Armley: Business owners say crime in Leeds area 'getting worse day by day' with 'up to 50 daily reports'
Residents say crime in a Leeds suburb is “getting worse day by day”, as businesses report more than 50 incidents of shoplifting, anti-social behaviour and harassment on a daily basis.
There was a large police presence in Armley on Sunday on Monday after a 17-year-old was stabbed and left in a critical condition at a flat on Wesley Road. A 29-year-old has since been charged with attempted murder.
But the site of flashing red and blue lights is something that people who regularly visit Armley’s busy nearby Town Street say they have accepted.
Numerous business owners along the high street told the Yorkshire Evening Post that they had been targeted in recent months, while others doing their shopping and catching buses said they had witnessed flagrant acts of crime.
West Yorkshire Police said the force was working closely with partner agencies to tackle crime in the area and urged anyone who witnesses incidents to get in touch.
Among those concerned about the rate of crime and shoplifting was Mohamed Mohamed, whose family has run the Król Mini Market for seven years. The shop has had its windows broken twice.
He told the YEP: “It’s just become a part of being in Armley. Anything could happen at any time.
“It’s a very rough area. We need police around because when they are, they go elsewhere.”
He said that he was regularly faced with thieves who steal items as nondescript as a pain au chocolate.
Mr Mohamed added: “It’s like they’re just doing it out of habit or for fun. If they were that desperate I would be open to just letting them have it.”
And he said that other businesses along the route had been forced to close in recent years after being targeted so frequently.
Across the road, Kion Zolfaghary was devastated after the window of his new store was broken in an attempted break-in just two weeks after he’d opened.
The second-hand store, which recently opened in the former premises of Boots, has quickly become popular among those locally wanting to buy and sell products.
Despite the break-in he said he feels privileged to be offering the service in the community, saying: “What happened to us could have happened in many places but I would say it’s particularly common in deprived areas.
“It’s the poor behaviour of small minded individuals.
“Neighbours warned us when we opened but it could happen in many areas.”
Both men also raised concerns about plans to close off Armley Town Street to make it more pedestrianised, with Mr Zolfaghary saying that it will make criminals more emboldened if there are even less cars passing through.
The window of Victory’s Hair and Beauty had also been smashed, with the owner calling for a greater police presence to deter criminals as well as those causing anti-social behaviour in the area.
Retail crime was a major matter in Armley. Nasrullah Marjani from the Armley Bigdiscount Store showed us a WhatsApp group made up of businesses across the district that keep each other up to date.
He said: “In a day there will be around 40 or 50 reports of shoplifting or harassment. There’s also been reports of knife crime and drunken behaviour.
“It’s getting worse day by day.”
Mr Marjani added that at one point he was considering closing the business, which opened three years ago, as incidents became more frequent.
He said: “Everyday we hear of something bad and we are regularly targeted. We have lost about £4,000 in stock every year due to shoplifting.
“I have customers who are scared to come in, I would say that 90 per cent of people feel that Armley is not safe.”
Resident Steve Hall was waiting for a bus as we chatted, saying: “If you are looking for crime you’ve come to the right place.
“Every day there’s people stealing stuff. Anything they can get their hands on.
“Just recently someone in front of me shoved all of the Red Bulls from the shelf in Greggs into his bag and legged it.”
Inspector Lise Jones, who heads the Leeds West Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “We continue to work closely alongside our partner agencies to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour in Armley Town Street and the surrounding area, and do everything we can to help local residents, businesses and visitors to the area to feel safe.
“We would always encourage people to report any incidents, particularly if they have specific information about known individuals who are involved, so that we can take appropriate action, using all available criminal and civil legislation, such as injunctions and criminal behaviour orders.
“Behaviour that impacts on people’s quality of life is completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated and we remain fully committed to proactively targeting any issues or incidents and bringing those responsible to justice.”