POLICE are investigating video footage which exposed ‘wild’ behaviour in a York street – including men urinating on a building, and gangs scoping out a parked motorbike apparently in the hope of trying to steal it.
But North Yorkshire Police stress that Bishopthorpe Road, where the footage was filmed, remains ‘a safe area overall’.
It is renowned as one of the coolest, most popular streets in York in which to live.
As reported in The Press at the weekend the footage was filmed from CCTV cameras at a property in Bishopthorpe Road which were installed by York Security Services (YSS) at the request of the householder.
Recorded over the last year, with an edited selection of clips posted on YouTube last week, the footage showed:
- groups of what look like young men, many wearing hoodies and some riding bikes, repeatedly checking out a parked motorcycle. They lift the cover, scope it out from every angle, and examine the locks – often in broad daylight, as traffic passes just yards away.
- two men openly urinating against the wall of the property – one in broad daylight. In the video, the voice of one of the men can be clearly heard saying to his friends: “God damn, this p*** feels so nice.”
The footage has been viewed hundreds of times since it was first posted. One viewer commented: “You should live stream that camera. It's wild!”
An operative at York Security Services who gave his name only as Stuart admitted he was ‘shocked’ by the footage.
“Bishopthorpe Road is a busy road, and it is well lit-up, even at night,” he said.
“It is one of the nicer streets in York, and I was shocked.”
WATCH - view the CCTV footage of 'wild' behaviour on Bishopthorpe Road here
As The Press reported, police visited the address where the CCTV cameras had been put up within hours of the footage being posted on YouTube, to get more information.
A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police said today: “We have made inquiries with the victim and are following up on all lines of investigation.
“The local Neighbourhood Policing Team regularly conduct patrols in the Bishopthorpe Road area of York which is a safe area overall.
“Officers are also working closely with the local community and partners to address any concerns.
“We would encourage members of the public to report any incidents to us via the North Yorkshire Police website or by calling us on 101 or 999.”
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