Police tracking 13 criminal gangs in Doncaster

SYP Superintendent Neil Thomas also said Doncaster had an issue with criminal gangs because ‘members of particular communities are more prevalent’ in the borough with links to organised crime.

Supt Thomas also said that the prison population can also have an impact but there was no real link in inmates involved organised crime coming out into Doncaster carrying on.

Documents show a long-term deployment of officers has disrupted a criminal gang in Mexborough, Conisbrough and Denaby with drugs, cash and a gun seized. A further nine firearms were taken off the streets with links to criminal gangs during 2019.

Another Doncaster criminal gang was also identified in drug dealing operations in Humberside. Joint work from both forces recovered two kilos of class A drugs, a quantity of cash and the arrest of key gang members.

Hexthorpe Coun Sue Wilkinson said figures suggested that Doncaster had a problem with organised crime and gangs - more so than Sheffield when comparing population.

Doncaster Supt Neil Thomas from South Yorkshire Police said: “Part of that reason is because we have members of particular communities that are more prevalent in this borough than others parts of South Yorkshire involved in organised criminality.

“Because more of this community live in our area unfortunately we get a high percentage of organised criminality.

“We are mapping this type of crime across our prison establishment. We have South Yorkshire’s prisons in Doncaster, again this will mean increase the number and percentage of organised crime.

“It’s not as though we are mismanaging the situation, it’s more to do with the people involved where they live, what communities they come from and in prisons where this type of crime still occurs and because we do address it, it appears in our figures.

“There is organised crime in prison but it doesn’t follow that those people upon release come out and form further criminal groups in our communities.

It would be wrong to suggest these people remain in our communities and go on to commit further criminal activity.”