More than 30 people have been arrested in Leeds in just one day as the police work to tackle neighbourhood crime.
West Yorkshire Police‘s Operation Jetshot saw teams work to arrest suspects in Leeds city centre and the rest of the city yesterday. The police were also working to provide reassurance and a visible presence in Leeds.
Officers worked alongside Leeds City Council, Leeds Business Improvement District, and retail security staff as they delivered a “street briefing”. This was delivered by Superintendent Matthew Scott and Inspector Lee MacDonald.
In total, 34 people were arrested across the district for offences including theft from a shop, robbery, theft from a motor vehicle, drug offences, sexual offences, and assault. A warrant was executed in Beeston after information was received about possible drug offences.
Mounted police in Leeds city centre -Credit:West Yorkshire Police
High visibility patrols with support from the police Mounted Section took place in the city centre. Three closure orders were served to shops in Armley after thousands of pounds worth of illegal cigarettes, tobacco, vapes, and alcohol were seized.
A police engagement van was also positioned on Boar Lane in Leeds city centre, with other engagement work also taking place at Springs Retail Park and with school children. The off-road bike team also carried out an operation and traffic operations, alongside the DVLA, saw checks carried out on nearly 80 vehicles, with two immediate suspensions carried out, two summons issued, two deferred notices issued, and one vehicle seized as the driver did not have insurance.
The Leeds City Neighbourhood Policing Team took four electric bikes off the road with three people reported for not having insurance and driving offences. In total, 11 vehicles were seized, 21 Traffic Offence Reports were given to drivers for fatal five offences, and two Section 59 notices were given to drivers for being careless with their vehicles.
The police off-road bike team -Credit:West Yorkshire Police
Superintendent Matthew Scott, of Leeds District Police, said: “The public consistently tell us they want to see more police officers in their communities, and that’s exactly what Operation Jetshot delivered. It brought together district and specialist resources in a highly visible way – executing warrants, arresting suspects, deterring criminality, and engaging directly with the public.
“This isn’t a one-off event. Jetshot showcased the daily work happening across Leeds District to keep people safe. Throughout the summer, we’ve strongly supported the Safer Streets initiative, tackling shop theft, street crime, and antisocial behaviour in our city and town centres and seen some brilliant results of this work.
“An important moment in the operation was our public street briefing, held with our partner agencies who are key to the success of fighting crime and protecting vulnerable people every day in Leeds and I want to publicly thank them for their continued commitment.
The police engagement van on Boar Lane -Credit:West Yorkshire Police
“Whilst the briefing was in the city centre, the intense and co-ordinated activity that took place happened across the whole district with bespoke operations servicing the unique needs of individual communities.
“We made 34 arrests in Leeds District during this operation, and the work now continues to ensure that those responsible for committing crimes in our neighbourhoods are made to face justice for their actions.”
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