Doncaster mayor Ros Jones promises extra police on city's streets from autumn

Ros Jones has described the intake of 25 new officers as a ‘welcome start’ and that there were plans in place to get more police patrols for the city.

In a Facebook post she said: “Recently I was asked about when we will start to see an increase in police officer numbers in Doncaster.

“From October we expect to see 25 new police officers on the streets of Doncaster, with further cohorts due to complete training in January and February 2023 which will allow South Yorkshire Police to fill further vacancies, but it will not be until the next financial year before we start to see South Yorkshire Police grow in size.

“These extra police officers for Doncaster are a welcome start, and I would like to thank our Doncaster District Commander Ian Proffitt and Dr Dr Alan Billings South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner for the continued work with myself and Doncaster Council.

“It is very important to remember that since 2010, South Yorkshire has seen a reduction in Police Officers of nearly 1,000 due to continued government funding cuts. There are now 20% fewer police officers on our streets, in this time we have also seen local police stations close and the visibility of police on our streets has never been lower.

“Reductions in police officers have put a strain on Doncaster Council neighbourhood teams, our wardens and enforcement officers, even after we have increased the size of these teams.

“We are however making steady progress, we are working collaboratively with South Yorkshire Police, aligning our resources and partnership working around our locality areas.

"This allows a more joined up approach and ensures our limited resources are as effective as possible.

“We must also take into consideration the rising costs of delivering services, the police service are also facing these rising costs, and government will either have to provide extra funding, impose cuts to police budgets or pass the burden on to local taxpayers through council tax.”

It comes after a torrid 18 months for police in Doncaster, with numerous murders, shootings and stabbings dominating the local policing scene.