PERSPECTIVE: Policing Team launches

It’s been a busy start to the new year, with some big changes in neighbourhood policing in the city.

On Monday 9 January, we officially launched a fourth Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT) in the city. Doncaster North NPT, led by Inspector Sebastian Dent out of Davies House Police Station, covers the Adwick, Askern, Roman Ridge, Bentley and Sprotbrough ward areas of the city.

The changes have also seen Doncaster West NPT renamed Doncaster South NPT. This team covers Mexborough, Conisbrough, Edlington, Rossington, Tickhill and Finningley.

The move from three to four NPTs will closer align our neighbourhood structure with Doncaster Council’s localities model, enabling better joint working. Our teams already work very closely with colleagues at partner organisations, but this restructure will make it even more effective. It will also allow for improved focus on providing a localised response to issues in our diverse communities. This is a positive change, and I am excited to see how it can help us deliver the Doncaster that everyone wants to see.

Over on the east of the district, Armthorpe Parish Council has leased a building on Hatfield Lane. Officers and PCSOs who cover Armthorpe,

Edenthorpe and Kirk Sandall will use this building as a drop-in base when they are on duty. This means the team will be able to spend more time working in their area, without having to travel back and forth to Thorne Police Station. This will help to increase police visibility in these communities, and allow for closer working with our partners, as Doncaster Council’s Stronger Communities team, St Ledger Homes and the enforcement team will also use the building. Our work to target and disrupt organised crime gangs involved in drugs production and violent crime in the city will continue this year. Since the end of September last year, officers from our neighbourhood and Fortify teams have been joined by specialist teams from across the force and partner agencies to intensify our work to tackle organised crime gangs. We have carried out warrants, stop searches, vehicle stops, open land searches, and high visibility and covert patrols. This work is a key aspect of our efforts to reduce serious and organised crime in Doncaster, and I’m hopeful for more positive results this year.

We will also see an increase of officers in Doncaster under the Home Office’s 20,000 officer uplift campaign. I look forward to welcoming these officers in the coming months.