Doncaster police charge two with attempted murder after Conisbrough gun incident

His death is a tragedy – but levels of gun crime in Doncaster are lower than most areas.

Last year saw 14 firearms discharges reported in total. Of those, 12 involved firing at property. Only two resulted in injury.

Over the same period, we recovered eight guns and have ongoing investigations to find who may have had possession of these weapons

We have to get a handle on this issue and target those involved. Several people have been charged over Lewis’ death.

Also, on Friday, we arrested a man and a woman for an unrelated firearms discharge in Conisbrough from December. They were charged with attempt murder and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life.

We have a number of organised crime groups operating in Doncaster, and we have strong partnerships, involving many agencies, to tackle these groups, and get to the root causes.

I have been Doncaster’s crime manager since November. I started my police career as a Doncaster town centre constable in 2003, and know that area well. More recently I was a Detective Chief Inspector in Sheffield.

Other issues we have been seeing recently are dog theft and burglaries.

Dog theft has been widely discussed on social media and I want to dispel some fears about it.

There are some people out there who see dogs as an asset with cash value. So think carefully if you tie your dog up outside shops while you go in. Numbers of dog theft incidents are low, but there are things you can do like having your dog chipped.

Residential burglaries continue to fall, but there are things you can do to prevent them. Snapping the lock barrel is a common method of entry. Investing in a more secure lock can reduce the chances of this happening.

There are also things you can do to prevent car thefts. Putting a steering wheel lock in the car, or locking driveway gates will help.

Some thieves use electronic equipment to relay the signal from the car key in your house. This can be prevented by keeping your keys in a bag or box that will block the signal, called a faraday box.

In these confusing and worrying times, local journalism is more vital than ever. Thanks to everyone who helps us ask the questions that matter by taking out a subscription or buying a paper. We stand together. Nancy Fielder, editor.