Incidents resolved without police attending increases “up to 50 per cent” in Sheffield

The number of incidents reported to police without an officer attending has “increased towards 50 per cent” in Sheffield.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

A report to Dr Alan Billings, South Yorkshire’s police and crime commissioner states that: “The proportion of incidents graded as ‘resolved without deployment’ has continued to increase towards 50 per cent.”

The report adds that the response times for “less immediate risk incidents” have risen from approximately 53 minutes to 71 minutes in the last four-week period.

Read More
South Yorkshire Police: Officers ‘not deployed’ to almost half of incidents repo...
The number of incidents reported to police without an officer attending has "increased towards 50 per cent"  in Sheffield.The number of incidents reported to police without an officer attending has "increased towards 50 per cent"  in Sheffield.
The number of incidents reported to police without an officer attending has "increased towards 50 per cent" in Sheffield.
Hide Ad
Hide Ad

During a public accountability meeting yesterday (May 12), Dr Billings said: “The proportion of incidents graded as resolved without deployment has continued to increase towards 50 per cent.

“I was just a bit concerned around that, it sounded rather high.”

Chief Superintendent Shelley Hemsley, Sheffield’s district commander told the meeting: “Incidents that are resolved without deployment could very well be duplicate incidents, where numerous people ring in to the police about the same incident, and therefore we can resolve it from a single incident.

“We may have deployed an officer to it, but for that particular one it will be linked and closed.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Chief Supt Hemsley added that an officer may not be required for every call received, such as when a suspect cannot be identified or a crime can be reported to the Crime Recording Bureau.

When asked if victims in the cases understood why an officer is not always deployed, Chief Supt Hemsley added: “That would be certainly part of the call handler that would manage that call, would listen to all the circumstances, explain how that call is going to be managed, and the we’d also explain if they decided that a police officer was going to be despatched to the incident.

“We might later as a policing district make a call to enquire how that call has been managed, or the crime has been managed, to follow up and understand how we might better improve our services.

“Ultimately a member of the public would not be told a police officer is coming and then it be closed in this manner.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Chief Superintendent Sarah Poolman added: “There’s also a number of calls that actually don’t need police response.

“Often they call the police, and actually they need to contact the council, there’s quite a significant number where we would be referring them to other services.”