PCC: criminal gangs have become "entrenched" in South Yorkshire
Alan Billings says the last decade of cuts to officer numbers has caused it
South Yorkshire's Police and Crime Commissioner tell us gangs have become "entrenched" in the county over the past decade.
Alan Billings was re-elected to the position yesterday and told us getting on top of serious organised crime was one of his main priorities for the force.
It comes after several shootings and stabbings in Sheffield in recent weeks and months.
Alan says a cuts in officer numbers gave gangs a chance to thrive:
"Five hundred officers were lost between 2010 and 2020 - that's a lot. And in that time, in my view, the gangs began to put down their roots and expand their activities.
"So they got entrenched and that's what we've got to deal with. So after those years of cuts, we're now beginning to rebuild the force. And it's a good performing force. And they've got to go out there and sort those people out."
It comes as there's growing worry about violent crime in Sheffield.
Last month there were two murders in the space of a week and a leading campaigner told us he's worried there could be a rise in knife crime once lockdown's completely lifted this summer.
Campaign group Mums United will lead a protest in the city later this month calling for more action to tackle violent crime.
Alan says violent incidents are rare but have a real impact:
"When they happen they devastate families but they also disturb seriously communities themselves who don't feel safe. So we have to get on top of that and understand that. Now a lot of that is related to gangs and drugs. Disrupting the gangs and putting them out of business is part of the really serious work South Yorkshire Police has got to do.
"I think we're getting better at that - we've got an Armed Crime Team now whose job it is to find those with blades and those with guns and make sure they are brought to justice. But also disrupting the gangs, finding other ways of stopping their activities. And also drawing people away from violence as well."
During his time as PCC, Alan Billings has set up a Violence Reduction Unit with government funding to invest in community projects which draw people away from violence.
The government's already started recruiting more than 20,000 new police officers across the UK.