Top Reform Councillors have disputed claims that Bradford has turned a corner, with one claiming she is too afraid to walk through the city centre alone.
And another claimed “nobody with money comes to Bradford.”
At a recent meeting, members of Bradford Council’s Reform Executive were at loggerheads with Bradford’s top cop and his claims that people were beginning to feel safer in Bradford city centre.
The debate came at a meeting of the Bradford Wellbeing Board last week, where members were told that crime figures in Bradford were decreasing.
Chief Superintendent Richard Padwell told the board, made up of organisations from across the District, that along with falling crime figures, new data showed people were starting to feel safer in the city centre.
But a number of Reform Councillors questioned these claims, with one, Councillor Sally Birch (Windhill and Wrose) saying she no longer feels safe walking through the city.
Members were given an update by the Bradford Community Safety Partnership, and were told that one of the biggest issues Bradford faced was people’s perception of the city as an unsafe place.
Michael Churley, of the Partnership, said: “The long term picture is that crime rates has dropped significantly, but that is not always the perception of our population.
“Car crime, theft, burglaries, they’ve all gone down significantly.
“But at the same time 65 per cent of people believe crime has increased. Tackling this perception is a job for all of us. People don’t realise crime is going down.”
Dr Sohail Abbas, Director of Population Health and Inequalities in Bradford District and Craven Health and Care Partnership, asked: “What can we do to deal with this perception? Social media often highlights the negativity.”
Chief Superintendent Richard Padwell of West Yorkshire Police said West Yorkshire Combined Authority recently carried out a “community confidence” survey, and the results would be published soon.
He said he had seen the results of the survey, which questioned hundreds of Bradford residents, adding: “The results are very interesting, it shows confidence safety and quality of life have improved in Bradford, and are better than in other parts of West Yorkshire.”
He suggested City of Culture played a big part in this, adding: “There was very little police intervention required in any City of Culture events. We’ve also seen the physical infrastructure change in the city centre. There are some positives, as it seems perception of Bradford is starting to shift.”
Councillor Ian Eglin (Ref, Baildon), Executive for Corporate Resources, said: “These stats aren’t the message we’re getting from people on the ground. There is widespread low level crime and anti-social behaviour that we can see in the city centre every day.”
He said this was keeping people out of the Bradford, adding: “No-one with money comes to the city centre. If people do they scuttle to the Alhambra but don’t stop for a drink or a meal in a restaurant.”
Councillor Andrew Judson, Regeneration and Economy chief on the Executive, said: “Looking at anti-social behaviour, people on the ground say it’s increasing, but people aren’t reporting it.
“It becomes the norm and people don’t report it – you have to acknowledge that. Getting through to police can be difficult. People can’t be bothered.
“These figures look fantastic, but they are misleading because of underreporting. Bradford city centre doesn’t feel safe.”
Chf Supt Padwell said: “I know certain crimes are not reported, and we can’t just tell people crime is down.
“I know anti-social behaviour disproportionately impacts how safe people feel.
“I know how things are projected on social media. It is important we address crime, the causes of crime and the fear of crime as well. Even if crime does come down, people don’t always feel that.”
He told members a recent survey by West Yorkshire Combined Authority asked hundreds of Bradford people across the whole spectrum their feelings about the city and how safe they feel.
He said: “The answers demonstrate the impact the physical environment plays in that.
“If there was widespread fear, we’d see that, but footfall in the city entre is greater now than it was two years ago. I don’t think anyone can dispute that.
“Look at how things have improved from two, three years ago.”
Humma Nizami of the Race Equality Network said: “The narratives of division played out in the media and on social media creates fear and division.”
Questioning Chf Supt Padwell, Cllr Birch said: “Compared to two or three years ago, the city centre feels more unsafe.
“I used to come into Bradford three years ago, it didn’t phase me. Now I won’t do that on my own. It might be because I’m female, but I get a sense when I’m out that there are so many people that are aggressive and with mental health issues.
“From my perspective I’ll only go out in the city centre with someone else.
“But I do agree the cityscape is beautiful.”
Insp Padwell said: “If that is your genuine feeling I have to respect that.
“In Bradford police get called out to more mental health incidents than any other part of West Yorkshire. We also have the highest rates of calls for domestic related incidents.
“These are factors that make things very challenging.
“I understand your perception, but believe me, it was worse before. We’re moving in the right direction now.”
Cllr Birch then said she recently saw a man suffering a mental health emergency in the city centre, while a line of people looked on.
Lorraine O’ Donnell, Chief Executive of Bradford Council, said: “Two things can be true at once. Things are getting better, but there is more to do.
“City of Culture was a game changer in changing perceptions of Bradford.
“It is easy to talk about the negative stories of Bradford, but it showed positive stories many people hadn’t heard before. There is a lot more civic pride in the area.”
