Huddersfield crime gangs on estates blighted by drugs and violence being 'cleared out'

Criminal gangs operating in an area of Huddersfield are being 'cleared out' as part of a renewed crackdown, say police.

The drive against 'crime and grime' is backed by the police and Kirklees Council and is focused on the Ashbrow ward which includes Fartown, Deighton, Sheepridge, Bradley and Brackenhall.

West Yorkshire Police says 'multiple arrests' have already been made as well as vehicle seizures.

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The project is called Clear, Hold, Build and is a three-step Home Office plan to tackle serious and organised crime.

So far, days of action have taken place on November 11 and 22, which focused on Deighton and Fartown. The days resulted in 11 arrests, including five arrests for possession with intent to supply drugs and a seizure of Class A drugs.

Five vehicles were also seized as the Kirklees Nuisance Anti-Social Behaviour Team conducted patrols on police off road bikes.

Clean ups were also conducted on Ruskin Grove, Sheepridge Road, and greenway land near Alder Street, with three vans of rubbish alone removed in last week’s operation. The situation with fly-tipping around Fartown has been highlighted by locals who spoke to Yorkshire Live in August.

And fed-up residents in Fartown, the scene of a recent shooting, claimed shootings and drug dealing have become a part of daily life.

The Ashbrow Clear, Hold, Build is the third programme of its kind to launch in West Yorkshire.

Police said the programme is designed to reclaim and rebuild neighbourhoods affected by organised crime, makes areas safer and increase public confidence in the police and partner agencies.

Activity for Clear Hold Build in Ashbrow began earlier this year with the naming of the scheme - Unity: Shape Up - by children from the North Huddersfield Trust School.

Since then, officers from the Huddersfield Neighbourhood Policing Team have been working with the Council and partners in communities to carry out local consultations about what could be done to improve areas.

Long term enforcement work has also been ongoing by specialist police to target organised criminal groups operating in the Ashbrow area.

Chief Inspector Rebecca Calpin of Kirklees Police said; “Unity: Shape Up is a really significant and long term initiative for us and partners to bring about notable and lasting change in Ashbrow.

"Work has been ongoing for months to both better understand the needs of residents and take on organised criminal networks operating on estates.

"We are very much in the ‘Clear’ phase of the project through which we have been targeting the crime gangs who make day to day life a misery for people just trying to go about their business.

"This work remains ongoing but has resulted in multiple arrests and convictions. Clearing out these criminals will in the long term allow communities and partners space to build communities back better.

"We have seen from elsewhere in West Yorkshire and the wider country that Clear Hold Build can deliver real results and we are delighted to launch it in Huddersfield. This is only the beginning with much more to come."

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