Police pledge blitz on New Year yobs (From York Press)
Get in touch: send your photos, videos, news & views by texting YORK to 80360 or send an email»
Police pledge blitz on New Year yobs
8:50am Monday 31st December 2012 in News
By Jennifer Bell, jennifer.bell@thepress.co.uk
Crowds outside York Minster on New Year’s Eve
POLICE have warned they will crack down swiftly on any troublemakers tonight as thousands gather in York city centre to celebrate the New Year.
Extra patrols will flood the streets and officers have vowed to get tough on anyone spoiling the night for others.
Police will have a heavy presence in central streets and around York Minster, which acts as a focal point for celebrating crowds.
Under special powers, officers will be able to evict anybody likely to cause booze-fuelled disorder from the city centre for 24 hours.
If they return, they will spent a night behind bars. Police and the Safer York Partership have said the idea was not to prevent people having fun, but to ensure people were kept safe.
A spokesman for North Yorkshire Police said: “We are expecting many thousands of people celebrating the end of 2012 and welcoming in 2013 at the Minster.
“In the past, the event has passed off with a good-natured atmosphere and we are expecting it to pass off in the same peaceful, if not quiet, manner again this year.
“Officers, special constables and PCSOs will be visible on the streets mingling with revellers and working with landlords and door staff to ensure that a trouble-free time is enjoyed by everyone.
“Anyone spoiling the night for the majority will be dealt with swiftly and appropriately.”
Officers are asking those gathering at the Minster not to take glasses or bottles with them, to reduce the risk of anyone getting injured.
Paramedics will be on standby to deal with any medical emergencies.
Police officers will also be out in force across the regions’ roads to crack down on any motorists who get behind the wheel after drinking or taking drugs as part of their annual Christmas clampdown.
Comments(22)
ChilliPepper87
says...
9:29am Mon 31 Dec 12
ChilliPepper87
says...
9:30am Mon 31 Dec 12
voiceofnormalpeople wrote:too right.
How to cut down on druken yobs? easy! On main nights like new years don't let any one under the age of 21 get searved. The main offenders are 18-21 year olds that can not handle there drinks. A coupleof beers and they think they are mike tyson. You don't get this type of trouble in america where the age limit is 21. By then the people are mature enough to handle a few.
but they need to get money from whoever they can nowadays..whether you are 18 or not.
baileyuk
says...
10:15am Mon 31 Dec 12
voiceofnormalpeople wrote:whoa what a comment,, would you call york races main nights in York? Usual Sat night stag and hen main nights? in my experience the majority of thos causing problems are actually over the 21 age bracket and race nights over the 35 age bracket...
How to cut down on druken yobs? easy! On main nights like new years don't let any one under the age of 21 get searved. The main offenders are 18-21 year olds that can not handle there drinks. A coupleof beers and they think they are mike tyson. You don't get this type of trouble in america where the age limit is 21. By then the people are mature enough to handle a few.
Fat Harry
says...
10:21am Mon 31 Dec 12
I didn't see any yobbish behaviour, just didn't find it especially enjoyable to be part of a semi-drunken crush, so will see this new year in with silly amounts of alcohol at home with my for better or worse half, and Jools Holland on the box.
On the positive side of last year's celebrations, there wasn't the slightest suggestion of civilians or coppers waving guns about, so I'd suggest we should treat with scepticism any lessons in the maintenance public order from the other side of the Atlantic.
YSTClinguist
says...
11:23am Mon 31 Dec 12
Now it's rammed with people as far as you can see, many teens, young adults on drugs provoking incidents. I was once next to a disabled visitor who was trampled and then given threatening glares by the hopped up lad who strode through the masses as if they weren't there. Some people actually set off chinese lanterns the last two years running in the midst of heritage buildings, with one actually getting caught in a tree which left us waiting for a fire to start.
This is why the big screen is needed, to hold attention so certain demographics don't kick off. This is perhaps why the police are needed on the spot, to protect families in case of the worst. Although their 'kettling' manoeuvre to clear the area for cleaning up a couple of years ago was.....disturbing to say the least with many innocent peoples evening most likely shot through after that.
Also, no Elvis impersonators this year, for the love of god!
voiceofnormalpeople
says...
11:46am Mon 31 Dec 12
Fat Harry wrote:I don't see what gun waving has to do with the under21 drinking age? At no poit is there a gun shop on every corner or the call for 1! The age at which most drink related antisocial behavour is commited is below 21.
I paid my first ever hogmanay visit to the Minster last year, and won't be repeating the experience.
I didn't see any yobbish behaviour, just didn't find it especially enjoyable to be part of a semi-drunken crush, so will see this new year in with silly amounts of alcohol at home with my for better or worse half, and Jools Holland on the box.
On the positive side of last year's celebrations, there wasn't the slightest suggestion of civilians or coppers waving guns about, so I'd suggest we should treat with scepticism any lessons in the maintenance public order from the other side of the Atlantic.
On another note race night trouble is down massively since most out of town race goeds were banned from town on race nights.
eeoodares
says...
12:05pm Mon 31 Dec 12
voiceofnormalpeople wrote:I do not know where you have been in America, but they do have a great deal of alcohol issues, drunken yobs and street drinking by minors. It is not a matter of age it is down to ethos.
How to cut down on druken yobs? easy! On main nights like new years don't let any one under the age of 21 get searved. The main offenders are 18-21 year olds that can not handle there drinks. A coupleof beers and they think they are mike tyson. You don't get this type of trouble in america where the age limit is 21. By then the people are mature enough to handle a few.
voiceofnormalpeople
says...
12:35pm Mon 31 Dec 12
Viper_7
says...
12:43pm Mon 31 Dec 12
I trust we'll see pretty much all clubs and pubs closed down due to their staff being charged with serving a drunk patron.
TerryYork
says...
12:56pm Mon 31 Dec 12
bob the builder
says...
12:58pm Mon 31 Dec 12
eeoodares
says...
1:32pm Mon 31 Dec 12
voiceofnormalpeople wrote:Yep, Miami is really safe with no abuse problems at all!
parents live in ft laurderdale and work in miami.
the commentator
says...
1:52pm Mon 31 Dec 12
All a load of sentimental codswallop anyway, no different to any other night out in York city centre other than all of the people who hardly ever go out, go out and have 1 or 10 too many drinks.
Better off staying at home and watching the pre-recorded Jools Holland hootenany!
Viper_7
says...
1:59pm Mon 31 Dec 12
The police will be extremely busy and over-stretched tonight, and the Taxi's charge double.
eurosteve
says...
2:25pm Mon 31 Dec 12
and as for suspected troublemakers spending the night in a cell - they only have about 20 cells available anyway which is not enough on a normal Saturday night so how could it be enough at New Year.
Anyway hope all the Taxi drivers make it through the night without trouble or chuckers. (double doesnt make up for all the hassle / abuse believe me)
fixedfanatic
says...
2:50pm Mon 31 Dec 12
TerryYork wrote:I was told there were 4 officers on duty one Saturday night in the run up to Christmas so we are in safe if thinly spread hands.
Watch out for pick pockets. There will be hundreds of them coming in from places like Leeds to take advantage of our fair city and it's 10 coppers....which is eight more coppers than usually deal with the city centre.
oi oi savaloy
says...
2:51pm Mon 31 Dec 12
If this is the case, why the need for more police? Am sure I just read that each bobby on the beat costs the tax payer something in the region of 800k , that is some overheads!! No doubt King James of alexandria will have had something to with this, buying the bobby vote with massive overtime payments..... I was up town last year and found the majority of pubs to be fairly quiet, only packed one was the three cranes, but nowt new there tho as its always quite full! And I didn't see one bit of trouble ...
yorkshirelad
says...
3:43pm Mon 31 Dec 12
I think we all support the Police doing a difficult job out there - so long as it's reasonable and even-handed.
voiceofnormalpeople
says...
3:54pm Mon 31 Dec 12
eeoodares wrote:Not from 18 year old drunks. Anything to do with minors is fround upon. You can not even drive by a school bus if it stops in the road and puts a stop sign up.
voiceofnormalpeople wrote:Yep, Miami is really safe with no abuse problems at all!
parents live in ft laurderdale and work in miami.
voiceofnormalpeople
says...
3:54pm Mon 31 Dec 12
eeoodares wrote:Not from 18 year old drunks. Anything to do with minors is fround upon. You can not even drive by a school bus if it stops in the road and puts a stop sign up.
voiceofnormalpeople wrote:Yep, Miami is really safe with no abuse problems at all!
parents live in ft laurderdale and work in miami.
MouseHouse
says...
7:16pm Mon 31 Dec 12
voiceofnormalpeople wrote:and you can then pull out your legal semi-automatic machine gun. The Americans have nothing, absolutely nothing, to teach us about law 'n order.
eeoodares wrote:Not from 18 year old drunks. Anything to do with minors is fround upon. You can not even drive by a school bus if it stops in the road and puts a stop sign up.
voiceofnormalpeople wrote:Yep, Miami is really safe with no abuse problems at all!
parents live in ft laurderdale and work in miami.
voiceofnormalpeople says...
9:27am Mon 31 Dec 12