SAFER STREETS WINTER OF ACTION: PARTNERS WORK TOGETHER TO KEEP COMMUNITIES SAFE THIS WINTER

Published 4 December 2025 at 1:00pm

Partners across South Yorkshire are joining forces for a coordinated winter campaign to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour during December and January.
 
Safer Streets Winter of Action brings together police, local authorities, businesses, and community organisations to make town centres safer and more welcoming throughout the festive season.
 
This initiative is a coordinated national and local campaign to make town centres and outlying areas safer and more welcoming throughout the festive season. It builds on the success of the Safer Streets Summer Initiative, which delivered targeted action in over 640 town centres nationwide and saw South Yorkshire Police provide more than 7,400 hours of high-visibility patrols across July and August. Local authorities also delivered extensive engagement within communities and businesses, as well as upgrades to CCTV systems, increased youth outreach work and support for people during then night-time economy.
 
The festive period brings unique challenges, from darker nights, bustling shopping streets to vibrant nightlife. The Winter of Action aims to address these by focusing on visible policing, crime prevention, and community engagement, ensuring that residents, visitors, and businesses feel safe and supported.
 
Throughout December and January South Yorkshire Police and the four South Yorkshire local authorities and community partners will be working to tackle safety in the night-time economy, retail crime, street crime, and anti-social behaviour. This will include linking with other partners including CCTV operators and licensed premised to ensure everyone can have a safe and enjoyable night out over the Christmas and New Year period. 

There will be increased engagement and visibility of police officers and local authority city centre/town centre wardens, increased messaging around personal safety and highlighting schemes to help people celebrate safely, including taxi marshalling, “Ask for Angela”. 
 
Each district will be coordinating its own programme of activity linked to its priority areas. Partners will coordinate measures to address a range of issues and will work with other organisations, including Trading Standards and outreach workers to provide youth provision, support and signposting to young people to reduce anti-social behaviour. Environmental enforcement will see council officers issuing Fixed Penalty Notices for littering and fly tipping; plus traffic and parking enforcement by council wardens.
 
In addition, there will also be a strong focus on the night-time economy, with measures to prevent alcohol-related disorder, and to protect women and girls from harm. These efforts will include joint patrols in priority areas, reassurance visits to businesses, and environmental improvements such as better lighting and CCTV in hotspot locations. 
 
The Safer Streets Summer Initiative demonstrated the impact of coordinated activity, delivering thousands of hours of patrols, joint operations with British Transport Police, and community outreach projects. Building on this success, the Winter of Action will continue to strengthen trust between communities, the police and partners by aiming to make public spaces safer and more welcoming.
 
This campaign is supported by the Home Office and funded through £66 million in hotspot policing resources, as part of the Government’s Plan for Change. It also aligns with the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, which commits to placing 13,000 additional officers, PCSOs, and special constables into community policing roles.
 
Kilvinder Vigurs, South Yorkshire Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, said: “The festive season should be a time for celebration, not concern. Through the Safer Streets Winter of Action, we are responding to your concerns to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour head-on.
 
“By working closely with South Yorkshire Police, local authorities, and community partners, we are seeking to restore confidence in public spaces and ensuring that everyone feels safe and welcome.
 
“Together, we will make our town centres vibrant, reduce crime, and bring back visible, community-led policing.”
 
Trust in community policing has eroded over recent years, with the number of people seeing uniformed officers in their local area halving in the last decade. Through targeted national and local action, the Winter of Action aims to reverse this trend and make a lasting difference to communities.
 
Superintendent Shaz Wood from South Yorkshire Police added: “While Christmas is a time of joy with lots of merriment and festivities, it is a time where we do see an increase in certain crime types, and that is why it's so important we have Operation Blitzen running as our proactive policing response and our commitment to keeping you safe.
 
"Officers and staff work hard right throughout the year tackling some of the crimes we typically see an increase in over the winter and festive months, but Operation Blitzen is our chance to ensure we are utilising all the resources at our disposal to protect our communities from harm.
 
"We will use a mixture of tactics as part of the operation, with a lot of work taking place behind the scenes and away from the public view, but you can expect to see an increased policing presence in areas with high footfall.
 
"Officers from your local neighbourhood policing teams will be out and about in communities and I would urge you to please speak to them about any queries you have as there are to help you and would appreciate hearing more about what's concerning you."
 
Councillor Wendy Cain Spokesperson for Public Health and Communities at Barnsley Council, said; “In Barnsley, we’re committed to making sure our town centre remains a welcoming and safe place for everyone throughout the winter period. Working closely with our partners, we’re putting in place a coordinated plan that strengthens the great work already happening in our communities. This includes more visible support from our wardens and police teams, continued engagement with young people, and practical measures to support local businesses and our evening economy.
 
“As always, our focus is on prevention, reassurance, and making sure people know they can enjoy everything Barnsley has to offer with confidence. By working together, we’re ensuring our town centre stays vibrant, safe, and inclusive for residents, visitors, and businesses alike.”
 
Mayor of Doncaster, Ros Jones, said: “Safety is a top priority for us all year round and so we are pleased to support the Home Office’s Winter of Action. 
 
“This will see us stepping up all of the usual activities that are already part of our ongoing Safer City initiative in Doncaster, to make sure that everybody can enjoy the festive period here in our city.
 
“Among other things, we will be increasing our routine patrols, providing a reassuring presence at upcoming Christmas events and working alongside South Yorkshire Police to proactively tackling crime and antisocial behaviour.” 
 
Councillor Saghir Alam, Cabinet Member for Finance and Community Safety at Rotherham Council, said: "Everyone should feel safe and welcome in Rotherham, especially at this time of year when our town centre is busy with shoppers and festive events. That’s why working together with partners means we can tackle anti-social behaviour and make sure our streets are welcoming for everyone. This is all part of our commitment to create safer, stronger communities and a town centre where people want to spend their time.”
  
Councillor Kurtis Crossthorn, Chair of the Communities, Parks and Leisure Committee at Sheffield City Council, said: “Sheffield City Council is proud to support the Safer Streets Winter initiative, working with partners to make our city safer and more welcoming.
 
“We will be working closely with partners to increase visible patrols, support community initiatives, and will be focusing on prevention and support for vulnerable people – ensuring Sheffield is a city where communities thrive and people feel safe and cared for.”