How the hotspots for complaints of breaches of coronavirus rules shifted this week in Doncaster

Top of the pile was Norton and Askern, with six, ahead of Thorne with five reports, three in each of Edenthorpe and Hatfield, and then one in Armthorpe.

They have all been concerns at private addresses, rather than complaints about public gatherings.

What we were surprised by was the absence of any reports in Stainforth.

The reason for this is that quite recently we had a lot of complaints about people breaking the rules in Stainforth. For instance, we were getting a lot of complaints about gatherings in Jubilee Park, as we were about Dentons Park in Kirk Sandall.

If we see spikes in complaints or cases, we put together a plan, working with our partner organisations like the council and the NHS.

We did put a plan in place in Stainforth a few weeks ago. We need to be certain that the fall in reports is not just a reluctance to call us, as reports from the public help us put our plans in place for patrols. So we urge people to call us. Those calls affect how we plan patrols.

Recently we increased patrols around some of the schools in Stainforth because concerns were raised with us that people may have gathered outside the gates at the end of the day without observing social distancing. A visible police presence helped address this.

We have recently seen two new additions to our team in Doncaster East. PC Mark Foster is the new officer for Armthorpe, and PC Jordan Whitworth is the new officer for Hatfield and Dunscroft. Their job will be looking to problem solve in those areas.

Among Mark’s first activities is looking at a spate of bin fires around the Brampton Avenue area, which is seeing him looking at CCTV pictures.

Jordan will be looking at problems such as speeding and a slight rise in the number of burglaries in the Hatfield area.

Finally, with Christmas approaching, I’d like to wish everyone a very happy Christmas, and ask that everyone sticks within the rules put in place around Covid 19 over the festive period.

In these confusing and worrying times, local journalism is more vital than ever. Thanks to everyone who helps us ask the questions that matter by taking out a subscription or buying a paper. We stand together. Nancy Fielder, editor.