We have received today the following information below from Cllr Barry Anderson which may be of interest to you.

“I have been approached by a number of residents to raise concerns about the above issue. In essence the points they made were:

1.     I am writing in regards to the crime in Adel over recent months and the lack of police presence.

2.     I received a WhatsApp message detailing a women being followed on Bedquilts. She called the police who went out to search for the male.

3.     On Saturday, a 69-year-old woman was mugged for her handbag and dog. Fortunately, the offender got away with just the handbag.

4.     Adel is becoming a crime hotspot and greater police presence is needed to keep the area safe.

5.     Dogs are now seen as such valuable assets driven by the demand for pets since lockdown. I am linked to groups up and down the uk who are reporting daily occurrences of such crimes with thieves going to extreme lengths to steal much loved family pets and trade them on without any conscience for the devastation they leave behind.

Set out below is the response from the Police to the issues raised.

I have attached the leaflet the Police provided to me re dog thefts.”

“I have looked back over the last few days but have been unable to locate a report to the Police of a female being followed on bedquilts ?

I can however confirm an incident occurred on Saturday involving a female whilst she was walking her dog. The incident is currently under investigation but I can confirm that the “WhatsApp Group” message is not correct, as no property was taken from the victim.  

In respect of a previous query in relation to “dog theft spikes” on the 25th February with an advice leaflet produced by Dog’s trust and I can arrange for this to be sent again if helps?

Despite this latest incident, which is the first of its type , the recent crime figures do not show any spike in crime in the ward however the team are aware and will continue to provide visible reassurance across the ward area.”

Regards

Kev Poole PC4155

Adel & Wharfedale Ward

Outer North West NPT

Leeds District

To report a crime, please ring 101. Always dial 999 in an emergency.