BURGLARY figures across Barnsley have been dramatically reduced in the last six months thanks to a police operation to tackle a spike in crime.
According to official statistics from South Yorkshire Police, from January 2017 to March 2018 Barnsley was subjected to almost 1,900 burglaries.
The Chronicle recently reported that in some months of 2017, burglaries had trebled in parts of the town - with hotspots in Athersley, Grimethorpe, Kendray and Penistone - and it also emerged that a suspect ended up in court for barely one in ten of the offences investigated.
Having hit its peak in April 2017, a month in which 205 burglaries were recorded across the town, Barnsley’s four policing hubs at Goldthorpe, Kendray, Royston and the town centre took part in Operation Moscow - a project designed to reduce burglaries.
Crime prevention stalls were held at high footfall venues such as supermarkets and Barnsley Interchange, while officers were deployed to conduct more foot patrols to deter incidents at areas including Barnsley town centre.
The Chronicle can reveal that although there has been an increase on the previous year’s incidents - with 75 recorded in February 2017 and 95 in February 2018 - the stats since a call for action was taken by those affected show a decrease of more than 50 per cent.
Paul McNicholas, who runs Annie Murray’s bar on Market Hill, said fellow business owners were annoyed by an alleged lack of police presence - something that’s now changed.
“I’d agree with the figures - burglaries are down in the town centre and we’re really happy about it,” he said. “It’s not an exaggeration to say burglaries, especially in the town centre, were happening every week.
“Everyone understands about police cutbacks, but offering some form of protection is all we wanted because we were powerless to do anything about burglaries.
“Whatever they have been doing has worked as we haven’t heard about further incidents in the last two or three months. Antisocial behaviour remains an issue, especially in Barnsley Interchange, but it’s great burglaries are down as it’s what we were all calling for.”
Although the town centre has been a target for Operation Moscow, other locations such as Royston, Shafton and Penistone have received attention due to residents reporting rises in burglaries in outbuilding, particularly farms and stable holders.
Police bosses have been working alongside officers from West Yorkshire Police in those on-the-border communities, according to South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner Dr Alan Billings, as a direct response to a crime wave which reportedly saw criminals pinpointing vulnerable buildings.
Twenty-four officers, on the South Yorkshire side, will now have a rural-specific burglary focus, while town centre officers will continue to work with business leaders to keep tabs on the figures.
Sgt Matt Wood, who runs town centre operations from Churchfields station, said: “There’s been much more proactive patrols in the town centre, often done in the evening, and crime prevention advice has been given out to better secure buildings.
“The decrease is also down to the three or four arrests we have made, which seems to have had the desired effect as they are no longer on the streets.
“PCSOs regularly patrol and they also attend security meetings in the Alhambra, which allows them to keep tabs on any existing or emerging offenders.”
