'Sheffield is one of safest cities in the country,' says top cop amid enhanced nightlife patrols this weekend
“What I would say is Sheffield is one of the safest, biggest cities in the country”
Sheffield’s nightlife will see extra patrols by police this weekend following the fatal shooting of an innocent mum on a night out on Monday.
Communities are still reeling for the senseless death of mum-of-one Shanice Brookes, 30, who was killed in a suspected gangland shooting gone wrong on May 25.
The shooting at 2.45am on West Street, Sheffield’s premiere nightlife hub, highlights how gun crime can claim the lives of innocent bystanders in an instant.
Now, South Yorkshire Police is stepping up patrols across Sheffield’s nightlife on Friday, Saturday and Sunday this weekend (May 29-31).
Chief Superintendent Jamie Henderson addressed whether the public “should feel safe in the city” in a statement ahead of Friday night celebrations.
“In relation to the wider public and their concern of ‘should they feel safe in the city centre’ - I understand that,” said the top cop.
“We have a robust plan around our night time economy to keep people safe.
“There will be enhanced patrols. There will be people from our Neighbourhood Policing Team and also our response teams that are out in high visibility on foot and in vans within our night time economy.
“If people are out and about and are concerned about their safety or see something they’re not particularly happy with, I’d encourage them to please speak to a police officer or speak to someone within one of the licensed premises who can alert us to anything that’s suspicious, that we can take action on.”
The statement addressed the notion that residents may not want to go out in Sheffield this weekend following Shanice’s death on Monday.
Chief Supt. Henderson said: “I can totally understand why any body would be concerned about coming out in the city after the incidents of earlier on this week.
“But what I would say is Sheffield is one of the safest, biggest cities in the country.
“We will have significant numbers of resources out in the night time economy.
“That’s for people’s safety to engage with the bars to ensure that if anybody wants to speak to us and pass information on that, there’s officers there that individuals might talk to.”
Today (May 29), South Yorkshire Police revealed that moments before the gun was fired on Monday, there was an altercation to which Shanice was an “innocent bystander”.
A man and a woman arrested in Stockport over the shooting have been charged in connection with the incident.
Jemele Rhone, 30, of Outram Road, Wybourn, has been charged with murder, possession of a firearm and possession of criminal property.
Deiryen Dyce, 32, of Ellesmere Road North, Burngreave, has been charged with assisting an offender, possession of ammunition, possession of drugs with intent to supply, possession of drugs and possession of criminal property.