Prime Minister backs Rother Valley MP’s call to re-open Dinnington Police Station

Highlighting other key crimes which blight the lives of residents across Rother Valley, Mr Stafford raised the issues of antisocial behaviour, drug use and particularly the use of Nitrous Oxide cannisters.

Dinnington Police Station closed in 2016, leaving residents in Dinnington and surrounding villages, including North and South Anston, without any police presence.

Since then, crime has rocketed, and Mr Stafford, elected in December 2019 as the first Conservative MP to ever represent Rother Valley, says the lack of effective policing has gone on too long and allowed crime to rise in our towns and villages.

Since his election, Mr Staffored has been a strong voice for Rother Valley on the topic of law and order, setting up the constituency rural crime taskforce to combat the rise in offences which specifically affect the more rural areas in his constituency.

Now, he is broadening the scope of his efforts to push for an effective police presence in Dinnington.

The Prime Minister, in his response at Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commos, agreed that this was needed, backing Mr Stafford’s campaign to reopen the police station and giving a clear assurance that the Government would also provide the police officers to man the station, reaffirming its commitment to deliver 20,000 new police officers over the life of this Parliament.

In Parliament Mr Stafford said: “Both I, and many residents across Rother Valley, are very concerned about crime, drug use, including from Nitrous Oxide capsules, and anti-social behaviour.

"Will the Prime Minister back my campaign and call on the Labour police and crime commissioner for South Yorkshire to restore a police presence and even reopen a police station on Dinnington high street?

In response, Mr Johnson said: “There can be no more fervent and effective advocate for the people of Rother Valley than my honourable friend, and I am sure that he has much support for his campaign for a police station.

"I hope that a solution can be found. In the meantime, I can reassure him that there will be the police officers to put in that police station because we are delivering on our commitment to have 20,000 more police over the lifetime of this parliament.

Speaking afterwards, Mr Stafford said: “I am delighted that the Prime Minister himself has given his backing to my campaign to re-open Dinnington Police Station.

People in Rother Valley are very, very concerned about rising crime, particularly in Dinnington.

More than 500 people responded to my survey on the topic, and the results spoke for themselves with 97 per cent of my constituents concerned about crime, and more than 200 of those have grave concerns about Dinnington in particular.

"It is clear that the lack of proper police presence in the area is starting to bite.

"We need to get tough on crime in Rother Valley and I am calling on the police and crime commissioner to get a station open as soon as possible.

"This has been done in Edlington, only last year in fact, and it’s time it happened in Dinnington.”