New investment to make Doncaster a Safer City

City of Doncaster Council is working with South Yorkshire Police and other partners on a range of initiatives across the city so that Doncaster is a safer place for everyone to enjoy.

The Mayor of Doncaster has pledged to spend £1m on new safety measures including state-of-the-art CCTV and increased patrols in the city centre.

As part of this, city centre CCTV has been expanded further into areas not previously covered by cameras and a new mobile vehicle will compliment this, equipped with CCTV, a mobile defibrillator and first aid kit. A number of tannoys, which will provide CCTV operators with the ability to communicate with anyone engaged in perceived anti-social behaviour, are also being added in key areas around the city centre.

The council and the police will continue to work together in the city centre, with targeted patrols for increased visibility along with other collaborative efforts.

The number of council patrols is set to increase as well as the addition of more neighbourhood response team officers, enforcement officers and street scene officers to tackle anti-social behaviour, illegal activity; such as the sale of counterfeit goods, and cleanliness.

Council staff will continue to join forces with police and use their powers under the existing Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour and to offer help and support to those who need it.

City of Doncaster Mayor, Ros Jones, said: “People need to feel safe when they visit Doncaster city centre and these new measures will help to support that. We have listened to the public in our recent city centre consultation where they told us that they don’t feel safe when visiting the city centre, or do not visit because they don’t feel safe there. This needs to change if we are to have a vibrant city centre at the heart of our city.

“Working closely with our partners in the police and other key organisations, our aim is to tackle issues in the city centre head on - and to do this I have pledged £1m investment into extra resources to help make Doncaster a safer place. To further support this we have launched a new Safer City initiative which brings together information and advice for people on staying safe and we are working with local communities and businesses to support them.

“I encourage people to visit the city centre as we approach the busy season for events and Christmas shopping and leisure time. I urge the public and local businesses to engage with our staff, who are there to help tackle issues and provide a visible and reassuring presence in the city centre alongside the police. Please come and enjoy what our city has to offer.”

Doncaster District Commander Chief Superintendent Pete Thorp, from South Yorkshire Police, said: “We remain committed to tackling crime and anti-social behaviour in Doncaster city centre so that people feel safe in the area.

“Officers from our Doncaster Central Neighbourhood Policing Team carry out regular patrols of the city centre and over the past 12 months, we have increased the number of officers working in our city centre team to combat the issues that are most important to the people of Doncaster.

“Using your information and intelligence, we have dedicated patrol plans through which our officers conduct high visibility patrols of the city centre in order to keep you safe.

“We continue to work in conjunction with the council, other key partners and our communities to regularly review these plans, and we are always looking at how we can further increase our visibility in the city centre.

“We are working closely with businesses and retailers to tackle shoplifting, with our dedicated retail crime team, who investigate shoplifters across Doncaster city centre and the surrounding area, securing 225 convictions over a nine-month period since the start of 2024.

“City centre-based officers will also continue to enforce the additional powers of the PSPO, which allows us to tackle a whole range of crimes and anti- social behaviour, including begging, criminal damage, drug-taking and the consumption of alcohol in public areas.

“It is a criminal offence to disobey the rules of the order, and anyone found breaching it can be fined or even face prosecution.

“We massively value the public’s support and cooperation when it comes to tackling crime and anti-social behaviour, and I would urge them to continue reporting any crimes to us on 101 or 999 in an emergency. You can also make a crime report through the South Yorkshire Police website.”

For more information on the Safer City initiative visit www.yourlifedoncaster.co.uk/safer-city

Anti-social behaviour comes in many forms and is dealt with by South Yorkshire Police and Doncaster City Council. For more information on what should be reported to police, please visit the dedicated section of South Yorkshire Police’s website: South Yorkshire Police - Antisocial behaviour