I spent an afternoon with Humberside Police’s Sergeant Andy Waller in one of Hull’s most deprived areas to see how police and community initiatives are tackling antisocial behaviour and petty crime.
Orchard Park is sadly an area with a troubled reputation. For example, when Hull Live visited two years ago, it was known as being like ‘the wild west’ and buses and taxis would not visit certain areas.
In recent years, a series of police, council, and community initiatives have sought to improve the area and its reputation. Better yet, according to people in the estate, it’s working.
Key to the improvements seen has been Humberside Police’s Clear Hold Build programme. Orchard Park is one of three areas in the jurisdiction to have such a programme, alongside Bridlington and Nunsthorpe in Grimsby. The Clear Hold Build scheme, through on the ground neighbourhood policing, seeks to tackle existing organised crime whilst building a trusting relationship with the community to prevent further youths turning to crime in the future.
Central the to Orchard Park Clear Hold Build has been the ‘Hope’ branding that has been popping up across the estate in the last year. Hope, which was thought up by local school children, is used in many instances rather than Humberside Police or Hull City Council branding.
(Image: Donna Clifford/HullLive)
Sgt Waller from North Hull Neighbourhood Police Team, who is clearly seen as a familiar, friendly face to many in the estate, took me to the Orchard Park Shopping Centre which in the past has been rife with anti social behaviour. Sam, the manger of Heron Foods there described how they used to get groups of youth entering the store on cycles. He said: “It was horrific, kids were terrorising shops. It’s massively improved.”
Sgt Waller also took me Sir Henry Cooper Park where Humberside Police, the Tiger Trust, St Mike’s Youth Project and others were putting on a Community Day event for kids to attend during their half-term break. As well as giving kids a place to go and be safe during their school break, the Community Days offer free bike repairs, courtesy of St Mike’s Youth Project. Jo Lorenz, the Project Lead of St Mike’s, explained that they usually offer free bike repairs on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at their youth centre where they also teach kids how to repair bikes so that they will be able to do the repairs themselves in the future.
At the events, children are able to take advantage of Humberside Police provided sports equipment allowing them to play tennis, football, rugby, amongst other sports. The events are also supported by Tigers Trust, Hull City’s community project. Tiger Trusts’ Dave Spiking, who grew up on the Orchard Park Estate said how he wishes there were such events when he was growing up in the area.
(Image: Donna Clifford/HullLive)
After spending the afternoon on the estate it became apparent that the overriding sense is that Orchard Park is improving but there is still work to do to keep this momentum going. The sense of trust that the police seems to have forged with many on the estate is testament to the neighbourhood policing done by Stg Waller and his team. This good relationship is only expected to get better as Humberside Police is set to recruit 38 new neighbourhood police officer and police community support officer (PCSO) roles, many of which are expected to be in place by this summer, the Chief Constable recently told Hull Live.
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