Police to go back on the beat in Doncaster town centre

A top Doncaster policeman says a new team dedicated to the town centre has been set up in a bid to tackle problems around the market place.
Market PlaceMarket Place
Market Place

The area has been blighted by aggressive beggars, drug-taking and shoplifting, and traders said they feared the levels of crime at Doncaster Markets were affecting footfall and putting shoppers off visiting.

Now Doncaster Superintendent Neil Thomas says a new team of six officers has been created to stamp out crime in the town centre, and provide a visible police presence.

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He said: “Together with the council we have put together a plan to tackle the number of issues raised by traders.

“The dedicated team will patrol the town centre area, which includes the markets, the Frenchgate and the Interchange.

“It was put into place a week ago and already we are seeing positive results.

“The traders have told us that a visible police presence has helped to change the attitude of offenders and helped people working and using the markets to feel safer.

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“The resources have been deployed from teams that would have been on stand-by for incidents taking place around the same area – they’re just patrolling there every day now.”

The creation of the team comes just weeks after Robert Lynskey, 35, became the second person in the borough to be issued with a begging order for aggressive begging.