‘It’s 2am, pal’: Helicopter out again over Sheffield as police deny it is monitoring lockdown

South Yorkshire Police's helicopter has been spotted again over Sheffield- after the force denied it was being used to enforce social distancing during lockdown.
By Sophie Wills
Published 4th Apr 2020, 09:10 BST
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Sleepy Sheffielders took to Twitter to bemoan the circling helicopter which was heard over the south of the city at an ungodly hour this morning (Saturday, April 4).

@pjridders tweeted: “As if my sleep pattern isn’t already screwed enough, now there’s a helicopter circling Sheffield 8 over and over again at 2am. I just want to sleep.”

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@Robin7682 posted: “Can you quit flying around south Sheffield in a police helicopter, keeping me up at 2 in the morning. It’s sleepy time.”

One Twitter user, @truthseekercraig, told police: ‘This is not a fascist regime’.

Over recent weeks police helicopters have been seen frequently across the county, with some residents believing they are involved in patrols of the county to check that lockdown measures are being adhered to.

Police officers do have the power to enforce lockdown rules, including arrest and fines, and motorists are being stopped across the county to check why they are out of their homes.

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But in a statement South Yorkshire Police previously said: “The helicopter is not being deployed in the manner you suggest, or in fact routinely to monitor the lockdown.

The helicopter was heard over Sheffield at 2am.The helicopter was heard over Sheffield at 2am.
The helicopter was heard over Sheffield at 2am.

“I understand the temptation to link everything to Covid, but there is no link in this case.”

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