News: Rotherham town centre ASB rates halved
Daily rates of anti-social behaviour (ASB) reports have been cut in half within Rotherham town centre, say South Yorkshire Police.
In Spring 2024 Rotherham Central Neighbourhood Policing Team received rising reports of anti-social behaviour and crime in the town centre.
These worrying spates of ASB were not only affecting residents and people visiting the town centre, but also were impacting local businesses and the economy.
Rotherham Central NPT Inspector John Crapper, said: “We were receiving complaints from local businesses about shoplifting affecting viability of establishments. Spots within the town centre were attracting rising rates of ASB causing local people to not want to visit the area.
“We quickly realised that a cohesive response to tackle these issues was urgently required. We have implemented more high-visibility foot patrols which act as a deterrent to potential criminals and also provided the team opportunities to identify any prolific offenders.
“Reacting quickly and launching prompt investigations into new reports of ASB meant that no opportunities were lost to identify perpetrators and take action against them.”
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The key themes of safety and security were highlighted in the consultation for a £20m fund for the town centre. Rotherham Council committed £570,000 for 2025/26 to launch a new "Street Safe Team" focused on increasing safety in town and village centres.
Catching repeat criminals has helped reducing the rates of ASB in the town centre, but the way these offenders are handled has played a big part in reducing the amount of crime in the area.
Inspector Crapper added: “It has been important to appropriately deal with offenders on a case-by-case basis to ensure minimise the risk of re-offending. This included the use of behavioural contacts, such as Criminal Behaviour Orders and Criminal Community Protection Notices.
“We have worked with Rotherham Council, identifying offenders whose behaviour could be tackled through civil remedies and out-of-court disposals.
“Establishing regular meetings with partners has been essential to handling this problem, as well as setting up a Business Crime Reduction Partnership which has attracted over forty local businesses.
“Thank you to all the businesses, retail workers and local people who engaged with us and helped us achieve this result.
"Although it is fantastic to see these results, we will not rest on our laurels. We will continue to work proactively to target anti-social behaviour as we know just how much it affects local communities.
"Please continue to report any issues or concerns you have to us so we can properly and thoroughly investigate, identify the offenders and take appropriate action."
Images: Rotherham Central Neighbourhood Policing Team / Facebook
In Spring 2024 Rotherham Central Neighbourhood Policing Team received rising reports of anti-social behaviour and crime in the town centre.
These worrying spates of ASB were not only affecting residents and people visiting the town centre, but also were impacting local businesses and the economy.
Rotherham Central NPT Inspector John Crapper, said: “We were receiving complaints from local businesses about shoplifting affecting viability of establishments. Spots within the town centre were attracting rising rates of ASB causing local people to not want to visit the area.
“We quickly realised that a cohesive response to tackle these issues was urgently required. We have implemented more high-visibility foot patrols which act as a deterrent to potential criminals and also provided the team opportunities to identify any prolific offenders.
“Reacting quickly and launching prompt investigations into new reports of ASB meant that no opportunities were lost to identify perpetrators and take action against them.”
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The key themes of safety and security were highlighted in the consultation for a £20m fund for the town centre. Rotherham Council committed £570,000 for 2025/26 to launch a new "Street Safe Team" focused on increasing safety in town and village centres.
Catching repeat criminals has helped reducing the rates of ASB in the town centre, but the way these offenders are handled has played a big part in reducing the amount of crime in the area.
Inspector Crapper added: “It has been important to appropriately deal with offenders on a case-by-case basis to ensure minimise the risk of re-offending. This included the use of behavioural contacts, such as Criminal Behaviour Orders and Criminal Community Protection Notices.
“We have worked with Rotherham Council, identifying offenders whose behaviour could be tackled through civil remedies and out-of-court disposals.
“Establishing regular meetings with partners has been essential to handling this problem, as well as setting up a Business Crime Reduction Partnership which has attracted over forty local businesses.
“Thank you to all the businesses, retail workers and local people who engaged with us and helped us achieve this result.
"Although it is fantastic to see these results, we will not rest on our laurels. We will continue to work proactively to target anti-social behaviour as we know just how much it affects local communities.
"Please continue to report any issues or concerns you have to us so we can properly and thoroughly investigate, identify the offenders and take appropriate action."
Images: Rotherham Central Neighbourhood Policing Team / Facebook
1 comments:
As someone who works in Rotherham every day, this isn't my experience. The drinkers and thieves may have largely moved on, but the druggies and beggars are still pretty prevalent. The town reeks of cannabis most days.
It must be a thankless task sorting out anti-social behaviour in the town centre, I just hope with the official figures going down, that this will not result in a reduced police presence in the town centre.
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