Officers Bracing Themselves For Unprecedented Demand After Lockdown

SOUTH Yorkshire Police Officers are bracing themselves for what will be a ‘historically busy’ next six months.

With the easing of lockdown, a major football tournament, ‘kill the bill’ protests, COP26 and the G7 summits all on the horizon, South Yorkshire Police Federation says things are not going to get easier for already stretched and stressed officers.

Chair Steve Kent says the force is also nearing pre-pandemic levels of demand as the night-time economy across the region starts to wake up following the latest COVID lockdown.

He said: “People are enjoying this time, and the easing of lifting, and officers are starting to get their own lives back on track, but there is a bit of a cloud over the horizon.

“There is some apprehension around what this summer’s going to be like with the demands of the G7, Euros and more lockdown release dates.

“The mood is this is going to be a potentially historically busy next five to six months coming up, and demand is starting to creep back in even higher than it has been before, so that’s going to start to take its toll at some point too.”

That demand has seen a rise in non-lockdown compliance alongside some high-profile serious crimes to deal with.

Steve said officers are now starting to get the all-important COVID vaccinations they need as they deal with this rise in demand out on the streets.

He added: “Sadly, we’ve not seen the same levels of co-operation with lockdown as we probably did the first time, so there has been a lot more activity out there.

“There’s been a couple of high-profile cases in South Yorkshire involving serious offences and murder, which has obviously added demands and strain.

“We’re at that usual point now, and we have been for a little while, and it’s only going to get potentially worse over the next six months.

“The good news is the force is still doing its very best to get as many officers and staff vaccinated as possible through the appropriate means, which is very welcome from us, so credit where it’s due.”