Welcome to the North East Leeds Neighbourhood Policing Homepage

Chief Superintendent Gerry Broadbent
Your Divisional Commander

Hello and welcome to the Neighbourhood Policing Team website for the North East Leeds Division.
I am Chief Superintendent Gerry Broadbent, the Divisional Commander.

With the clocks going back the darker nights of autumn and winter begin in earnest and we all need to be conscious of what is often a traditional rise in incidents of burglary.

To combat this we have recently undertaken a major offensive to target house burglary which is known as Operation Bellwether. This involves a specialist team of officers who target and monitor those suspected of being involved in burglary and handling stolen goods.

In the short time this operation has been running we have already arrested over 35 people with 12 already being charged with burglary related offences.

This has helped us to achieve a 19% reduction in the number of house burglaries in comparison with the same month last year. We will keep this pressure on those suspected of being involved in burglary and this operation will carry on indefinitely as we continue to drive down this type of crime.

You can also play your part by helping to ensure that your property is as secure as it can be. Since the start of Operation Bellwether half of all the burglaries reported to us have occurred as a result of an unlocked door or open window.

It sounds simple but ensuring your doors are locked, even when you’re at home, as well as closing windows and leaving a light on when you go out can make a significant difference to preventing localised burglary.

At this time of year we also have Halloween and Guy Fawkes Night in the not too distant future.

In line with all celebrations we want people to enjoy themselves on these occasions but I think it’s important to draw a line where behaviour becomes inconsiderate and anti-social.

I’m sure many of us are aware of the Fiona Pilkington case and the recent inquest into her and her daughter’s tragic suicide following years of harassment from local youths.

As distressing as this case has been to all concerned I believe it has led to police forces across the country reviewing how effectively they deal with anti-social behaviour.

The day to day impact that anti-social behaviour can have should not be overlooked and it will always remain one of our key priorities.

We have recently successfully applied for a dispersal order covering Gipton and the surrounding area which effectively enables us to impose a curfew to prevent groups of people gathering in public places, particularly at night.

This relatively new piece of legislation gives police additional powers to move people on and stop inconsiderate behaviour developing into more serious anti-social and criminal behaviour.

Our hard work in this area has seen people living locally recognising this through year-on-year increases in public confidence figures relating to the way we are tackling anti-social behaviour.

This is something we will continue to build on by utilising all the powers under our disposal to ensure people can live day-to-day without being unduly affected by the unacceptable behaviour of others and that we do all we can to prevent any future tragedies like those of Fiona and Frankie Pilkington.