POLICE officers will make use of GPS tracking systems as they patrol the town centre to crack down on night-time offending.
South Yorkshire Police are currently testing the technology, which allows the force to pin-point where patrols take place on a map and better plan their proactive work to deter criminals.
Superintendent Paul Ferguson said it’s traditionally been used with regards to burglaries but - with the town centre night-time economy on the agenda as the town expands further and new premises open - is being trialled in Barnsley specifically.
“If we didn’t police the town centre, we’d effectively be left to pick up the pieces, and the ambulance service, and A and E, would,” he said.
“When you’ve got cops in the early hours of the morning, driving slowly at 5mph back and forth, around every cul-de-sac, that stops burglaries taking place - we want that to happen everywhere, every night.
“A few weeks ago, we wondered whether that could work in the town centre as well.”
