Safer City in Numbers
 Before diving into the main update, here are some headlines demonstrating the tangible impact that City of Doncaster Council and South Yorkshire Police’s Safer City initiative is having, one year on from its launch.
- The first half of 2025 has seen a 7% reduction in crime across our city centre and the surrounding area.
- Contributing to this, April to November 2025 saw a 10% increase in activity from the council’s dedicated City Centre Engagement Officers.
- Among other things, this includes the issuing of 1,702 warnings and the dispersal of 244 people from the city centre on the grounds of antisocial behaviour.
- These proactive actions have been complemented by 17,382 hours of council patrols since October 2024.
- Meanwhile city centre-based police officers carry out regular patrols of the city centre as well. Last month, they covered 150 miles, including 89 on foot, over the course of 168 patrols spread over 115 hours.
- Since October 2024, 13,478 Penalty Charge Notices have also been issued by the council for parking offences in the city centre, alongside 3,761 fines for littering.
City Centre Winter of Action
Alongside partners from across South Yorkshire, City of Doncaster Council and South Yorkshire Police are taking part in a national campaign that aims to make town and city centres all over the UK safer and more welcoming during the months of December and January.
This Winter of Action will see us stepping up many of the usual activities that already being carried out as part of the Safer City initiative described above. Among other things, you can expect to see increased patrols in hotspot areas, coordinated action to tackle crime and disorder, reassuring presence at upcoming Christmas events, and a suite of resources being made available to help people better protect themselves during their nights out in the city centre.
Tackling Most Serious Violence
 One of our key themes as a partnership is to reduce violence in Doncaster. Statistics for 2025 show that in the 12-month period leading up to September 2025, Most Serious Violence offences in the city — including assaults with and without weapons, robberies and possession of weapons — fell by 22%.
In terms of what has been done to crackdown on these issues from a policing perspective, we have carried out both high-visibility and covert plain-clothed patrols in knife crime hotspot areas. We have also executed warrants to search for weapons and conducted land sweeps in known areas where we believed weapons were being stashed.
We continue to gather intelligence on individuals linked to knife crime before carrying out arrest attempts to seize weapons and get them off our streets. Supporting all of this work, we also take part in Sceptre twice a year. This is a dedicated week of action that sees intelligence-led operations targeting habitual knife carriers, open land searches and weapon sweeps.
Keeping You Safe on Nights Out
 Another key aim for the partnership is to help create a safer nighttime economy in Doncaster, which is of particular importance in the lead up to Christmas as the nights grow darker and festivities start to get underway.
Through Operation Streetsafe, response officers carry out dedicated patrols of nighttime hotspots to deal with any disorder and keep everyone safe. Partnership working here is always crucial, as police officers and licensing teams coordinate not only with the council, but also National Pubwatch and licensed venues.
Additional resources and schemes are being implemented to further protect the public during their nights out this winter. This includes “Ask For Angela”, a code-phrase which signals to venue staff that you need discreet help to get out of an uncomfortable situation when at a bar or pub. Meanwhile, the Safe Haven initiative at the Unitarian Church in Hallgate will be providing pastoral care and support to vulnerable people in the city centre, while taxi marshals will play an important role in ensuring everyone gets home safely.
We are pleased to announce that the Best Bar None scheme is returning for 2025 as well. An industry gold standard, this accreditation is run across the country and is designed to help people make more informed decisions about where they can go to enjoy safe nights out in their local area. Complementing this, work is also in the early stages to implement Businesses Against Abuse, a training scheme to get companies working together to prevent sexual harassment and abuse against women and girls by tackling predatory behaviour.
Early Prevention Work
 Our ongoing Knives Take Lives campaign seeks to educate young people on the consequences of carrying a blade.
Engaging with youngsters and showing them the dangers of this kind of criminality is pivotal in steering them away from it and in keeping our communities safe from harm. That’s why we actively encourage all secondary schools and academies to engage with our Guns and Knives Take Lives programme. The Doncaster Youth Council are also currently working on a campaign, called ‘The Choice’, to develop a number of key resources that will help spread this message (including an educational awareness film).
South Yorkshire Police has a number of safe and anonymous places for members of the public to hand over knives to help get them off our streets. In Doncaster, there are two amnesty bins available all year round, where dangerous or unwanted knives and blades can be dropped off.
- Junction of Warmsworth Road/Anelay Road, Balby, Doncaster
- Junction of Broxholme Lane/Highfield Road/Netherhall Road, Doncaster city centre
 Our Commitment to You
The work of the SSDP is constant, and we will continue to update you on how we are working collaboratively to ensure Doncaster and the surrounding communities are secure and that the people who live here feel safer.
As well as working together, we also want to continue working with you. Your support is invaluable and we would encourage you to please make us aware of any safety issues that are affecting you.
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