There’s a ‘tug of war’ between the drug gangs in Harehills, months after rioting broke out in the east Leeds neighbourhood.
Locals saddened by the chaos that erupted on July 18 have said the disgusting actions ‘do not reflect’ the type of people who live there. The community went wild with anger after four children were seized from a Romanian family.
It escalated into a free-for-all after baying mobs tipped over a police car, smashed up the estate and set a double decker bus on fire. The nation watched on in horror as the devastating scenes were live streamed on TikTok.
Months later, Harehills South came out as having the second highest crime rate in Leeds outside the city centre, with 189 crimes reported in September, according to Police.UK. This is a crime rate of 25.7 per 1,000 people.
Chaos in Harehills, Leeds
(Image: North Yorkshire Weather Updates)
Leeds City Council says overall offences in the area have increased in the past six months – but adds there’s been a drop in violent crime and the ‘crime severity score’, which reflects the relative harm of offending rather than the number of crimes carried out.
West Yorkshire Police has said there have been ‘significant positive results’ due to the ‘CommUnity Harehills strategy, which involves combination of targeted enforcement and community work, with a mission to clear an area of organised criminal activity and make the area less susceptible. It was launched in partnership with the council in 2023.
Harehills is a melting pot of different nationalities and cultures with 42.6 percent of people – 13,150 residents – coming from a different country of birth. Meanwhile 65.5 percent – 20,214 residents – listed themselves as having a minority ethnic background in the 2021 census in the Gipton and Harehills ward.
The Leeds police car tipped onto its side
Former youth basketball coach Claude Bandawe, who managed Leeds Tigers, believes there’s a ‘tug of war’ between the youths of Harehills and says they are to blame for most of the suburb’s troubles. The 70-year-old grandad, originally from Malawai, says that unfortunately various groups of youths from different nationalities have closed themselves off from one another and fight to compete for dominance over the illegal drug trade.
Claude said: “You’ve got groups of nationalities that keep to themselves. There’s a tug of war in the youth system where they’ll most likely be trying to run the roost. The drugs thing is more or less the nucleus of all the problem that are taking place.
“If parents raised their kids properly with the right moral vision, there shouldn’t be anything like this.”
The council has range of youth support in the area, such as Catch, offering evening activities to kids aged above 11, the Junior Sports Hub, Nanu Sports, Getaway Girls and Leeds City Council Youth Services.
Claude said: “A lot of people who come here have no skills.
“They have no education or qualifications for employment. They developed their survival according to their needs. They create ways of making money the wrong way.”
He then relented: “Harehills is a very very nice place. It’s a shame that the troubles that have come don’t really reflect the type of people who live here. As far as I am concerned, good people are still here.”
’20 people started to punch the robber’
Goran, 54, who didn’t want his last name published, owns Wine Plus in Harehills Road. Agreeing with Claude, he said: “The high crime rate is from people who try to be bad. The normal people who live and work here [support each other].
“Two months ago, a bank van came here to collect money from the post office and someone tried to rob the driver. More than 20 people started to punch the robber and caught him until the police came. It was lovely!”
George Mijakovac, owner of Stantons, on Harehills Road
(Image: Samuel Port)
George Mijakovac, 28, who owns hardware store Stantons, also in Harehills Road, thinks the area gets a bad rap. He said: “It’s misjudged. I think people are very sceptical because they feel like it does seem scary with people hanging about – but they don’t actually do anything or bother people.”
He tends to notice petty crime more than anything and believes it’s carried out by desperate people funding their drug habit.
Andy Obiwuru, 32, barber at Den Den on Harehills Road, said: “It’s okay, as long you mind your own business and don’t get involved in the bad stuff. If you do your thing, nobody stresses your right.
Barber Andy Obiwuru
(Image: Samuel Port)
“I mind my own business, I’m not nosey. You might find trouble as there are a lot of people doing drugs and stuff. I concentrate on my own business and I get no trouble.”
He says he sees a lot of people selling drugs in the area. He says a lot more happens in the street in summertime when it’s busier. He says being a man puts him in a privileged position so that he can “defend himself” if needed.
Inspector Alastair Nicholls, who heads the Leeds East Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “We continue to work closely alongside our partner agencies to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour in Harehills and to increase trust and confidence in the community.
General views of Harehills Road
(Image: Samuel Port)
“There have been significant positive results from the CommUnity Harehills, under the Clear, Hold, Build strategy, and we remain committed to progressing that work further to tackle the issues that negatively affect people’s lives.
“The support of the community continues to be a vital element of the success of this approach, and we value the strong working relationships that we have developed over the years, and which were so important following the recent disorder.
“We encourage local people to get involved and keep telling us their concerns to help us to make Harehills a safer place for everyone.”
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