South Yorkshire Police provides policing services to the county of South Yorkshire. The police force area covers 599 square miles in the north of England. Although there are a small number of affluent areas, South Yorkshire has a high level of poverty. Around 1.4 million people mainly live in the urban centres which include Sheffield, Doncaster, Rotherham and Barnsley. The resident population is increased by university students and the large numbers who visit, socialise, commute into, or travel through the county each year. The transport infrastructure includes major rail stations and an airport.
HMICFRS independently assesses police forces and policing across activity from neighbourhood teams to serious crime and the fight against terrorism – in the public interest.
In preparing our reports, we ask the questions which citizens would ask, and publish the answers in accessible form, using our expertise to interpret the evidence. We provide authoritative information to allow the public to compare the performance of their force against others, and our evidence is used to drive improvements in the service to the public.
Force Area |
599 square miles | |
Population |
1.37m people | 7% local 10 yr change |
Workforce |
73% frontline | 78% national level |
| 3.5 per 1000 population | 3.6 national level | |
| 16% change in local workforce since 2010 | 15% national change since 2010 |
Victim-based crimes |
0.06 per person | 0.06 national level |
| Local 5 year trend (no change) | National 5 year trend (no change) |
Cost |
51p per person per day local | 55p per person per day national |
Dr Alan Billings
Chief Constable Stephen Watson, appointed in July 2016
