Nuisance Bedale woman hit with ban for wasting hours of police time

Susan Cooper, of Ash Tree Road, has been given a five-year Criminal Behaviour Order after being convicted at Northallerton Magistrates' Court today of being drunk and disorderly.

North Yorkshire Police said Cooper has a long history of contacting the force "inappropriately" as well as other services including her local GP surgery.

She has also been found intoxicated in the street on a number of occasions and was aggressive and abusive towards both officers and members of the public who tried to help her.

Subject to a previous Criminal Behaviour Order which ended in April, Cooper has been the subject of more than 60 further entries on North Yorkshire Police’s system since May and "has failed to engage informally with services available", police said.

Working as part of The Safer Hambleton Hub, North Yorkshire Police obtained the new order after Cooper persistently called the force’s control room and visited Bedale and Northallerton police stations drunk and with no requirement for officers' help.

North Yorkshire Police said this had resulted in "tying up officer resources for hours on an almost daily basis".

Under the requirements of the Criminal Behaviour Order, Cooper must not consume alcohol in any public place other than licensed premises within the Hambleton area, be drunk in a public place within the Hambleton area or be in possession of an open container of alcohol in a public place other than licensed premises within the same area.

She is also prohibited from calling or attending any emergency service, NHS service, GP practice, police station or encouraging by her actions or reports anyone else to do so on her behalf except when in genuine need of emergency help requiring immediate assessment, action or treatment or when making a medical appointment.

Cooper must also complete a total of ten weekly sessions with North Yorkshire Horizons over a four month period to access the Motivation to Change programme.

The order will be in force until November 2023.

PC Julie Woodcock, of North Yorkshire Police’s Safer Hambleton Hub, said: “The Criminal Behaviour Order has been considered very carefully to reduce the number of incidents and in appropriate contact made by Ms Cooper.

“The conditions have been developed to give Ms Cooper some boundaries to keep her safe.

“The positive requirement for Ms Cooper to engage with NY Horizons is the first in North Yorkshire to be granted and will hopefully help to tackle the root cause of her behaviour.”

Gina Allen, Safer Hambleton Hub co-ordinator at Hambleton District Council, added: “We have tried to work with Susan for a number weeks to address her behaviour on a voluntary basis, unfortunately we have not been able to do so , therefore the only action we could take was through the courts.

“Our priority is to keep people safe and reduce incidents of harassment, alarm and distress in the community and we will look at all measures to do so”.

Failing to comply with the requirements of a Criminal Behaviour Order is a criminal offence, punishable by a custodial sentence.

Any suspected breaches of an order can be reported to North Yorkshire Police on 101.