Crime commissioner ‘promises police numbers review’ after Mayor Ros Jones criticises ‘under-resourced level of policing’ for Doncaster

Speaking publicly since she penned a letter to police and crime commissioner Dr Alan Billings criticising numbers in the borough, Mayor Jones said Doncaster was ‘not adequately policed’.

The mayor also hit out at the Conservative government and said their ‘failed austerity programme’ had contributed to the loss of 500 officers, closures of police stations and ‘rising crime’.

The initial row was in response to Office for National Statistics data which showed Doncaster town centre had the most calls from the public in regards to crime and anti-social behaviour.

Mayor Jones had previously said the most frequent reason given for a lack of resources in the community is the need to take officers from neighbourhood teams and to support response units dealing with other high demand issues.

Coservative group leader on DMBC, Jane Cox, asked Mayor Jones if she was confident following talks with the PCC that Doncaster would get its ‘fair share’ of 269 new officers planned for South Yorkshire.

Mayor Jones said: “It’s important to remember that we’ve lost over 500 full-time police officers across South Yorkshire since 2010.

“We’ve seen community police stations close across the borough and the wider public sectors face similar, if not larger reductions in government funding.

“This is all due to 10 years of austerity, our residents and communities are facing the consequences of a failed austerity programme through rising crime.

“I’ve made my views clear in the strongest terms that Doncaster is not adequately policed to combat crime and social behaviour to give ongoing insurances to the public.

“I do not feel that Doncaster is getting the best possible service from South Yorkshire Police, but in the spirit of partnership, I do want us to work together to resolve concerns.

“I am grateful to Dr Billings and police colleagues for acting on my concerns, and I look forward to more appropriate policing levels and activity that is more visible to myself, the council, and the residents and businesses of Doncaster.

“Dr Billings has promised to review the allocation of police officers across South Yorkshire, as part of the budget setting for the next financial year so I am hopeful that Doncaster gets its fair share of allocation of new police officers, if not more.”

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