Last week I heard a story that the police in Sheffield are going to crack down on street crime and druken behaviour by using high profile policing. This basically involves pulling people out of admin and making them patrol our streets. They even mentioned that plain-clothes detectives are going to be put back in uniform (i'm sure that's popular!).

So, my question is: "Has anyone noticed the effects of this new policy? Is there a noticeable increase in the number of police?"

I drove down West Street on Friday evening (about 8-9pm) and every where I looked there were police cars and even police on foot! But I'm assuming West Street probably looks like this every Friday night?

Originally posted by "geoffbowen"

Last week I heard a story that the police in Sheffield are going to crack down on street crime and druken behaviour by using high profile policing. This basically involves pulling people out of admin and making them patrol our streets. They even mentioned that plain-clothes detectives are going to be put back in uniform (i'm sure that's popular!).

So, my question is: "Has anyone noticed the effects of this new policy? Is there a noticeable increase in the number of police?"

I drove down West Street on Friday evening (about 8-9pm) and every where I looked there were police cars and even police on foot! But I'm assuming West Street probably looks like this every Friday night?

I can't say I have noticed Police in droves on a normal Friday night on West Street, yes the odd car maybe but nothing out of the ordinary, So perhaps this is a case of new policy kicking in.

It's not necessarily the admin bods that are put on the streets. They've taken all the community officers i.e. not the normal cars that attend incidents but your local assigned community bobby and from what I was told, half of the traffic dept and put them on the 6 week high impact policing, the target is street crime so if theres a mugging, assult, rape in an area expect loads of police, if nothing happens in your area - expect none. :x

Meanwhile , car crime, house burglary goes on the increase but gets no additional policing 'cos they're all out tackling street crime. Maybe a more focused approach to prevent crime would be better but of course the figures wouldn't look as good for the stripes would they :wink:

We have two regular community bobbies down Hillsborough now. Overheard an old lady asking them what trouble was happening - she didn't understand they were just there for the sake of it!!!

Moon Maiden

At last, the power's that be have suddenly realised that we need MORE police officer's ON the street's to prevent crime, surely it doesn't take a BRAIN surgeon to know that if you move officer's out of the desk job's on to patrolling the street's you will get a reduction in crime.

It need's a presence on the beat, to deter the thug's, yobo's and drug addict's they need to see the law, then they will think twice about mugging, breaking in and raping. Alright, it cost's money but what price the safety of the general public.

For too long we have been at the mercy of these thug's, aren't they brave? attacking old people, women, cripple's in wheel chair's, the infirm and the weaker member's of our society, at one time as I remember, they would have got lashed with the cat a nine tail's, why not bring it back???

I agree we need more bobbies on the beat but they're just going about it in the wrong way. A 6 week operation is no good, we need more of them all the time, not taking them from other areas for a one-off operation jsut to keep the top chief from losing his job !

From the Star:
In the first seven days of the six week operation, officers made 320 more arrests than would be expected in a normal seven day period, including 20 suspected robberies...
If the early performance is sustained, it will mean around 2,000 more people will have been arrested than police would expect in normal circumstances.
Street crime fell by almost a quarter in the space of a week, down from 51 incidents to 39. Other arrests were for crimes including assault and theft.

To be fair - I have noticed a large increase in police around the centre. It feels reassuring to know that they are around and reachable. However, this operation will only make me feel more worried when they go! Also, the people being arrested are being released sooner, as the admin staff are all out on the streets. :roll: :lol:

i have today!

and ive got the helicopter above my house NOW!

Originally posted by "RPG"


ive got the helicopter above my house NOW!

They're coming for you RPG! What have you been doing? :shock: :)

who knows!

they've been circling the field near me (housing estate behind it) so im assuming they are doing something up there, there was a few police cars speed up the hill, so there must have been some sort of trouble up there :shock:

I've noticed them in pairs at a few shopping centres like at Crookes on me travels. I think it definitely makes people feel better and therefore (as finally conceeded by someone quoted in the media yesterday), its an end that justifies the means - regardless of whether or not it actually does help crime. There job is not only to make us safer - but to make us "feel" safer.

>Has anyone noticed the effects of this new policy? Is there a noticeable increase in the number of police<

There has been no extra police where I live and the crime that I am forced to put up with day in day out is still the same.

I live 5 minutes from Hillsborough, in area once regarded as a "good" area. It is fast going the same way as every other sheffield council estate, down hill.

I live in a block of flats which are lovely, I have a fantastic view and when I first moved into my flat 5 years ago I could not have been happier or more grateful to the council for giving me such a great place to live. Now I can't wait to get out. The "kids" who roam aound the area like animals are making everyone's lives a misery.

The phone box across the road is smashed up just about every single night (no joke), a few months back it was blown to pieces in an act of upmost stupidity and blatent disregard for people's safety.

When I come home from work or a night out I am usually greeted with a "mini youth club" in the foyer of my block of flats. They do lovely things like scratch their names into the wooden doors, graffiti the walls, smash up the phone, throw food around and litter, rip up plants which residents have taken the time to plant, stub cig ends out on the newly laid carpet or on the newly covered seats, spit all over the intercom so you can't press the buttons for which flat you want, spit all over the buttons in the lift so you can't press which floor you want, they try and set fires on the back stairs (our only means of escape incase of fire), smash glass on landing doors, and basically mill around shouting things like "F*** off n*b head" till about 11pm.

The elderly folk who live here used to sit downstairs playing bingo, they are now too afraid to go downstairs, in fact they don't even like to go out anymore because they know what they will be greeted with when they come home. As soon as you walk in the foyer area all the "kids" try and indimidate you by staring you out. I'm a young person and not really afraid of them but I admit they can intimidate you and i know it must really frighten the old folk.

The councils response to these problems is to ask us if we would like a security guard. Yes please! Would we be willing to pay extra for it? You mean on top of the rent increase, the 8% rise in council tax, you want us to pay even more just to be able to live in peace? No doubt we will all pay the extra because we really have no choice.

i can't say I have seen the police doing anything. They came to the flats once and were told to ***** off by two young girls, so they did and we haven't seen them since.

Definitely more police around, both on foot and in cars, around London Road and Nether Edge. Very welcome.

I have seen many extra beat bobbys.

I agree, it is a very welcome sight. Ironic that our office was broken into last night in the town centre though!

We have to encourage the police and hope that their presence does help alleviate just a small amount of crime.

well done syp. :)

No need to shout.

I noticed these in the city centre for the first time yesterday. The question I have is why do they always walk around in pairs? Surely it would be more economical for them to patrol individually.

Originally posted by "Sidla"

Surely it would be more economical for them to patrol individually.
More economical but less safe. One unarmed officer trying to stop 2-3 youths preventing a crime isn't (I should imagine) very effective.

Plenty more police around in Walkley lately. Some on bicycles too.

Originally posted by "Sidla"

I noticed these in the city centre for the first time yesterday. The question I have is why do they always walk around in pairs? Surely it would be more economical for them to patrol individually.

Yes, I have only just noticed this over the last week. I seen them walking on London Road in pairs as you said.

This is a good thing surely???

Nobody said it wasn't did they?

It's a good thing if you live in the city center. What about the poor soles in the out lying villages. Their beat bobbies have all been put on patrol in the city. Result, higher crime in the villages. It's all just a PR exercise. While the Traffic Police are messing about in the inner city the drunk, reckless and banned drivers are having a field day/night?

There is a massive amount of police about and I would love to know why. There is definately something that they are not telling us. Is it to do with the Terroist arrests?

This is a very old thread Hallam. If you look at the date above the one you posted, you will see it was added in March!

Not sure where you are seeing lots of police, but there is nothing like the quantity they had during the 3-4 weeks talked about above.