Report of man wielding knife outside Harrogate Odeon

A woman has described seeing a man brandishing a “huge” knife outside the Odeon in Harrogate last night.

Pub chef Chloe Horner had just got home from work when her partner alerted her to a man with a blade several inches long outside the cinema at about midnight.

Ms Horner said she saw the incident clearly from her kitchen window and observed the man standing motionless holding the knife.

She said another man, who walked by and was threatened, called the police.

By the time the police arrived, the person with the knife had walked off in the direction of Asda, she added.

“It was scary. You don’t expect to see that outside your own window. I feel for anyone else who might have walked by him. The knife was huge.”

Ms Horner said police, including armed officers and officers with dogs, were at the scene for about an hour but she does not know if any arrests were made.

By the time they arrived the man, who she said was wearing a dirty brown hoodie and joggers, had walked off.

“It’s crazy. You don’t expect to see that in Harrogate”.

The Stray Ferret has approached North Yorkshire Police for details.

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District police hope week of action will keep knives off streets

Police in the Harrogate district hope that a national week of action will help keep knives and other weapons off the streets.

North Yorkshire has low knife crime rates so officers will use Operation Sceptre as more of a deterrent than a reaction.

The national week of action, which starts today, will raise awareness of the dangers of knives in person and online.

Detective superintendent Fran Naughton, of North Yorkshire Police, said:

“There is no reason to carry a knife, and no place for knife crime, in North Yorkshire. Operation Sceptre is a good opportunity for both education and enforcement.

“Levels of knife crime in our area are low, but we cannot be complacent. Even with the current covid-19 restrictions in place, crime hasn’t stopped.”

The police want to use this week to highlight the potentially fatal consequences of carrying a knife.

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The National Police Chiefs’ council lead for knife crime, deputy assistant commissioner Graham McNulty, added:

“Police forces up and down the country work tirelessly in bringing violent offenders involved in knife crime to justice.

“While the causes and drivers of knife crime are complex, early intervention and putting in place measures to tackle the root causes are absolutely essential.”

Police officer: ‘No knife crime problem in Ripon’

A senior officer, with responsibility for policing in Ripon, has reassured people the city does not have a major problem with gangs after a mother expressed concerns.

The mother, who asked to remain anonymous, told the Stray Ferret she and other parents feared Ripon was witnessing an increase in gangs, violence and intimidation.

There have also been recent incidents of vandalism, including the breaking of windows in the city centre and damage caused to the surface of a children’s playground in Grove Lane.

The mother said:

“The impression that I and other mothers I meet have is that there is a growing gang culture, which links into drug taking and dealing.

“It can be intimidating seeing groups of youths, some on bikes, congregating in parts of the city late at night and we are concerned that some might be carrying knives. We fear that somebody is going to be hurt and believe that something needs to be done.”

Inspector Steve Breen, (pictured above) who presented a report to Harrogate Borough Council in March on actions taken by North Yorkshire Police to tackle knife crime, said he wanted to assuage concerns and introduce a sense of proportion.

He told the Stray Ferret:

“We have essentially eradicated knife crime in Ripon through proactive use of stop and search tactics and intelligence-led disruption activity, leading to the imprisonment of some key individuals.”

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He added

“This problem existed within a small group of drug users and dealers across the district and did not impinge on innocent members of the public. There is no problem with knife crime in Ripon.”

Regarding the vandalism that temporarily closed the children’s playground, Insp Breen said:

“I reinforce the message that parents need to know where their children are, who they are with, and what they are up to.

“I urge the public to report issues they are concerned about via 101 or 999 in an emergency.”

“We are active in suppressing antisocial behaviour through home visits to problem individuals, the issuing of cease and desist letters, and working with schools, social workers, youth charities and other partners to engage and divert young people from nuisance activity.”