Police are committed to making city safer

Chief Superintendent Shelley Hemsley, District Commander for Sheffield, told the Park Light campaign: “Our neighbourhood policing teams also play a key role in ensuring our communities are safe places to live, work, study and socialise.

“Every part of the city has its own local neighbourhood officers, who are embedded in their community and are committed to crime prevention.

“Violent crime is an absolute priority and our teams spend a great deal of time building up networks, speaking to local people and identifying local concerns to tackle root causes.

“In relation to our green spaces and parks, our officers are acutely aware that they have been extremely important to so many over the last year. In some locations more focused plans around these spaces have been required and this has led to discussions about how we embed them in our problem-solving in the future.

“We’re interested to hear any initiative that aims to highlight personal safety and is working towards making our city safer.”

South Yorkshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Dr Alan Billings, said there are many longer-term strategies employed by police as preventative measures against crime in community spaces and lighting would help the feeling of security among the public.

“There’s no question that if people are in well-lit places they will feel safer,” he said.