Police chiefs in town to welcome NPT shake up

Seventeen new Neighbourhood Policing Teams (NPTs) have been created in Calderdale, replacing the previous four – Lower Valley, Upper Valley, Halifax North and East, and Halifax Central.

The 17 NPTs (Town, Skircoat, Park, Warley, Mixenden, Illingworth, Ovenden, Brighouse, Hipperholme and Lightcliffe, Northowram and Shelf, Elland, Rastrick, Ryburn, Sowerby Bridge, Greetland and Stainland, Calder, Luddenden Foot and Todmorden( will come under eight “clusters” which will include; Halifax North, Halifax West, Halifax Centre, Valley North East, Valley South East, Valley South, Valley West and Valley North.

The Halifax clusters will be led by Insp Colin Skeath, while the Valley clusters will come under the leadership of Insp David Shaw.

Each cluster will be overseen by a named sergeant, who will engage with residents.

Every NPT, which will work closely with partner organisations including Calderdale Council and Pennine Housing, will have one named police officer and at least one named PCSO.

The NPTs will share a building (or co-locate) with partner organisations.

The first three cluster of NPTs to do this were Halifax Centre - in the Youth Offending Team Office in Halifax, Valley North - Hebden Bridge Town Hall, and Halifax North - Furness Housing Office.

And West Yorkshire Chief Constable Mark Gilmore, West Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner Mark Burns-Williamson and Calderdale District Commander Chief Superintendant Angela Williams were on hand at the housing office to meet police officers, PCSOs, Calderdale Councillors and staff and Pennine Housing Staff.

Chief Supt Angela Williams said: “I am delighted at the support given by our Partners, during this internal restructuring, which enhances how we deliver neighbourhood policing out on the ground. Moving forwards, we will see more PCs and PCSOs working at a Ward based level and I’m very excited at how our new co-located bases are developing.”

Chf Const Gilmore said: “This further development of Neighbourhood Policing is part of the ongoing, major transformation of West Yorkshire Police, to ensure we are best placed to meet the future needs of our communities.”

Mr Burns-Williamson said: “Neighbourhood Policing Teams continue to be the bedrock of policing in our communities and together with the Chief Constable, I have made sure that the numbers of bobbies on the beat remain the same and I have also protected the PCSO numbers with partners across West Yorkshire for the next two years.”