'Do you see the police enough in your neighbourhood?' - Star readers mourn the loss of neighbourhood bobbies
As the people of South Yorkshire pay more than ever to fund the police, we asked whether Sheffield residents feel they’re seeing enough cops in their neighbourhoods.
Many have lamented the loss of the patrolling ‘bobby’ - regular faces of law enforcement who walk the streets and provide a comforting sense of security and safety.
Reports from last year found South Yorkshire Police to be one of the most poorly funded forces in the country, however recent figures also show that more taxpayer money than ever is being contributed to the force.
Data from the Home Office in August shows that council taxpayers will contribute £100.1 million to fund South Yorkshire Police in 2025-26, a real-terms increase of 4.1 per cent on the £96.2 million paid the previous year.
But, despite this, many in Sheffield still feel like there aren’t enough officers on the streets.
“More chance of finding the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow,” commented Paul Barber, when The Star asked if locals felt there were enough police in their neighbourhoods.
Others echoed this, saying that they only see officers responding to an emergency.
Stephen Coggon added: “Only [see them] in police cars and then it's usually when responding to an incident or accident, with blue lights flashing on, sirens squeaking.”
Leslie Oates said: “They go up and down Richmond Park Road regularly with the sirens and flashing lights going. But you never see them walking round the area.”
In November 2024, then Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said that ‘we’ve seen visible neighbourhood policing decimated in communities across the country, with fewer police on the beat, breaking the vital link between local forces and the people they serve’.
While new funding efforts both locally and from the government are attempting to restore these services, it is unclear how long these goals will take.
Jamie Lee Fletcher commented on The Star’s post: “Never see any police on foot any more. They'll only leave the police stations now if they're in a car.
“Never see any police in our neighbourhood and we were told we no longer have a local bobby. And guess what, the crime rates have gone up again”
And while most commenters continued to criticise this change in approach, some did thank local police for their work.
Paul Campbell said: “Yes I see them driving around in their patrol car at least three times a day, every day.”
Meanwhile, Terry Nolan wrote: “Don't mock it, I live less than two miles away from the police station, just two miles. And apart from the main road which you'd expect to see them on, in the six years I've lived here I've probably seen six police cars.
“The crime rate is more or less none existent here, you don't need to see them if they do their job right.”