A Christmas crack down on criminality in York and Selby

Once again, it’s been a busy 24-hour period in York and Selby. Nine people have been arrested as part of the last Operation Tornado of this year. 

With Christmas just a couple of weeks away the busy shopping period is now in full swing. Yesterday we teamed up with retailers to clamp down on criminals who are seeking to take advantage of the crowded stores and streets. In York, our Chief Constable Tim Forber put himself on the beat as he joined PC Jonathon Lewis from the local Neighbourhood Team on foot patrol around the city. Later in the morning the Chief joined strike teams who were looking for wanted people and was successful in locating a man who was wanted for shoplifting. 

Also in York, we had teams of officers patrolling around the city centre to tackle criminality involving illegal e-bikes and e-scooters. Launched in September this year, Operation Pendulum is a York initiative targeting the unlawful use of two wheeled vehicles that pose a danger to communities and are frequently used to facilitate crime. We deployed on specialist off road bikes which are marked and unmarked as well as in high performance vehicles during the afternoon and night to intercept offenders. 

At 2.45pm an officer and CCTV sighted a motorbike doing wheelies in the city centre. In less than 90 seconds the dedicated city centre motorbike team had the rider stopped. The bike was seized and the rider, a man in his 20s, will be interviewed in connection with perverting the course of justice at a later date. 

Chief Inspector Ryan Chapman said: “We’ve listened to the concerns from people in York who have told us that they have had enough of these bikes riding around the city during the day and night without any regard for people’s safety.

“We also know that illegal e-bikes and e-scooters are often linked to serious criminality, our message is clear, we will not tolerate this behaviour in York. I would urge parents to think twice before buying these for Christmas and if you do, please familiarise yourself with the law to ensure that they are road legal”. 

In Selby, officers executed a drugs warrant at an address near to Flaxley Road. During the search an amount of cash, designer goods, drug paraphernalia and suspected drugs were found. A 25-year-old-man and 52-year-old woman were arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of class A drugs. A second search connected with the same incident was also carried out at another address in Burn.

Operation Tornado takes place every month, it sees resources from across North Yorkshire Police come together into one area to tackle key issues. This year it has led to over 150 arrests from across the county and it will be back in force in 2026!