More about this area

The force says...

South Yorkshire Police covers urban and rural areas spread over 599 square miles. Most of the population of 1,392,539 people live within the environs of the cities of Sheffield and Doncaster, and the towns of Barnsley and Rotherham. The population has increased by 4% since the 2011 census, as has the proportion of persons who self-define within an ethnic minority group. Unemployment in South Yorkshire is higher than the national average, and wages are lower than average, with high levels of deprivation within the county.

The county houses two universities, supporting a vibrant student community. Alongside high attendance at horse-racing events in Doncaster and the five professional football team matches, Sheffield hosts an annual three-day Tramlines festival, attended by more than 100,000 people.

Neighbourhood policing sits at the heart of the force’s policing model, underpinned with response officers and specialist capabilities. The force continues to grow, and is delivering well against the national policing uplift programme. South Yorkshire is a full spectrum force.

The force has an effective strategic planning and performance framework and looks to increase its overall efficiency through a thorough understanding of demand and capacity, and effective work with partners. South Yorkshire Police is a learning organisation, with a healthy focus on internal accountability and a positive leadership culture. The force acknowledges the likely scale of the financial challenge in the coming years, and is developing plans to support this.

South Yorkshire Police works to keep the public safe by focusing on its priorities of tackling crime and anti-social behaviour, protecting vulnerable people, and treating people fairly. In doing so, the force recognises the vital importance of the workforce integrity, and is determined to continue improving and building the trust and confidence of its communities.

Disclaimer: the above statement has been prepared by South Yorkshire Police. The views and information in it are not necessarily those of HMICFRS.