Arrests as police crack down on Sheffield city centre yobs
Police with sniffer dogs carried out 20 stop and searches yesterday in a police operation to deal with antisocial behaviour and drugs in Sheffield city centre.
Officers in charge of the operation, which was running in high profile locations including Fargate, said targeted patrols are continuing to take place this week.
It comes after complaints to police about nuisance behaviour in the town centre, made by both people living there and businesses operated in the area.
On Wednesday, August 11, officers from South Yorkshire Police’s Sheffield city centre neighbourhood team made three arrests for offences including shoplifting and assaulting an emergency worker as a result of stopping and searching suspects.
Three people were also dealt with for possession of spice and cannabis.
The city centre neighbourhood team’s inspector, Alison Bywater, said: “We spend a lot of time speaking to partners, businesses and people living in the city centre and I know that anti-social behaviour is an ongoing concern.
“The city is recovering from lockdown and it’s also going through significant redevelopment and building work. For this reason it’s so important people feel welcome and safe whether they’re shopping or on a night out.
“I want to reassure people that my team are patrolling, we are making arrests and we are using the various powers at our disposal to deal with individuals and groups committing crimes.
“This isn’t just a one off, we’re out there doing this as much as possible alongside other proactive work around commercial burglary and the night-time economy.
“I want my officers to be familiar and approachable faces, this week we’ve stopped and spoken to so many people and listened to concerns – that is what we’re here to do.
“Making the city centre a welcoming place is the responsibility of lots of different agencies, our part is making sure people stay safe and enforcement action is a big part of that.”
High visibility patrols were carried out along major roads including the High Street, Fargate, The Moor, and Barkers Pool as well as their surrounding streets.
Officers were also joined by a drugs sniffer dog, called Roscoe, who assisted with stop searches of people suspected of possessing illegal drugs.