Problem villages to be police patrolled
HIGH visibility police patrols will be taking place in Thurnscoe and Goldthorpe following a spike in antisocial behaviour targeting buses – and bosses say it needs to stop before someone gets seriously injured ‘or worse’.
Last week, Stagecoach said they are working with South Yorkshire Police to identify those who were causing trouble on Halloween – which saw missiles thrown at buses – and have said they want to assure residents they are doing everything they can.
This led the bus company to stop serving the area after 6pm, leaving innocent residents without a way to get home safely.
The police have confirmed investigations are currently ongoing, with local officers urging the community to report any information about those individuals responsible.
Inspector Rebecca Richardson added: “This isn’t a victimless crime or a harmless bit of fun lives are put at risk by this type of reckless and thoughtless behaviour.
“Someone could end up seriously hurt or worse, so it is imperative we identify those involved in these incidents.
“We have got high visibility patrols in the areas affected in a bid to locate and apprehend anyone engaging in antisocial behaviour, as well as having a presence on bus services travelling throughout the Dearne Valley.
“We post details of our community meetings on the SYP website, as well as on our social media pages.
“We want to work with our communities to tackle this issue and ensure that those who depend on our bus services are able to travel safely.”
Sergeant Karen Holmes, from the South Yorkshire Travelsafe Partnership, said they are working on the ‘completely unacceptable’ issue.
“Stagecoach services have been significantly impacted by groups engaging in antisocial behaviour, with buses being damaged on several occasions since the beginning of October,” she said.
“This type of behaviour is incredibly dangerous and could have terrifying consequences for those travelling on the bus, other motorists and the wider public. We completely understand Stagecoach’s decision to suspend certain services, as the safety of their staff and the public must be the first priority.”
In addition to the bus network, officers are working closely with the British Transport Police to combat similar antisocial behaviour affecting the rail network.
Their officers have already identified a number of individuals who were throwing stones at trains, and joint operations to target this criminality will continue.
A Stagecoach spokesperson said: “There have been a number of incidents towards buses in the Thurnscoe area recently meaning we’ve had to take the decision to stop serving this area in the evenings.
“Removing services from a local area is the very last thing we want to do but we must think of the safety of both our passengers and staff.
“We’re working very closely with the police through the Travel Safe partnership to identify anyone involved in this antisocial behaviour and we’d encourage the local community to work with us to help identify those responsible to stop this.
“We’re really sorry to any customers affected by this decision and will return to normal services as soon as it is safe to do so.”
Anyone who has information about the vandalism to the transport network or those involved in antisocial behaviour in the Goldthorpe and Thurnscoe areas can pass information in confidence anonymously to Crimestoppers via their website or by calling 0800Y 555 111.