Sheffield community crime fears include street drinkers shoplifting, drug dealing and arson attacks

A meeting of Sheffield City Council’s South East Local Area Committee last Thursday (March 6) gave residents of the Woodhouse, Birley, Beighton and Mosborough council wards a chance to talk about their concerns on crime and anti-social behaviour.

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Police, ward councillors, council officers and support organisations were on hand to listen and give people advice.

Woodhouse Market Square was one problem area for drugs and alcohol named. The meeting heard of “worry about individuals from hostels nearby walking up to the centre to drink and they’re scaring people in this area.”

It was also stated: “There are not enough police in this area and lots of shops are shutting down in this area. Shops are selling alcohol to individuals who are already under the influence.

“People are shoplifting and trying to sell goods immediately to individuals in the area. One of the examples was someone going into a nail bar and trying to sell butter to community members that were having their nails done in the nail bar.

Speeding

“The owner of the nail bar asked them to leave.”

The group suggested that hostels should have stricter rules for residents, where they would be told to leave if they were responsible for causing problems in the area.

In Charnock, there are problems with cars ignoring a recently-imposed 20mph limit and drivers playing loud music while speeding through the area. Some drivers parking badly were blocking in other drivers near the shops, leading to angry scenes.

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Issues with off-road motorbikes, drug dealing and a rise in violence were reported in Westfield.

The person reporting back told the meeting: “There was also an example at the weekend of a lot of blood on the streets that hasn’t been cleared up near the Family Hub. People who were trying to access the Family Hub were having to walk through or around the blood.”

Drug dealing in Rolling Acres Park, Beighton, is “becoming the norm”, one person reported, putting off people from using it.

Worrying

Residents in Beighton had also been upset by recent arson attacks, despite an arrest. The meeting heard: “It’s very worrying for people living in the area.

“Everyone’s putting their bins away, no-one’s leaving anything out because they’re worried that someone is coming back.”

Car thefts and thefts from cars worried people in Mosborough, especially because the area is close to Derbyshire and it’s easy for criminals to get away across the county border.

People are feeling less safe in their homes, the meeting heard, and are also reluctant to go out at night by public transport.

“The idea that people are doing away with their cars and walking or riding seems far away,” one person commented.

Possible solutions suggested included getting people to take more pride in their areas, opening more youth clubs and Kicks sessions run by Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday, as well as more visible patrols by police and police community support officers.

Police were also encouraged to share more about their actions and outcomes on social media, in order for people to see the response to issues they report, rather than feeling nothing has happened to tackle crimes.