North West Sheffield News Online

The third phase of the programme will build on previous successes in reducing serious violence and will operate in 52 areas, which have voluntarily signed up, to undertake targeted action to reduce serious youth violence among 13 to 24 year olds.

The funding will support tough enforcement alongside education and prevention programmes and build on the work of TKAP so far, which includes:

• an increase in stops and searches including extra mobile knife scanners – combined with a national move to a presumption of prosecution for knife possession and a significant fall in the use of cautions;
• nights of intensive enforcement and prevention action -  resulting in over 600 arrests, discovery of three cannabis farms, seizure of a shotgun and 22 knives in the past two months alone;
• improved information sharing – more than 100 hospitals sharing data with police on knife and serious youth violence-related admissions, helping them to target local problems;
• the roll-out of the knife crime prevention programme – an education programme for all young offenders convicted of a knife related crime which is on track to reach 2,000 young offenders; and
• prevention work – education sessions for more than 200,000 young people to make them aware of the dangers of knives, and a public information campaign worked on by young people themselves.

Recent police use of a “knife arch” (walk-through metal detector) in Hillsborough found no one carrying knifes. Nationally, recorded knife crime fell by seven per cent from April to September 2009 compared with the same period the previous year, including a 34 per cent decrease in murder with a knife.

Police are asking the public to be vigilant after a number of reports have been made involving companies cold calling via the telephone.

Tricksters are trying to sell alarms under the assertion that it is ‘Crime Prevention Week’ and that they work for South Yorkshire Police, both of which are false.

Although it is believed these companies are legitimate, there are a number who call residents and use high-pressure sales techniques and lies in order to force a sale.

Chris Squires of Crime Reduction said: “If you are not entirely satisfied with the legitimacy of the caller, ask for their contact details and tell them you will call them back in an hour once you have had time to do some research. The Crime Reduction department of the police are always more than happy to advise on such a situation.”

Police are appealing for witnesses after a fatal traffic collision in Sheffield yesterday evening.

A silver Honda Civic was travelling towards Grenoside on the A61 Halifax Road when it collided with a silver Nissan Micra entering Halifax Road from Lyminster Road around 7.40pm yesterday, Saturday, 6 March 2010.

It is believed the Honda Civic was in close proximity to an orange sports vehicle travelling in the same direction, away from Hillsborough, which left the scene before police attended.

The driver of the Honda Civic, a 22-year-old Sheffield man, was taken to the Northern General Hospital with potentially serious internal injuries and detained overnight. The 22-year-old has been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.

The driver of the Nissan Micra, a 56-year-old Sheffield woman, sustained fatal injuries as a result of the collision.

Anyone who witnessed the collision or the manner of driving of the cars before the incident is urged to call the South Yorkshire Police witness help line on 0114 220 2970.

Police would also like to hear from anyone who can identify the orange vehicle that is believed to have left the scene.

South Yorkshire Police are involved in a new initiative designed to reduce doorstep crime.

Nearly a third (32%) of over-50s know their neighbours well and regularly socialise with them. Saga research shows that although the over-50s are much more cautious of the ‘knock and walk in’ culture in homes of yester-year, 7% still leave their doors unlocked to visitors, while a third choose to keep them locked at all times.

It appears the over-75s receive the most unexpected visits from salesmen, and one in six lets them in without ID.

So what better time than now for Operation Liberal – a campaign to raise awareness about bogus door-steppers!

Burglars who trick their way into houses and target the elderly and vulnerable are the targets of a national police campaign that starts on Friday 5 March 2010. Read more…

Sheffielders are invited to take part in an innovative photography experiment being carried out by Sheffield University into what makes us fearful of crime.

What contributes to people’s fear of crime in cities? How much do litter, graffiti, broken street lighting and dilapidated buildings play a role? Or do people’s social and cultural knowledge play a stronger role in shaping people’s fears? An innovative experiment in Sheffield, which is organised as part of the Economic and Social Research Council’s (ESRC) Festival of Social Science (12-21 March), aims to find out.

Members of the public are invited to participate in the experiment called: ‘Fear and loathing in Sheffield: Public fear in an urban landscape.’ The experiment will explore factors that contribute to people’s fear of crime. In Britain, anxiety about crime outweighs the actual risk of it happening. But because even just the fear is damaging to people’s wellbeing, it is often seen as a social problem in its own right.

Under the guidance of Dr Camilla Priede of Sheffield University participants will be provided with disposable cameras to photograph elements in a local neighbourhood that provoke fear or unease. Following this, participants will be asked to share their attitudes and experiences towards the areas that have been photographed. Read more…

A recent survey shows that people feel more secure thanks to measures introduced by Sheffield City Council trying to deal with anti-social behaviour in the city.

The survey, commissioned by the local authority, suggests that Sheffielders’ perceptions of ‘vandalism, graffiti and other deliberate damage’ as a problem had dropped from 40% in 2008 to 35% in 2009. The Lib-Dems who control the Council say that the figure had risen from 36% to 40% between 2006 and 2008 under Labour. Read more…

An alleged petrol thief is at large throughout the region.

Police would like to speak to this man in connection with approximately 40 “make-off without payment” offences carried out at petrol stations across South Yorkshire since August 2009.

Two of the most recent occurred at Shell Service Station, Hoyland Common on 21 February and Shell Service Station, Maple Road, Pilley on 19 February.

Police believe he uses various vehicles and fake number plates to carry out these offences.

The male is described as being white, approximately 30 years 5’10” tall and medium build.

If you believe you can identify this man, please contact police on 01226 736030 and quote BX50.

Victims of fraud in South Yorkshire can now report crimes and access support and advice through a new national fraud reporting centre.

Launched initially in October 2009 in the West Midlands area and rolled out today across the north east of the country, Action Fraud works closely with the police and provides a valuable link between forces when criminals act across large geographical areas.

Although people in the UK were defrauded out of an average £621 last year, most victims of fraud do not report the crime. Victims of fraud often don’t want to talk about what’s happened to them because they feel embarrassed and ashamed. Fraudsters rely on that silence. The National Fraud Authority (NFA) has launched Action Fraud, a national fraud reporting centre that provides a single point of contact for fraud victims where they can both report a fraud and seek guidance and advice.

Action Fraud is open from Monday to Friday between 8am to 8pm, Saturday between 9am to 6pm and Sunday between 10am to 4pm. Read more…

Penistone Safer Neighbourhood Team (SNT) carried out a speed check operation on 22nd February – with disappointing results.

Despite previous speed check operations being carried out on Sheffield Road, Oxspring. earlier this year, it appears some motorists are still ignoring the 30mph limit and endangering their lives and the lives of those around them by speeding.

Between 12.10pm and 3.30pm, 14 motorists were found to be exceeding the limit. Seven were asked to attend a speed awareness course for which they must pay for. Another seven were given £60 fixed penalty fines and three points on their licence.

On 24th February between 4pm and 5.30pm, five motorists were found to be speeding. Two were issued with £60 fixed penalty fines and three points on their licence and three will attend a speed awareness course.

PC Andy Thompson said: “Oxspring Primary School is situated on Sheffield Road so speeders are also making the area dangerous for them. We will continue to carry out random speed check operations to target those who show no regard for the law and will be issuing £60 fines to offenders.”

This month, Sheffield Trading Standards announced a “Give with Care” campaign against imposter charity collectors.

The Association of Charity Shops estimates that between £2.5 and £3 million is lost to charities through theft and people mistakenly giving unwanted clothing to commercial companies in the belief that they are giving to charity.

‘Give with Care’ aims to help the generous people who want to give to charity understand what to look for in leaflets and bags that come through their letter box. It will help them to establish if a clothing collection is for charity or not. While clothing companies may be acting legally, their leaflets may be largely indistinguishable from charities, unless people know what to look for. The campaign includes four top tips for spotting a genuine charity clothing collection: Read more…

Stannington Tenants & Residents Association reports that anti-social behaviour has largely calmed down in the area.

There are still some isolated incidents and a couple of cars have also been reported to South Yorkshire Police for allegedly selling drugs.

South Yorkshire Police recently upped its presence in the area and a police helicopter was on regular patrol recently.

NWS News attended yesterday’s Partners and Communities Together (PACT) meeting at Hillsborough Stadium.

Police Sargeant John Kirkham presented statistics to the seven attendees in a friendly and informal manner. The PACT area in question includes Hillsborough, Stannington, Wadsley, Owlerton, Loxley, Wisewood, Malin Bridge and Woodland View.

Encouragingly, there has been a decrease in the number of incidents reported to the police.

When comparing December 2009 (latest available figures) with the same period in 2008:

• Crime is down 13.5% generally
• Burglary is down 33%
• Robbery is down 30%
• Violent crime is down16.8%
• Vehicle crime is down 11.7%

However, Anti-Social Behaviour incidents were up by a worrying 34.5% (an additional 69 reports). South Yorkshire Police’s Safer Neighbourhood Team is already on the case and the links below highlight current local priorities and action being taken. Read more…

People seeking work are the latest targets of scammers according to new research from the Office of Fair Trading which identifies work from home scams as among the most common cons in Britain.

Envelope stuffing is a common scam

The scam typically operates by advertising paid work from home in a local newspaper, shop windows or on a lamppost offering the promise of fast cash for minimal effort. The catch is that you have to pay an upfront fee to the organiser, for example, for materials or for them to reveal their ’secrets’. They take your money but are unlikely to pay you for any work you do, or you may find that there is no work and instead only commission for getting other people to sign up.

Heather Clayton, Senior Director of the Office of Fair Trading’s Consumer group, said:

‘We are seeing an increasing volume of work from home and business opportunities scams. People who are struggling financially may be particularly vulnerable to these types of scams. Genuine work from home schemes should tell you in writing exactly what you will be expected to do, how much you will be paid and how and when you will be paid.’ Read more…

South Yorkshire Police’s Safer Neighbourhood Teams (SNTs) have been busy tackling issues identified by local residents in Hillsborough, Upperthorpe and Deepcar.

SNT officers attend Tenants and Residents Association (TARA) forums and community safety meetings to “gain a real awareness” of the concerns of the local community, as well as holding monthly Partners and Communities Together (PACT) meetings.

February PACT meeting details are here.

It was at a PACT meeting where residents informed the team about antisocial behaviour on Whitehouse Lane.

Inspector Rob Blake, who leads the SNTs, said, “Whenever the public raise a concern, we take positive action. A recent example is the Whitehouse Lane area of Walkley where residents were concerned about antisocial behaviour. Read more…

South Yorkshire Police focused a “week of action” in the Stannington area from 8th – 14th of February.

Extra patrols were arranged, a mobile police station positioned on Stannington Road, and questionnaires conducted in the area. This past week of action included high visibility patrols as well as officers on horseback and mountain bike.

South Yorkshire Police said the initiative was a success. Read more…