Radio links prove worth with arrest of city graffiti vandals

On Tuesday afternoon staff at premises near the Corn Exchange contacted officers to report four people spraying and writing graffiti on the historic building.

A 17-year-old boy and a 13-year-old girl have now been charged with criminal damage and will appear before Leeds Youth Court next week. They are prevented from entering the area around the Corn Exchange as part of the conditions of their bail.

A 17-year-old girl also received a final warning, and a 13-year-old girl was given a reprimand.

The incident was reported using a special Businesses Against Crime in Leeds radio which provides a valuable link between city centre businesses and police to share information about incidents and suspicious activity.

Chief Inspector Vernon Francis said: "We're putting in that little extra effort and attention in the local area because of the local business community's concerns over anti-social behaviour and issues such as graffiti.

"Arrests like this show that this extra work is paying off, and also shows that we take local issues seriously and deal with them as priorities."

Meanwhile, the multi-agency operation Kirklees Focus, which tackles quality of life issues for local residents hits the valleys of Huddersfield next week. The week-long operation, which begins on Monday will centre on the Golcar, Kirkburton and Denby Dale areas.

Coun Mary Harkin, Kirklees Council Cabinet Member for Environment Services said: "Environmental Services will be taking the lead during this operation. We will be providing an additional collection of household waste in Golcar to help residents get rid of any garden waste or bulky items.

"We will also be providing litter patrols in village centres across the Kirklees area and will patrol targeted fly-tipping hot spots where we are aware of frequent incidents of tyre dumping in particular.

"We will be working with our partner organisations such as Kirklees Neighbourhood Housing and the police to tackle domestic noise problems."

The crackdown aims to reassure those affected by anti-social behaviour who feel unable to make a formal complaint.