by John Prince
Moves to introduce a community safety initiative to tackle crime in more towns and villages across Holderness and East Yorkshire are gaining pace.
The deputy mayor of Hornsea Cllr Nick Cox officially launched Not In My Town in the town in April.
Backed by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, the scheme raises awareness across Hornsea, emphasises the importance of reporting crime, and shows how multiple agencies are working together alongside the police to tackle problems.
Cllr Cox originally started the scheme more than two years ago as a social media page to try and turn online awareness into real-world action. Since then, Not In My Town has grown into a recognised local network with more than 1,300 followers.
Branded posters and stickers have been distributed across Hornsea, and are already being displayed in shops, by businesses and at residents’ homes.
Cllr Cox (above right, with Deputy PCC Leo Hammond) has now announced that he has approached both Withernsea and Driffield councils to encourage them to adopt the scheme in their towns. A wider reach into Hedon and outlying villages is also in the pipeline.
It’s another step towards the three main towns and surrounding villages in Holderness working more closely together to address common issues and shared goals. The mayors are already in the process of discussing future plans.
Cllr Cox said: “I’m looking at creating a network of people all thinking the same way. If somebody sees something or reports something, they can get on the site and anybody can see it.
“A good example of this is we know we have some balaclava people on bikes causing a bit of grief. They were in Leven and they were in Brandesburton before they came to Hornsea. So we all need to work together, towns and villages, to highlight anything that’s going on.
“Nearly all the pubs in Hornsea have got my stickers on the toilet doors and various places about drugs and violence.
“We are moving on with it and I’m going to keep pushing it forward.”
According to the Office for National Statistics, as of 2024 the East Riding (not including Hull) had a population of just over 355,000 with a median age of 49 years old. Holderness has around 60,000 residents.
The latest publicly available data on the Humberside Police website shows that in May 2026 in Hornsea and North Holderness, there were 56 crimes reported.
The majority were violence and sexual offences with 28, followed by antisocial behaviour and public order offences, both at five.
That’s compared with South East Holderness and Withernsea in the same month with 117, which showed a reduction from April, which had 136.
Again, reported violence and sexual offences came top of the list with 55 offences, followed by criminal damage and arson at 16, ASB at 13, and public order offences at 12.
South West Holderness, which includes Hedon, had 50 crimes reported, with Mid Holderness seeing 77. East Wolds and Coastal had 76.
It must be kept in mind that these reported crimes can be affected by the increase in seasonal footfall from Easter leading into the summer months.
Withernsea mayor Cllr Kristina Richardson said: “Hornsea Not In My Town, first launched by Cllr Nick Cox, has been a fantastic initiative that has been warmly embraced by the Hornsea community.
“As part of my civic year as Mayor of Withernsea, one of my key priorities is to strengthen relationships across our coastal communities while enhancing coastal community safety.
“Following discussions with fellow mayors from neighbouring towns about how we can work more closely together, support one another and share best practice, I am delighted that we are now exploring the launch of Withernsea Not In My Town.
“Building on the excellent work already taking place along our coastline, this initiative will be tailored to meet the specific needs of our own community.
“It is about embedding learning from other places and strengthening what we already have, powered by volunteers and the people already doing what they’re doing and aiming to streamline and better connect.
“I have already begun conversations with our ward councillors and the Police and Crime Commissioner, and the vision is to create a central community information hub that brings together trusted advice and updates from our emergency services, local responders and community partners.
“This will include practical information such as fire and water safety, tide awareness, crime prevention, fraud and scam alerts, as well as opportunities to work with our local pubs, businesses and organisations to help keep residents and visitors safe.
She added: “Although the project is still in its early stages, one thing is clear, we want this to be far more than just another Facebook page. Our ambition is to create a resource that is accessible to everyone, acting as a ‘virtual community safety noticeboard’ alongside a regular monthly roundup in partnership with the Gazette.
“By bringing together information that already exists in one easy-to-access place, we can help people stay informed, know where to report concerns and strengthen two-way communication between our communities and partner agencies.
“This initiative is not about creating negativity; it is about celebrating partnership, improving communication and making it easier for people to access the information they need to help stay safe.
“As local mayors continue to explore new ways of working together, I believe this is an excellent first step in strengthening the connection between Withernsea and Hornsea for the benefit of everyone who lives in, works in or visits our coastline.
“It is also encouraging to see other communities, including Hedon, beginning to explore adopting a similar approach.”
Reported crimes per month for Humberside Police are available on the Neighbourhood Policing Teams’ individual web pages.
Humberside Police continue to encourage residents to contact them and report anything they may be concerned about. Just call 101, or 999 in an emergency.
There is a dedicated portal to report ASB on the police website, and the independent charity Crimestoppers can also be contacted on 0800 555 111 to report crimes anonymously.