CRIME hotspots across eight wards in Barnsley will be targeted by police in a new attempt to reduce incidents - and boost residents’ confidence.

Sgt David Baines’s team, based in Royston, recently took part in South Yorkshire-wide Operation Duxford and its success has prompted them to replicate the initiative with a scheme of their own.

“This new operation will be independent from Duxford and will focus on reducing crime in areas which are known to be problematic,” Sgt Baines told the Chronicle. “It will start this month and each ward in our patch will be targeted.

“Operation Duxford had a lot of success recently on Milgate Street in Royston so it shows just what can be achieved with day-long operations.”

Although the eight wards - made up of St Helen’s, Darton East, Darton West, Old Town, Monk Bretton, Cudworth, Royston and North East - have three PACT meetings where localised crime is discussed, the new scheme will see officers flood a specific location.

Matters including illegal off-road bikes and speeding vehicles will form part of the upcoming action days’ agendas, with the first event being scheduled to take place today in Great Houghton.

“We’ll be working with the village’s primary school (Sandhill) and getting them involved with an anti-speeding operation,” Sgt Baines said. “There’s been concerns raised nearby and by getting youngsters involved in what we’re doing, it teaches them about road safety and makes drivers think twice if they see children helping to get the message across.”

But residents who witness crime have also been encouraged to continue reporting their concerns by Sgt Baines via the police’s new ’SYP Alerts’ system, which aims to keep residents in the loop with goings-on in their area.

“The alerts system helps not only us to know about what’s going on locally, but it’s also for people who are reporting crime to keep tabs on what’s happening in their area.

“Neighbourhood policing relies on local communities to report things so we know what to focus on. The upcoming operations have been borne out of what people have said and further action days will be based around what people want us to be tackling.”