Senior Sheffield police officer responds to claims residents 'deserve much better' city centre policing

He outlined what police are doing in the wake of criticism from the co-owner of the Marmadukes family of cafés, Tim Nye, which followed the conviction of three defendants who preyed upon, and assaulted, a woman on Pinstone Street even after she agreed to give them the sum of money they requested.

Mr Nye said: “There aren’t anywhere near enough officers out there preventing and detecting crime. Sadly, this means there will be more victims than there should be.

“Until South Yorkshire Police decide to deploy more of their huge resources into city centre policing nothing will change. The public deserve better, much better. They should be able to feel safe coming into the city to shop and socialise.”

In response, South Yorkshire Police’s Superintendent for Neighbourhoods and Partnerships in Sheffield, Benn Kemp, detailed the additional resources that had been put into an operation to tackle anti-social behaviour (ASB) at the end of last year, and the force’s commitment to ‘tackling issues surrounding ASB head on’.

He said: “I want to reassure those that live, work and visit the city centre that will continue tackling issues surrounding ASB head on, and work with our partners across the city to address the underlying causes.

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“We have a dedicated team working day-in, day-out to tackle these issues, and in November and December last year, we carried out an operation targeted at ASB. Throughout this period, officers patrolled the city for an additional 860 hours, which resulted in an 11 per cent reduction in ASB compared to the same period in 2020. Feedback was positive, with people telling us the high visibility policing presence had a positive impact on local perceptions of safety and confidence in police.

“We continue to build on this and significant work is already taking place to reassure our city centre businesses and communities that we are listening and working proactively to deter criminality. We regularly deploy Operation Sidewinder in the city centre, which sees the team patrolling with a passive drugs dog. This produces some excellent results, with numerous arrests and drug seizures. It also acts as a deterrent to individuals who may be tempted to come in to the city to commit crime and ASB.

“We also have a dedicated PCSO who works closely with the individuals who are homeless or engaged in begging within the centre. We take a problem solving approach to key issues such as homelessness and associated issues around theft and alcohol and drug use, and have a good working relationship with our partners at Sheffield City Council.

“I would urge people who see or are experiencing crime and disorder within the city centre to report these crimes to us. Local officers are embedded in their communities, they recognise repeat offenders and will work tirelessly to take action to prevent future crimes. You can report incidents online via our reporting portal or via 101. If you see a crime in action, please call us on 999, as it gives us a better chance of catching suspects in the act.”