Police figures show rise in Otley youth crime (From Wharfedale Observer)

Police figures show rise in Otley youth crime

2:26pm Saturday 29th September 2007 in Local news By Amanda Greaves

YOUTH crime rose in Otley last month and burglaries increased in the neighbouring villages.

West Yorkshire Police figures for August show that most crime levels dropped in Otley, Pool-in-Wharfedale, and Bram-hope.

But Otley itself suffered a rise in the number of youth nuisance' incidents reported to police, and the Bramhope police beat also covering Pool, Arthington and Carlton, had seven burglaries as opposed to just two the previous month.

Although the Bramhope and Pool beat typically has very low levels of crime, its low population means the number of crimes per 1,000 households over the past year exceeds the average burglary rates for West Yorkshire.

In both of Otley's police beats, the number of youth nuisance complaints was up on July's figures. There were 22 such incidents reported south of the River Wharfe and ten north of the river.

There were a total of 25 in the whole town in July. There were just four burglaries recorded in Otley last month, and three in July.

The Bramhope beat had just two house burglaries in July, but has had two higher peaks in the past 12 months. In June there were nine burglaries and the same number last October.

Police have not released details of where the burglaries took place.

Between September 2006 and August this year there were 52 house burglaries reported in the area, compared to 43 over the previous 12 months.

Burglary rates for the overall Pudsey Weetwood Division, which polices Otley, Pool and Bramhope, are significantly higher than the figures for West Yorkshire.

Vandalism and anti-social behaviour fell in Otley and burglaries remained low. Vehicle crimes and reports of anti-social behaviour both fell in Bramhope and Pool area.