South Yorkshire Police try and be more visible in Sheffield
Officers patrolling the city centre have made 48 arrests in a month
Officers from Sheffield City Centre Neighbourhood Policing Team covered 2,494 miles and racked up over 1,200 hours of patrols during July.
Neighbourhood officers have been increasing their visibility in the city centre following the introduction of the Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) and in support of a number of days of action to tackle drug use, anti-social behaviour, serious violence, modern slavery and illegal vehicles.
A total of 48 arrests were made during July while 19 vehicles were seized during 1,256 hours of patrols. Officers also dealt with 191 breaches of the PSPO.
The PSPO allows police and their partners at the council to take early action to prevent anti-social behaviour, as well as provide support for those who need specific help.
Inspector Andrew Rimmer said:
"Visibility is extremely important to our officers and we know it can help make people and business owners feel more secure in their city centre.
"Our patrols include officers on foot, in vehicles and on electric bikes and we've been receiving some really positive feedback from members of the public and those who work across our area.
"They tell us seeing officers in the city centre on a more regular basis is contributing to an environment that feels more safe and secure which is really encouraging to hear as we want people to feel reassured and know our officers are here to help.
"Pounding the pavements has also helped us enforce the newly introduced PSPO, which has been well received and filled a gap in legislation. It allows us to introduce early interventions to stop behaviours - which may not necessarily be criminal - from escalating."
A total of 165 illegal e-bikes and scooters have now been seized by our city centre officers. By law, electric bikes cannot exceed a maximum speed of 15.5mph with the electric motor assisting.