‘End protests that take money away from crime fighting’

THE Chief Constable of South Yorkshire Police has called for an end to protests that have drawn more than £4 millon away from protecting victims of crime over the past three years.

Chief Constable David Crompton is seeking specialist legal advice to “explore” the force’s options regarding the protests, many of which have been appealing to the police to do more to tackle child sexual exploitation.

Mr Crompton said the demonstrators’ “constant desire to protest” is not helping the police to achieve the very thing they are demanding.

The force has policed 20 protests since October 2012 at a cost of £4 million, not including subsequent criminal investigations when disorder breaks out. For example, a recent weekend protest resulted in disorder on Wellgate, which is now being investigated by nine full-time officers.

“Whilst we respect all individuals’ right to protest, we must balance this against local people’s right to enjoy their town centre, the businesses’ right to trade and the need to fund wider policing,” Mr Crompton said.

Police and Crime Commissioner Dr Alan Billings, who is supporting Mr Crompton’s call for an end to the protests, said that South Yorkshire was actually one part of the country where child sexual exploitation is now well understood and is being tackled.

“Every protest diverts funds which could be better used not least in supporting more work in protecting vulnerable people. I have never yet had a victim or survivor of child sexual exploitation or their families ask for this kind of outside intervention,” Dr Billings said.

“On the contrary, those who I meet on the panel of survivors and their families are working with the police and do not welcome these distractions.”

Mr Crompton and Dr Billings said the police had learned from past mistakes and were now bringing perpetrators to justice, with 151 live investigations underway.

“No one wants to interfere with the right to demonstrate, but when people who mainly come from outside South Yorkshire continue to come here it looks increasingly cynical and hypocritical on their part,” said Dr Billings.