any idea what these unpleasant chappies do?

I was walking home from a club the other night, keeping myself to myself and was stalked all the was down a main road by one of these vans.

I'm wondering if that counts as harrassment, or I'd at least like to know what they are supposed to be doing with themselves?

They're the council! You need to report the van if it's occupants were behaving this way. Go to the council website and you'll find contact details. Hope you got the number plate/other ID marks of the van.

Originally posted by Carl_Malibu
any idea what these unpleasant chappies do?

I was walking home from a club the other night, keeping myself to myself and was stalked all the was down a main road by one of these vans.

I'm wondering if that counts as harrassment, or I'd at least like to know what they are supposed to be doing with themselves?

In what way were they "stalking" you? Street Force are the out of hours council people that fix broken windows, street furnature etc, so they generally work nights - are you sure they weren't driving slowly looking for an address, or a lamp-post etc?

And harassment would be something ongoing, not a one off incident of someone "following" you down a road in a van.

Touch of paranoia? Had a little toot on the way home did we? :hihi:

I've just seen a couple of Streetforce chaps strolling down our road in the fashion of a brace of constables from the old days. You know the thing, hands clasped behind their backs, a casual swagger, a cursury nod of acknowledgment as you pass. I presume their remit is simply to patrol an area keeping an eye out for yobs and other neerdowells who may be up to no good.

Dont knock them..... They are there to make the streets safe for us all and their work is carried out at all hours of the day. Iam sure you would be moaning if you stumbled down a pot hole or got into trouble walking down an unlit road or alley.

I think JBlaze maybe right..... paranoia mmmmmmmm

Street Force is the City Council department that is responsible for the care of the city's streets and overall street scene. This involves highway/footway construction and maintenance, street lighting, road signs and traffic signals, litter removal, street sweeping, cutting grass verges, maintaining public toilets, winter maintenance, graffiti removal, car parking services, etc.

As someone correctly observed, some Street Force employees do work nights, and it is more than likey that they would have been looking for a particular street light or pothole, rather than 'stalking' you.

Originally posted by Magneteer
I presume their remit is simply to patrol an area keeping an eye out for yobs and other neerdowells who may be up to no good.
No, those guys are called the Police. Street Force, as explained earlier in this thread deal with "Street Scene issues, including abandoned vehicles, highway repairs and cleaning, pavement repairs and cleaning, litter bins, street lighting faults, street and road sign maintenance, road markings, drainage problems, public toilets and winter maintenance."

I got that from this page (where there is also their contact details):
http://www.sheffield.gov.uk/sys_upl/templates/PT_AZServices/PT_AZServices_details.asp?ServiceID=422&pgid=4191&tid=152

well it was quite a long road, and it was going pretty fast until it got to where i was standing (on the phone) - and stopped next to me.

I didnt think much of it but started walking and it just followed me


I figure they dont have any sort of authority.

Is this the number people call from all those posters?

Originally posted by Carl_Malibu
well it was quite a long road, and it was going pretty fast until it got to where i was standing (on the phone) - and stopped next to me.

I didnt think much of it but started walking and it just followed me


I figure they dont have any sort of authority.

Is this the number people call from all those posters?

I would put it down to coincidence, but i'm not sure what kind of 'authority' you're referring to? Street Force is simply an amalgamation of the the councils landscapes, street cleaning and highways and lighting divisions...

Originally posted by Carl_Malibu
I figure they dont have any sort of authority.

On their website it says they’re responsible for

Promotion of litter prevention

Graffiti and fly-poster removal

Responding to enquiries and complaints

Enforcement and Legal Action

If someone reported someone was littering, fly posting, or urinating in the street, in that area, maybe they were looking to do the enforcement bit?

So they are actually dealing with low level police type work, as I suspected. It's the stuff which the normal police just don't have the time and resources to deal with.

what I mean is I'm interested if they had been suspicious of my activities, whether he had any authority to take me into custody.

I am assuming they dont. And they rely on their mere presence there to be enough

No, they have no more authority to arrest someone than any other member of the public, ie a citizens arrest which is preferable to a police arrest as you don't get the searing pain in the genitals.

Originally posted by Carl_Malibu
what I mean is I'm interested if they had been suspicious of my activities, whether he had any authority to take me into custody.

Hmmm, I wouldn't have thought so, pretty sure only the Police can do that.

Originally posted by foo_fighter
If someone reported someone was littering, fly posting, or urinating in the street, in that area, maybe they were looking to do the enforcement bit?
They don't do this though. Check the definition and link above - how many sites do they have?

Originally posted by Carl_Malibu
what I mean is I'm interested if they had been suspicious of my activities, whether he had any authority to take me into custody.

I am assuming they dont. And they rely on their mere presence there to be enough

i think you need a health professional rather than the forum

as has bee nstated the role of street force is clearly defined and does not include street enforcement

not sure if the SCC street warden / 'city centre ambassadors' have a role in street side enforcement

fortunately SYP doesn't have seemed ot have gone down the route of it's immediate northern neighbours and filled the streets with the latest NuLabour tool of usless oppression the PCSO

Originally posted by Geoff
They don't do this though. Check the definition and link above - how many sites do they have?
I don't know, but this is where I extracted the info' from,

http://www.sheffield.gov.uk/in-your-area/street-force/street-cleaning