South Yorkshire’s Hardworking Officers Praised By Watchdog

South Yorkshire Police has been praised by the police watchdog for its innovative work in a number of areas, which the Federation says is a testament to the commitment and hard work of officers.

The force was highlighted for exemplary practice in eight areas in a HMICFRS report that brought together findings from assessments of all 43 police forces nationwide. The work they praised included a new neighbourhood performance framework; collaborative work with partners to help reduce reoffending; and a new domestic abuse handbook.

South Yorkshire Police Federation Chair Steve Kent said: “The fact that we are one of the poorest-funded forces in the country and we keep getting recognised for what we’re doing is astonishing, really.

“When you think we’re doing things threadbare but we’re still getting this recognition. And getting praise like this really perks our officers up when you tell them. You can’t really get a better accolade than that when we’re doing it on a shoestring.

“It’s a testament to the commitment and hard work of our officers. We’ve got other forces coming to us for best practice for all sorts of things; it’s like peer reviews across the country. It’s really great to see that the hard work is bearing fruit.”