Car theft, fires in parks, and open drug dealing were among the issues raised at a Sheffield council meeting. 

Discussions were held at the South East Local Area Committee meeting on 6 March 2025 between councillors, law enforcement and community organisations about crime and neighbourhood safety. 

One attendee said: “Nobody feels safe walking about at night, or walking to the tram or bus. Everywhere seems quite lonely and dark.” 

Residents said they would like a better understanding of what police are doing in the area, and suggested that putting more information about prosecutions on social media could help. 

Sheffield South East saw more than twice as many reports of violence and sexual offences as Sheffield City Centre in January 2025, and the neighbourhood policing team have said preventing violence, reducing residential burglary, and tackling organised crime are their top priorities in the area. 

Several members of the public also suggested a more streamlined system is necessary for connecting residents affected by crime with council and community resources. 

One person said: “The current system is not good because when you’re under pressure and in that crisis situation you aren’t going to remember all these phone numbers.” 

Councillor Ian Horner said he wants to put resources into multi-use buildings which would allow people to access different council services in one place. 

He also said that he would like to see a greater use of drones, including unmanned drones, to assist the police in addressing anti-social behaviour such as e-bike speeding. 

Inspector Katie Hammond of the South-East Neighbourhood Policing Team told the BBC: “Everything raised at the meeting has been taken on board by me and my team, and plans are being put in place to proactively respond to some of the issues brought to our attention.

“We are stronger with the public’s help.”