Silent Crime Firshill: 'From shooting to anti-social behaviour, we need something done visibly'

There are many reasons, such as police officers being stretched to people feeling that issues affecting them are not serious enough.

A Firshill resident contacted The Star, on the understanding he was not named, to explain what life is like in Firshill and to explain why

“It’s the general level of crime where I live, in Firshill, Sheffield. which worries me. It feels like living in cannabis central.

“In the last three weeks, someone sat on a bench next to me with a crack pipe. Drugs just seem to be rife, and that’s not a word I use lightly.

“The local schools have ‘crocodiles’ - patterns on what are supposed to be routes for children to take when walking to and from school. One morning recently, I walked along one of these and there was a bag of cannabis dropped on the ground there. A bit later, and there would have been children walking along there.

“There was also a shooting in the area recently, I gather it was someone on a motorbike taking pot shots. But we rarely see the police out here on the streets.

“I also have two neighbours who were followed by a man in a dark jacket, with a knife in his hand, as they walked on a path at Parkwood Springs, with their dogs. He kept his distance, but it was still unsettling for them.

“But it is just the degree of it all. Me and my neighbours just feel crime has grown here out of all proportion.

“There is such a lot of anti-social behaviour - breaking windows, driving cars along the grass, and loud music. And there doesn’t seem to be much point in reporting it, because the council won’t do anything about it.

“I had a visitor who asked about the noise, He said: “Is it always like this?” I said I’d written to the council, but they’d not replied.

“There was a family who started a fire outside their house. I was going to report it to the council, but I couldn’t get hold of the housing officer.

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“I had an email from the council which told me all about their anti-social behaviour policy, saying the council believes this and that, and saying your neighbours can’t to this that and the other. But as far as I can see it did not tell me how to report it.

“We’ve not even got a tenants and residents association round here now, which used to organise meetings with figures from the police and council.

“My message to the council and the police is ‘do something’, because it feels like nothing visibly gets done.

“People will not report things if nothing seems to get done, and if it takes six months for something to get done, that’s no good. “

South Yorkshire Police response

Inspector Alec Gibbons said: “Our Sheffield North East Neighbourhood Policing Team are an active presence in the Firshill area, but they can only investigate crimes if they are reported.

“I would like to reiterate that if you witness or are a victim of a crime, you should get in touch with police either online, by calling 101, or speaking to our officers on patrol.

“We investigate each and every crime that is reported.

“Through Operation Fortify, our officers tackle organised criminality across the county. These pre-planned operations utilise a variety of resources which may not be visible to the public but have a real impact on reducing criminal behaviour.

“We have a zero-tolerance approach to anti-social behaviour and drug offences in South Yorkshire, and we work closely with the local authority to divert individuals away from drug use.”

Sheffield Council response

Councillor Kurtis Crossland, Chair of the Communities, Parks and Leisure Committee, said: “We always want residents to report incidents of anti-social behaviour to us because as a Council we take all reports from our communities seriously.

“We work with South Yorkshire Police and other partners to try and tackle and prevent issues and ensure that everyone in Sheffield has the opportunity to live in a secure neighbourhood, where they feel safe.

“We are aware of issues in the Firshill area and are working to solve these for residents there.

“Anyone with concerns is encouraged to please report them to us. They are vital, and help provide us with as much evidence as possible to enable officers and police to take appropriate and effective action.”

• To make a report, and for more information on rules around anti-social behaviour, Sheffield Council has a dedicated webpage at:https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/pollution-nuisance/anti-social-behaviour