Silent crime Sheffield: 'Problems still remain on our Arbourthorne estate however much we complain'
One grandmother living in Arbourthorpe told The Star the same problems persist on her estate, despite complaints. She spoke to the Star on the condition of not being named, and here is what she says, as we continue our ‘Silent Crime’ campaign.
“Arbourthorne has some great people and some great views.
But we also have problems with anti-social behaviour that no one seems to be dealing with.
There are some on the estate who phone up about things, and others who just say ‘what’s the point, the authorities won’t do anything’.
But having been in Arbourthorne for over a decade it certainly seems like pot luck as to if anything gets gone.
There’s an abandoned car on Fleury Road, near Gleadless, that we think has been there since 2020. It’s crazy.
We have had issues with cars being dumped in Arbourthorne in the last six to eight month, often the same model. Two have been dumped an set alight on Kenninghall Drive a few months ago.
You can’t tell me that there is nothing reported about what’s going on here.
Everyone has to traipse through nitrous oxide cannisters too.
Other things that we’ve had have included speeding cars, and someone breaking lamp posts, One car crashed recently into a metal post near the bus stop on East Bank Road, also shattering and knocking down a bin that was bolted to the ground. Luckily no one was at the bus stop at the time.
There was recently a section of fence near the pond removed. I don’t know what had happened, whether a car had crashed into it. But it was replaced by ugly concrete blocks. Is that our fence now? They’d not do that in Meersbrook or Fulwood, and it’s not going to encourage people to take pride in the area.
There’s also a problem with off road motorbikes. It always seems to be a problem, and not just at night, but in the daytime too. We get told that there are police looking at this, but we have not seen them patrolling in the day time.
We report things, but we don’t hear of any arrests or action. We get told that the information is too vague to act. I’d like to see police come out and look on people’s doorbell cameras.
They have taken away the cars that were abandoned or burned out on Kenninghall. But there does not seem to have been anything happening to stop more of this going on.
We need something doing as a long term solution to deal with this. We need some follow-up to all these incidents. The authorities must be spending a lot removing all these vehicles. Surely it would be cheaper to find a long term solution for our green spaces?
It’s the people of Arbourthorne that make the area, and on the whole we are fantastic and deserve better.”
The Star has put the issues raised to South Yorkshire Police and Sheffield Council.
Jon Revill, South Yorshire Police’s Neighbourhood Policing Team Sergeant in South East Sheffield, said: “We have a dedicated team of officers who respond robustly to the concerns of Arbourthorne residents, and those in the wider area.
“We are continuing to engage with the community and provide a space for residents’ concerns to be addressed, and I would encourage residents to attend our forums and speak to our officers.
“Criminality of any form is damaging to local communities, and we will continue our efforts to stamp it out and ensure that Arbourthorne is a safe place for everyone to live.
“I urge members of the public who have been the victim of, or witnessed any crime, to report to us online or via 101. Your help is vital and enables us to fully investigate all reports, which includes gathering images and CCTV of reported offences.”
Councillor Kurtis Crossland, Sheffield Council’s chairman of the Communities, Parks and Leisure Committee said: “We take all reports of anti-social behaviour in our communities seriously and are working 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 Arbourthorne area and have Sustainable Community Officers patrolling and supporting local residents.
“Anyone with concerns are encouraged to report them and provide as much evidence as possible to enable officers and police to take appropriate and effective action.”
The Star and National World has launched its Silent Crime campaign to highlight unreported crimes, and crimes that are looked into with no further action. We plan to present evidence to the Government.