Rother Valley MP presses case for new Dinnington police station as parliament debates officer numbers

Alexander Stafford has made the the issue central to his campaigning since he was elected in 2019, and in a parliamentary debate on police recruitment on Monday, February 8, took the opportunity to press his case.

Addressing minister Kit Malthouse, he said: “It is great to hear about the huge increase in police numbers, especially here in South Yorkshire, but what we really need is these new police to be visible and accessible.

“We need these new police officers to be established at a new base on Dinnington High Street, to clamp down on antisocial crime.”

In response, Mr Malthouse said it was first a decision for the local chief constable and police commissioner, but added: “It is quite right that an expansion in numbers on this scale means that all police forces should be reviewing their property strategy, to ensure that the presence he looks for in his constituency is felt across the country.”

In January, Mr Stafford held an online consultation with Rother Valley residents regarding local crime in which more than 200 residents identified Dinnington as the most worrisome area. More than 500 agreed that they would like to see more police on the beat.

Speaking after the debate in parliament, Mr Stafford said: “Keeping my constituents safe is my top priority and I am thankful to the minister for agreeing with me that South Yorkshire Police should now review their property strategy to ensure all parts of our community are provided proper protection and support.

“Residents have been let down by not having a police base on Dinnington High Street. I am calling on the police and crime c ommissioner to use his powers to make these changes.”

South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner Alan Billings has previously argued that the closure of Dinnington police station in 2016, and its sale in 2020, allowed for an increase in officer numbers in light of budget cuts imposed by central Government, and said that pre-Covid, the police maintained a regular presence at Dinnington Resource Centre.

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