LATEST crime figures show incidents involving serious violence have more than doubled in Barnsley since January - although police bosses have reassured the public that the rise is down to an ‘unprecedented’ year in which four murder investigations have taken place.
The report, compiled by Chief Superintendent Scott Green, district commander for the town, shows there were 108 violent crimes between January and August - the most recent month available.
January accounted for the lowest figure when seven were recorded, before a rise saw incidents peak at 19 in May, with August having had 16.
The report said: “From May, Barnsley experienced four homicides, a high-profile critical incident in the town centre and a fatal road traffic collision involving an HGV.
“It is worth noting that the district has been able to deal with the increased demand from these incidents. Similarly, the links with local communities have meant Barnsley has been able to monitor closely any emerging community tensions.”
South Yorkshire as a whole had 15 murders in the year up to June - four of which happened in Barnsley during an unprecedented four-month period.
Clare Smith, Jill Hibberd, Dawid Szubert and Gary Dean were all killed during that spell, although none were linked and police said the public had no need to be concerned about the spate.
Miss Smith’s killers, Justine Wainwright and Penny Brownie, were given life sentences last month while Lee Fueloep, who is charged with murder over Miss Hibberd’s death, and Ricky Ramsden, who is alleged to have fatally stamped on Mr Szubert’s head, are both currently appearing at Sheffield Crown Court.
An investigation into Mr Dean’s death remains ongoing after he was found dead in a wooded area behind Moorend Lane, Silkstone Common, close to the Trans Pennine Trail on September 6.
“Barnsley continues to see a decrease around acquisitive offending and we are maintaining the year-on-year average for offences relating to violence, firearms and knives.
“While there has been significant national coverage regarding violent crime, Barnsley has seen no significant increase and nothing that can be linked to gang or organised criminality.
“The town records the lowest knife crime, firearms, drug offences and personal robbery rates across the South Yorkshire force. Recorded serious violence in 2018 is commensurate with the previous year.
“We have seen an anomalous increase in some demand on resources since May because of a high number of high-profile incidents and investigations.
“With support from specialist crime services, plus the new local operating model, we have been able to meet these increased demands while at the same time servicing business as usual.”
‘Hub’ teams based at Barnsley town centre, Cudworth, Goldthorpe, Kendray, Penistone and Royston have been in operation for a year since South Yorkshire Police performed a U-turn on its previous cost-cutting plan which came into force in 2015 - bringing the neighbourhood structure back.
The report added: “This equates to an additional 35 officers. The Barnsley district remains at the forefront of neighbourhood policing via its teams and the successful, multi-agency Safer Neighbourhood Service (SNS), embedding early intervention at a local level through to tackling complex and multiple needs.”
