By Joshua Robinson – 

The disturbance in Harehills was discussed at a special meeting involving the region’s political and police leaders last week.

West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin and her Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime Alison Lowe asked West Yorkshire Police’s Chief Constable John Robins to share any reflections and learning resulting from the disorder and his Force’s response.

A Community Outcomes Meeting was held on Thursday 1st August and will be available to watch online afterwards.

Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin said: “The disorder in Harehills was unacceptable and has no place in our vision for a safer, fairer region.”

“Now that we are more than a week on, I believe the time is right to give extra reassurance to the community by providing them with more information about the police’s response.”

“It was a relief that nobody was seriously hurt, and I have nothing but admiration and respect for the community leaders who helped restore calm and would like to thank them all for their ongoing work.”

The disturbance on Thursday 18th July began when police officers were called to assist social workers dealing with a child protection matter. A double-decker bus was set alight and vehicles, including a police car, were damaged.

The decision was taken by police to temporarily withdraw after officers were attacked with bricks and missiles, allowing time for community mediation to take place to calm the situation, before later returning to the area with fire and rescue colleagues.

The Mayor and Deputy Mayor were briefed that evening and the following day visited Harehills to meet with community representatives, held a press conference to appeal for calm, and spoke to the Home Secretary at Elland Road’s police station.

Community Outcomes Meetings are usually held four times a year and are an opportunity for the Mayor and Deputy Mayor to raise important policing and community safety issues on behalf of the public with the chief constable.

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