York & North Yorkshire Office for Policing, Fire, Crime and Commissioning.

“Your Police Service, Your Say” – York & North Yorkshire Office for Policing, Fire, Crime and Commissioning. & York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority to host online meeting tomorrow at 2pm driven by interest from the public. This meeting will focus on North Yorkshire Police Rural Crime - Hidden Harms. Full details and presentations here: https://lnkd.in/e_kifZGb

“Your Police Service, Your Say” – York & North Yorkshire Office for Policing, Fire, Crime and Commissioning. & York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority to host online meeting driven by interest from the public. This meeting will focus on North Yorkshire Police Full details and presentations here: https://lnkd.in/e_kifZGb

New Centre opens to support victims and vulnerable witnesses. Acer House Victims’ Centre will provide dedicated, modern facilities to better meet the needs of victims of rape and sexual assault helping to improve their outcomes, both inside and outside the criminal justice system and in their recovery and healing. Acer House is the new site for the Adult Sexual Assault Referral Centre (“SARC”) and Child Sexual Assault Assessment Services in York and North Yorkshire. Victims of rape and sexual assault will receive immediate healthcare and a forensic medical examination if required at the Centre, to collect and document evidence. The new Centre also has two Video-Recorded Interview suites for North Yorkshire Police to take statements from vulnerable victims and witnesses of any crime, including children and young people. The Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, David Skaith, and Deputy Mayor for Policing, Fire and Crime, Jo Coles, have supported the overall investment of £3 million, to purchase the building and develop the facilities, increasing capacity fourfold, in replacement of the previous SARC and Interview Suite. The investment is also to support the SARC to achieve new national forensic accreditation. This accreditation is required to ensure the quality of forensic evidence secures the best possible chance of prosecution of sexual offences. Importantly, the Centre has been designed in consultation with victims, and intermediaries, to help improve their overall experience. Victims expressed their need for comfort and safety, which the Centre has provided through soft furnishes, toys for children and comfortable, private waiting rooms. With minimal signage to indicate police presence, the Centre is designed to feel distinct from a hospital or police setting. Suspects will never be interviewed within the building. Acer House is situated close to key transport links and major roads to serve people living throughout York and North Yorkshire. The Centre will be used to support victims 24/7 and has been designed to be accessible for those with mobility needs. Read the article in full here: https://lnkd.in/eVQY6ip6

Mayor David Skaith and Deputy Jo Coles celebrate #IWD International Women’s Day To mark International Women’s Day, Mayor of York and North Yorkshire David Skaith, visited the Kyra Women’s Project in York; a charity that supports women through workshops, courses and activities aimed at empowering them in their personal and professional lives. At the event Mayor Skaith heard about the project’s work and spoke about why International Women’s Day was important to him and the work being undertaken in York and North Yorkshire to support women and girls. Talking about International Women’s Day, Mayor David Skaith said: “International Women’s Day is an opportunity for everyone to stop and reflect on the achievements of women and the inequalities they face. “My vision is to create healthy and resilient communities, and this starts with respecting each other and treating everyone equally. “This year’s theme is to accelerate action, and I encourage everyone to join me in calling out stereotypes, challenging discrimination, questioning bias and celebrating women's achievements.” Jo Coles, Deputy Mayor for Policing, Fire and Crime joined Selby Soroptimists International to hear about their work on International Women’s Day. Soroptimists are a worldwide group for women in business and the professions. They strive to improve the status of women and girls throughout the world, raising awareness, acting as advocates and taking action on a range of issues locally, nationally and internationally. Jo also joined the North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service Women’s Network at the Incident Command room in an event for women, within the service, to find out more about the role of Incident Command. The event provided staff with an opportunity to learn more about themselves, such as what kind of decision maker they are. There was also an opportunity to take part in scenarios. Talking about what International Women’s Day means to her, Jo said: “International Women’s Day for me is about celebrating the brilliant work taking place in our public services and in our communities. “Across the police and fire services we have hundreds of amazing women doing brilliant work supporting our communities, every day, often juggling complicated family and caring responsibilities. “Thank you to them and to all those who support them to do what they do to make a difference in our communities every day.”

Jo Coles joins Mayor David Skaith Deputy at the opening of the newly refurbished police and fire station in Ripon   York and North Yorkshire Mayor David Skaith has officially opened the newly refurbished joint police and fire station in Ripon   Mayor Skaith was joined by partners and community members to cut the ribbon on the long-awaited facility for Ripon. This follows a joint investment of £926,000 by North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service and North Yorkshire Police to improve engagement with the local community and provide a modern and accessible workspace for staff. For the local community, the station now has a comfortable and informal public room where they can discuss community issues with the police. The station now also includes an interview room which will remove the need for both police and public to travel to Harrogate. The new facilities will increase the use of the station by police, which in turn will enable increased police visibility in the community. Other improvements to facilities, such as showers and kitchen areas, will be available to both police officers, PCSOs and fire fighters. Mayor David Skaith was joined at the opening ceremony by Deputy Mayor for Policing, Fire and Crime Jo Coles, North Yorkshire Police Chief Constable Tim Forber, and North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service Chief Fire Officer Jonathan Dyson, as well as local community leaders.   York and North Yorkshire Mayor David Skaith said: “The public consistently tell me that they want to see more police officers on the streets and this new joint station in the city of Ripon will ensure neighbourhood policing teams are able to work and patrol the local area and provide new services to the local community, that they deserve. “Strong neighbourhood policing is the foundation on which public confidence in policing is built and I welcome this refurbishment that is so long overdue. “This modern space will enable the police to work closely alongside Ripon residents, which is so important to building trust and confidence. “I thank all of those who have made this happen.”

A challenging but incredibly rewarding project. My team delivered an outstanding refurbishment of the collocated Fire & Police Station in Ripon. https://lnkd.in/eyg9vn5z

York and North Yorkshire Deputy Mayor and Chief Fire Officer comment on Grenfell Inquiry Phase 2 report. On 26 February 2025 the government published their response to the Grenfell Inquiry Phase 2 report. The fire at Grenfell Tower which occurred on 14 June 2017 was a national tragedy that took 72 lives. A Public Inquiry was launched with a Phase one report published in October 2019 and a final report (Phase 2) published on 4 September 2024. Jonathan Dyson Chief Fire Officer said: “We welcome the government’s response to Phase 2 of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Report. “We have taken steps to improve our preparedness for incidents involving high-rise residential buildings, including improved training and equipment, whilst making the built environment safer through our Protection team. Whilst we have a low number of higher risk buildings in York and North Yorkshire, we are not complacent and to provide assurance to our communities and the Deputy Mayor I implemented an independent internal audit to review our progress and outcomes which received an opinion of ‘substantial assurance’. “Our commitment remains steadfast and we are working closely with the government, partners and communities across North Yorkshire and beyond as we strive for essential reforms and improvements that will protect the wellbeing of both our communities and our staff.” Jo Coles, York and North Yorkshire Deputy Mayor for Policing, Fire and Crime said: “Everyone should be able to live in a safe home. It’s really important for the Mayor and I to deliver safe places for everyone who lives, works or visits our region. “I will continue to work closely with colleagues from the fire and rescue service to ensure services are doing all they can to keep people safe. “I have asked for a formal update on the progress being made in York and North Yorkshire on the Grenfell report recommendations and will ensure this is reviewed regularly.”

Deputy Mayor welcomes new Government Bill to tackle violence against women and girls York and North Yorkshire Deputy Mayor for Policing, Fire and Crime, Jo Coles, comments on new Government Bill to tackle violence against women and girls. Jo Coles, Deputy Mayor for Policing, Fire and Crime, for York and North Yorkshire said: “Measures in the Crime and Policing Bill published this week by the new government is extremely welcome. "The legislative steps on expanding support for victims of stalking and spiking will be greatly received here in York and North Yorkshire. Victims show tremendous courage to come forward and seek help. "These new orders will make this process more straightforward and help to drive changes that will improve people’s lives. "The government is committed to halve violence against women and girls in a decade, and it’s good to see that work getting underway to help to deliver on that. "The Mayor and I are committed to safe places for all, and that means ensuring women and girls in our region get the confidence and support they need to report crimes when they happen and that we have robust systems in place to ensure perpetrators are brought to justice.” More information about the Crime and Policing Bill can be found at the link below: https://lnkd.in/eAiT_U3D

“Your Fire Service, Your Say” – Tomorrow York & North Yorkshire Office for Policing, Fire, Crime and Commissioning. and York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority to host online meeting driven by interest from the public. This meeting will focus on North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service Resilience. Full details and presentations here: https://lnkd.in/eQzPNEjw

“Your Fire Service, Your Say” – York & North Yorkshire Office for Policing, Fire, Crime and Commissioning. & York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority to host online meeting driven by interest from the public. This meeting will focus on North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service Resilience Full details and presentations here: https://lnkd.in/eQzPNEjw