A Bedale woman has been issued with afive-year criminal behaviour order after wasting hours of emergency services’ time.
Susan Cooper, 64, of Ash Tree Road, has a long history of contacting North Yorkshire Police inappropriately as well as other services including her local GP Surgery.
Working as part of The Safer Hambleton Hub, North Yorkshire Police obtained the order after Cooper persistently called the force’s Control Room and visited Bedale and Northallerton police stations, while intoxicated with no requirement for assistance, tying up officer resources for hours on an almost daily basis.
Cooper was also 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 2018, Cooper has been the subject of over 60 entries on the North Yorkshire Police’s system since May 2018 and has failed to engage informally with services available.
Following conviction at Northallerton Magistrates Court on Taday for being drunk and disorderly, under the requirements of the order, Cooper must not:
- Consume alcohol in any public place other than licensed premises within the Hambleton area of North Yorkshire as shown edged in blue on the attached map (bottom of page).
- Be drunk in a public place within the Hambleton area of North Yorkshire as shown edged in blue on the attached map.
- Be in possession of an open container of alcohol in a public place other than licensed premises within the Hambleton area of North Yorkshire as shown edged in blue on the attached map.
- Call or attend any emergency service, NHS Service, GP Practice, Police Station or encourage by her actions or reports anyone else to do so on her behalf except when in genuine need of emergency services requiring immediate assessment, action or treatment or when making a medical appointment.
She 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 said: “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 should be reported to North Yorkshire Police on 101.
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