A BARNSLEY MP is calling for a crackdown on antisocial behaviour which he says is making people’s lives a total ‘misery’ - after fresh figures revealed the extent of the issue.

John Healey, MP for Wentworth and Dearne, has called for action following the release of new statistics.

Analysis from Labour shows 1.2 million incidents of nuisance are recorded in England and Wales every week - and recorded crime in the county has risen by more than 41,000 cases since 2015.

John said: “It’s clear to see that local communities are being let down by the Conservatives.

“Persistent antisocial behaviour is a nightmare for residents and there hasn’t been a national plan to help deal with it for over a decade.

“Changes are needed to help make people feel safer in their homes and in their communities and that’s why we want to see new police hubs set up to bring neighbourhood prevention teams back out into our communities.”

The latest figures, revealed recently by the Chronicle, show only 16 per cent of crimes in Barnsley lead to a caution, charge to court or restorative justice.

In a report to the South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner Alan Billings, Deputy Chief Constable Tim Forber confirmed around 2,100 crimes are committed each month in Barnsley.

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The crimes that have seen the largest increase in comparison to the previous quarter are residential burglaries, stalking and harassment.

However the force have seen ‘marked reductions’ in sexual offences, violence without injury and theft from a motor vehicle.

The report said: “In terms of recorded crime, local and force crime volumes remain in line with seasonal trends and previous years.

“Volumes are returning to pre-Covid levels following the reductions experienced during prolonged lockdown restrictions. “Barnsley is currently experiencing around 2,100 recorded crimes per month which is consistent with the previous quarter.”

John Healey is now backing Labour’s new plan to tackle community crime which includes new neighbourhood prevention teams bringing together police and local councils to stop the behaviour.

It also includes a major recruitment drive to increase the number of special constables and giving the victims of persistent antisocial behaviour the same support as other victims of crime.

John has been campaigning for a new police station in his constituency - particularly in Wath or Swinton - and is urging the station in Goldthorpe to be open to the public.

Having started an online petition, which can be found on his website, John is determined for officers to reopen the former Wath station which closed more than a decade ago following funding cuts.

He said at the time: “I fought the closure of the police station in 2010 and have been trying to get it back in the years since.

“Our local police have been facing big cuts in funding from the government.

“We’ve lost 500 officers and 20 per cent of funding - £55m - over the last decade.

“Finally, in September 2019, South Yorkshire Police’s Chief Constable backed my campaign and pledged to ‘work towards re-establishing a permanent police base in Wath’.

“We now have a new Chief Constable, and I’m determined South Yorkshire Police should keep to their word.”