Police constable urges Ossett residents to lobby MP for more officers

Wakefield West Neighbourhood Policing Team sergeant Jayne West told an Ossett and Gawthorpe Police and Communities Together meeting: "You all know we are under resourced, it's no secret."

Police Constable Rachel Soeder and Police Community Support officer Gemma Dufton cover Ossett.

Responding to a member of the public's concerns about lack of a visible police presence, PC Soeder said: "That's something you need to speak to your MP over.

"We are passionate about working in the community. You need to be shouting and going to your MP and banging on their door.

"We want the funding and we want more officers to come out on foot and get out there and tackle these problems with us, but when it's just me and Gemma - trust me we are out there I promise you, but you need to take it to your MP."

PCSO Dufton said: "I'm the only PCSO that works Ossett...Personally there's only so much I can do."

More than 50 people attended the PACT meeting on October 20 at New Spring Church in Ossett.

Members of the public raised a number of issues relating to youths causing anti-social behaviour, off road biking, and fireworks.

One man said: "Friday night, Saturday morning, Sunday Morning and Monday morning I'm coming home it's like OK Corral, horrendous in the centre of Ossett. You are going through it and you don't know if you are going to get a window put through on your car.

"You daren't have your doors unlocked. There's many a time I have gone past and kids have been chasing after you. They don't care. If you touch them they are going to say 'he's run me over.'

"If you get out of the car they are going to kick ten bells out of you. They're all feral, but there's no sign of police."

A woman told the meeting about ongoing problems in the park off Church Street.

She said: "Last Wednesday or Thursday I called 999. I counted 14, they weren't children I would say about 17-years-old, all in balaclavas going rounds on bikes.

"All of a sudden a gang came down and they had 'display' fireworks. I counted 40, 16 or 17 year olds and they went down to the park

"As I was on the phone she said 'is that the fireworks going off?' and I said yes. It was an absolute disgrace. It has been like this now for the past two weeks and you daren't even go out. When you get 40 and they are not exactly children it is absolutely disgusting."

Another woman said: "I've walked through there on a night and you are not just talking 20 or 30 you are talking absolutely loads. They are out of their heads, whether it's drugs or whether it's drink."

Sgt West said: "In relation to these older youths that are coming over. A lot of these youths aren't Ossett children. We are working with the Dewsbury Neighbourhood Policing Team in relation to coming up with operations and patrols."

Another woman said around a week ago she confronted three youths on bikes doing wheelies in Ossett Bus Station and went to the police station when they refused to leave, but no-one answered. Police said the station is unmanned.

The woman told police: "I don't see any of you lot around Ossett."

One man said: "One of the things that strikes me is there is an over reliance on CCTV. I know you are under resourced but it would be a lot better if people were able to see a visible presence."

Sgt West said in the first 20 days of October there have been 19 crimes reported including three for violence.

She said there have been 24 crime logs involving youths and from that 10 crimes have been recorded and two arrests have been made.

Sgt West said police are looking into anti-social behaviour contracts and are looking at using Wakefield Council's CCTV van to gather more evidence.

Sgt West said a dispersal order will be in place in Ossett this weekend. (Oct 24 and 25)

She added: "What a dispersal order does, we have 48 hours in which anybody causing anti-social behaviour in the mapped area will be asked to leave for that period of time. If they don't leave or they return they can be arrested. Under a certain age will be taken home to their parents."

A Gawthorpe resident said: "There is also other anti-social behaviour out there. Off-road bikes is definitely one of them in Gawthorpe. I've lost count of how many times I've reported that.

"I counted six or seven of them this evening. That's in a single night. You talk about intelligence. I've given you it but nothing is happening."

Sgt West said the police off road bike team is planned to be in Ossett this weekend, adding: "We know off-road bikes are an issue in Ossett town centre and surrounding areas."

She said: "We are a small team. In my whole team I have got five PCs and five PCSOs and we cover Ossett, Gawthorpe, South Ossett, Horbury, Stanley, Outwood and Wrenthorpe. I have got a small team that has to do a lot.

"We all need to work together, the local councillors, ourselves, the community."

Speaking more about staffing issues, Sgt West said "In my NPT, I had four police officers and eight PCSOs and I covered four wards for North West NPT. I don't have eight PCSOs anymore I have five, through people leaving.

"The problem we have got is we are not recruiting any more PCSOs because they are not being funded.

"I don't know if that's going to change but I have got an uplift of a police officer and we have got one PCSO that has come back after (absence) so that will increase my numbers. They will be designated Ossett officers."

PC Soeder said: "The fact this is happening is really going to affect everyone here. We need more PCSOs not less and at the moment we are not getting any more."

Sgt West said: "They (PCSOs) are a very valuable resource. They don't get the credit they deserve for the amount of work they do."

Coun David Hunter (Reform/Ossett), said: "I live in Ossett, I've got a business in Ossett. I'm always out and about doing councillor duties.

"I've seen Gemma a number of times patrolling and I think we need a more visible presence but she is just one woman, she can't do everything all by herself.

"I do think we need more police presence. We really do need to get funding into the police."

Sgt West said: : "We are passionate about wanting making Ossett a safer and better place.

"I live in Ossett. I'm not just here doing my job as a police officer. I am passionate about this community."

Ossett and Denby Dale Labour MP Jade Botterill said after the meeting: “Police Officers and PCSOs do vital work to keep our communities safe and our town centres vibrant.

"We are all grateful for their service, and I thank them for communicating regularly with the public.

“People in our area know what happened when neighbourhood policing was gutted. That’s why I am committed to rebuilding neighbourhood policing and restoring the link between police forces and the communities they serve.

“Residents will be reassured to know that I am already working towards and have delivered increased police funding for our community.

“The 2026–27 final police funding settlement provides up to £21.0 billion for the policing system in England and Wales, a 4.8% real terms increase, with funding specifically set aside to grow neighbourhood policing.

“Thanks to the policies of this Government, there are more neighbourhood police on patrol in our area, and they are about to get new powers, such as Respect Orders, to tackle anti-social behaviour.”