Freshers’ week crime has decreased compared to last year

Although assaults are on the rise


Less students have fallen victim to crime during the first two weeks of this semester.

Police statistics reveal freshers and returning students saw a drop in theft, burglary and robbery compared to last year.

246 crimes involving students as victims occurred over the same period last year, but this has now lowered to 157.

Burglary also fell from 127 incidents to 79, theft from 44 to 35 and robbery from 42 to just two.

Despite this, officers have stressed we still need to know our limits after a considerable rise in assaults from 33 to 41.

Come on in friend

Working with both of the city’s universities, Sheffield District Police sees alcohol as an aggravating factor in many of these assaults.

Chief Insp Jayne Forrest says Sheffield is a safe welcoming city and believes the message is a simple one: “Not letting one extra drink lead to a drunken scuffle, which can have life-altering consequences.

“There can be little worse than seeing someone’s future jeopardised because of one drunken mistake and we are continuing to work with the universities to reinforce this message.”

Information needed for a safe night out in the city can be found on a new Best Bar None app launched by the Sheffield Drug and Alcohol Coordination Team.

Wave your dollar around, it’s safe