POLICING in Barnsley is getting back to normal after a busy period which saw three murder investigations, the World Cup and a visit from US President Donald Trump divert resources.
Police officers have endured a busy two months, according to Inspector Andy Norton, who responded to councillors’ claims that delays in officers responding to incidents have been reported during June and July.
England’s World Cup campaign, which came to an end last Wednesday in a semi-final defeat against Croatia, saw thousands of fans flood into Barnsley town centre for each game while the unrelated deaths of Claire Louise Smith, Jill Hibberd and Dawid Szubert also led to a vast amount of police time being spent guarding scenes of crime.
President Trump’s visit to the UK on July 10 also saw around 100 officers from South Yorkshire Police - including those who usually serve in Barnsley - deployed to make sure the event passed without incident.
Insp Norton said: “We were around 100 cops down because of President Trump’s visit and officers have been working down south because of the huge policing operation surrounding that.
“We’ve had a busy few months what with the World Cup and the officers who were called upon to protect murder scenes.
“We’re back to normal now so people will have a better service and response times to call-outs will be reduced.”
