Equivalent of six firearm offences recorded in South Yorkshire every week as new figures show 42 per cent rise

Figures covering January 2022 through to the end of December 2022, which have recently been released by the Office of National Statistics (ONS), show that the number of firearm offences recorded by South Yorkshire Police (SYP) increased from 228 in the year ending December 2021, to 324 in the year ending December 2022.

This represents a rise of a total of 42.10 per cent, and works out as the equivalent of six firearm offences being carried out in South Yorkshire every week.

Two men shot dead

The Star has reported on 11 shootings carried out on the streets of Sheffield since the beginning of last year, two of which sadly proved fatal.

Abdullah Hassan was shot dead on Callow Drive in the Gleadless Valley area of Sheffield just over six weeks ago on April 9, 2023.

A post mortem examination revealed he died as a result of a single gunshot wound. A spokesperson for South Yorkshire Police confirmed last week (April 15, 2023) that five men and a woman have been arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender in connection with Mr Hassan’s murder.

Five people – four men aged 44, 28 and two 26-year-olds along with a 27-year-old woman – were also arrested on suspicion of Mr Hassan’s murder last month (April 2023), before being released on police bail, however no-one has yet been charged.

Lamar Griffiths tragically died on March 29, 2022, after he was shot as he sat inside a friend’s car that was parked up at a car wash on Burngreave Road, Burngreave.

Lamar was taken to hospital by taxi before police officers arrived, where he was sadly pronounced dead, despite the best efforts of hospital staff. He was not known to the police and it is believed the bullet that cost Mr Griffiths his life was not meant for him. He was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, his family say.

Mr Griffiths’ killer is still on the loose over 14 months later.

Speaking at the one year anniversary of his murder, South Yorkshire Police’s Detective Chief Inspector Andrea Bowell, said “We know two suspects ran from the Fiesta into the car wash and several shots were fired towards the BMW, fatally injuring Lamar. This happened at a busy time of day, and we know there will be people out there with information about what happened that are yet to come forward and speak with us.”

The firearm figures for the year ending December 2022 also show there has been a been a rise of 39.65 per cent in the number of offences, when compared with five years ago – the year running between April 2016 and March 2017; and a rise of 240 or 285 per cent when compared with the number of firearm offences recorded by South Yorkshire Police a decade ago for the year running between April 2011 and March 2012.

Among the offences included within the category of firearm offences are possession, purchase or acquisition of a prohibited weapon or ammunition; carrying a firearm in a public place; possession of firearm with intent to endanger life; possession of firearm or imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence; use of firearm or imitation firearm to resist arrestt and manufacture/sell or transfer/possess for sale or transfer/purchase or acquire for sale or transfer prohibited weapon or ammunition.

How the number of firearm offences recorded by South Yorkshire Police compares to other forces

The Independent Office for Police Conduct regards West Yorkshire Police and Nottinghamshire Police to be similar-sized forces to SYP. For context, The Star has analysed firearm figures from the same dataset for those police forces, to see how they compare.

The ONS figures show that between January 2022 and December 2022, West Yorkshire Police recorded a total of 431 firearm offences, representing a rise of 11 per cent, when compared with the year running between January and December 2021, when the force recorded 389 firearm offences.

During the same time-frame, Nottinghamshire Police recorded 119 firearm offences between January 2022 and December 2022, up from 108 in the 12 months prior – January 2021 to December 2021 – representing a rise of 10 per cent.

Police response to gun violence

Detective Superintendent Jamie Henderson, head of the Armed Crime Team, said: “I absolutely recognise the impact firearms offences can have on our local communities. In response to this, extensive police and partnership work is ongoing, however I know there is still more to be done to tackle these concerning issues.

“While the reasons behind firearms offences can be complex, the vast majority boil down to disputes among organised crime groups, primarily around drugs. Our communities rightly want to see an end to this and we are determined to relentlessly pursue those involved and bring them to justice. The Armed Crime Team (ACT), which launched in Sheffield and Rotherham in 2020, therefore expanded its reach to cover all of the force’s four policing districts in October 2022, further improving our response.

“Since January, we have seen a reduction on year-to-date volumes against the previous four years. We have also recovered 18 viable firearms so far this year, adding to the 59 seized in 2022 and no longer on our streets.

“A dedicated, high intensity operation to tackle serious and organised crime in Sheffield and Doncaster has been in place for a number of months. This has resulted in a significant reduction in firearm discharges in those areas and we are now rolling this out to Rotherham.

“We also have teams of detectives who work under Operation Fortify – our targeted response to serious and organised crime. They map the organised crime groups operating across South Yorkshire and proactively work to disrupt their activity.

“Under the Home Office’s ‘Grip’ programme, we provide additional patrols and police activity in violent crime hotspot areas. This greater presence allows us to spot suspicious activity, conduct stop and searches, locate weapons and detain offenders.

“In the coming weeks and months our communities will continue to see focused police activity including increased patrols and bespoke operations to tackle these issues. We are fully committed to bringing those who commit violent crimes or carry firearms to justice – but we cannot do this alone. We need information from local people to help us tackle their concerns effectively with our partners. I would urge anyone with any information to please contact us on 101, or 999 in an emergency. Contact details for your local policing team can be found on the South Yorkshire Police website.

“Alternatively, I understand not everyone is comfortable speaking directly to the police and therefore the independent charity Crimestoppers is another option. You can call them on 0800 555 111 or visit www.crimestoppers.org to pass on information 100 per cent anonymously.”