Armed police in seven-hour siege in Whitby

ARMED police were called in to deal with a seven-hour siege after a man barricaded himself in a house in North Yorkshire and threatened to harm himself with a knife.

The man had barricaded himself into the kitchen of the house in Whitby late yesterday, using a fridge-freezer to block the door.

A firearms support unit from North Yorkshire Police was deployed to the scene, while specialist negotiators talked to the man through the kitchen window.

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The man was becomingly increasingly agitated throughout the siege, but Inspector Mark Grange, of Whitby Safer Neighbourhood Team, paid tribute to the efforts of the officers to bring the incident to a peaceful conclusion.

Insp Grange added: “This was a difficult and potentially dangerous situation which was expertly handled by the officers involved.

“They ensured that there was no risk to the public at any stage during the incident and brought the situation to a safe conclusion for all parties involved.

“It was a long operation, which required great skill and patience and thankfully it was resolved peacefully without any injuries.”

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Officers from the North Yorkshire force were called to the scene in Lansdowne Road in Whitby just after 11.30pm yesterday.

The police negotiators successfully managed to talk the man into leaving the house at about 7am today.

He was arrested and taken into custody where he being questioned by officers today while inquiries into the siege continue.