SOUTH Yorkshire's Chief Constable, and the Home Office, come to that, will have their work cut out persuading the people of our county that we are not heading for bargain basement policing on the streets.
At a time when we are seeing the number of bobbies cut by almost 150, the police force - under instructions from the Home Office - is setting about recruiting an extra 70 Special Constables to bolster its present roster of 260 officers.
The work o
f Specials is well known, and much admired but the conclusion remains obvious: we need bobbies on the streets but can't afford full time officers. The explanation will be harder to come by - and just as difficult to swallow.
Offences of violence (not all of which are reported to police) are growing in their ferocity, spurred on by a plague of gang warfare and the lucrative drugs trade. Other offences, such as people trafficking, are growing in their sophistication.
To the interested observer, these facts would suggest that we need more trained officers out there fighting crime, not fewer.
The reasoning behind this move would be welcome.
Do your bit to keep our city tidy for allWE are a bloomin' lovely city. And that is official.
Sheffield has been awarded its best ever result in the prestigious Britain in Bloom awards - gold in the 'best large city' category, which is a fitting tribute to the hard work by the local authority to give our city streets a brighter, sunnier feel.
It has certainly worked and the Britain in Bloom prize is a tremendous feather in the city's cap.
But the real reward comes from the smiles on the faces of local people who show their appreciation for the brighter city around them.
The work was done to make our streets more pleasant. The Britain in Bloom prize was a bonus.
Now we would appeal to the man and woman in the street to do their bit and keep the city looking tidy for everyone.
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FeaturesMore Rotherham newsMore Doncaster newsMore Barnsley newsCheck out the very latest on South Yorkshire's roads - including live traffic cameras on Sheffield's commuter routes - with our Traffic sectionLatest sport.The full article contains 384 words and appears in Sheffield Star newspaper.
