Doncaster stabbings: Police vow to beef up town centre security after deaths

Police in Doncaster have vowed to step up town centre security following the fatal stabbings of Ryan Theobald and Janis Kozlovskis which have sparked a double murder probe.
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South Yorkshire Police has said that there will continue to be an increased presence of officers, while further knife arch operations will also take place.

And officers have also called on the public’s help in a bid to prevent a repeat of the tragedy in the early hours of Saturday morning which saw Ryan, 20, Janizs, 17 and a third teenager, 18, being stabbed after violence flared in Silver Street.

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The stabbings have been declared a major incident, with a special investigation unit set up to piece together the events of the killings which have sent shockwaves through Doncaster.

Ryan Theobald and Janis Kozlovskis suffered fatal stab wounds in Doncaster town centre.Ryan Theobald and Janis Kozlovskis suffered fatal stab wounds in Doncaster town centre.
Ryan Theobald and Janis Kozlovskis suffered fatal stab wounds in Doncaster town centre.

People have also been urged to pass on details of individuals they know who carry knives – and pass on information relating to all forms of knife crime.

Chief Superintendent Ian Proffitt said: “There continues to be an increased presence in Doncaster town centre following the murder of two men on Saturday.

"We know that incidents like this can have a devastating impact, not just on the families affected but on the wider community too.

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“I want to assure you that improving safety in Doncaster town centre continues to be a priority for us.

"Our officers, along with partner agencies, have been working together over recent weeks to clamp down on crime and antisocial behaviour in the town centre.

"As part of our plans we already have officers from our dedicated tasking team and Operational Support Unit who along with our local Neighbourhood Team regularly run knife arch operations and patrol the town centre to try and prevent incidents like this.

"However, sadly, we know that they can still happen and people still continue to carry knives.

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“We need your help and support to prevent crimes like this. If you have concerns about anything you see in Doncaster town centre, or know somebody that carries a knife please continue to report it to us.

"We will listen and can help. With your support we can hopefully try and prevent incidents like this from happening again.”

The probe into the tragedy is still continuing and yesterday police revealed that a 17-year-old boy arrested following the incident had been released on police bail pending further investigations.

A spokesman said: “We still want to hear from anybody who may have saw what happened or captured any footage of the altercation , which started in Silver Street and continued into High Street, ending outside the KFC.

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"Information can be passed onto police by contacting 101 and quoting incident number 135 of 29 January, or you can give information anonymously to independent charity Crimestoppers via their website – www.crimestoppers-uk.org – or by calling their UK contact centre on 0800 555 111.

You can also provide information directly to the investigation team via the Major Incident Public Portal.

Floral tributes have been placed at the scene, with more than £6,000 raised for the families of the two victims.