Ryedale Police and everyone in the communities and the local agencies have had cause to celebrate a huge reduction in crime across our area. Already one of the safest places to live in England, the figures for year April 2009 - March 2010 show crime has dropped by over 16% this year - 340 less victims of crime - By concentrating on the few people and places that cause us problems, we have and will continue to pool our resources to have the biggest impact we can on our local problems.

Whilst I am pleased to be able to report this, I know that how confident people feel about their area is not just an outcome of low crime rates. As only a relatively small number of people in Ryedale have cause to contact us, we need to show that the majority of Ryedale residents have confidence in our ability to respond to all kinds of issues, from anti-social behaviour through to serious crime. That means the public talking to us about what matters most in their area, working together with them to solve it and keeping them in touch with what has been done.

Sometimes one serious incident can have a major effect on the area, and the tragic deaths of Jan Wilson and Jamie Kyne last September was a case in point. The response from the communities of Malton & Norton was tremendous and I hope the conviction (200510) of Peter Brown for their manslaughter will bring a degree of closure to the towns.

One of the main methods we use is the regular community meetings all across Ryedale. These help us to set our local policing priorities for each distinct community, as each one is individual. So come along and talk to us - together we can make a difference.

One type of crime we are currently dealing with is thefts from cars at isolated rural locations and car parks. We will be doing additional patrols but you can help yourself by following the simple crime prevention advice on our crime prevention page. Another common crime is thefts from shed, garages and outbuildings. Our crime prevention page gives good advice to help you protect your property from theft.

We are also seeking to attract those volunteers, who wish to become a Special Constable in Ryedale. We know anti-social behaviour can have a real impact on residents' quality of life and tackling this is a key priority for the Ryedale Safer Neighbourhood Team. As a Special Constable you could make a real contribution to tackling crime and disorder as well as being a visible reassurance to the community. Visit the North Yorkshire Police website for details of how to apply.

Finally, can I urge everyone to continue to talk to and support your local policing teams and together we will continue to reduce crime and disorder and build the safer communities across Ryedale.