South Yorkshire Police

History

The force was formed in 1974, as a merger of the previous Sheffield and Rotherham Constabulary along with part of the West Yorkshire Constabulary area (which Barnsley Borough Police and Doncaster Borough Police had been merged into on 1 October 1968).

The force's roads policing unit and its helicopter, Sierra Yankee 99, have been a feature in three television series: Traffic Cops, Sky Cops and Police Interceptors. The helicopter unit was subsequently taken over by the National Police Air Service (NPAS), and closed down.

Chief constables

Roll of honour

The Police Roll of Honour Trust and Police Memorial Trust list and commemorate all British police officers killed in the line of duty. Since its establishment in 1984, the Police Memorial Trust has erected 50 memorials nationally to some of those officers.

The list below shows sworn police officers who have died whilst on duty:

Notable incidents and investigations

The force has received national attention for the unlawful killing of over 90 people in the Hillsborough Disaster, and the failure to investigate of child sex abuse in the Rotherham scandal in the 2000s.

Conduct in the 1984 miners' strike

Main article: Battle of Orgreave

During the 1984 miners' strike, officers from South Yorkshire attacked striking miners then arrested 95 on the charge of rioting. It was found the Police Force had fabricated evidence, carried out false arrest and assaulted miners. No police officer has ever been disciplined or accepted responsibility for their actions. Ex officer Tony Munday has called for an inquiry into how South Yorkshire Police handled the aftermath of the Battle of Orgreave claiming he was told what to put in his statement "by a senior South Yorkshire detective" after he arrested a miner during the Orgreave confrontation. "I've never before or since, while I've been a police officer, been involved where effectively chunks of a statement were dictated. They weren't my words." A public inquiry into the Battle of Orgreave was announced by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper on 21 July 2025, with South Yorkshire Police stating it will "fully cooperate" with the inquiry.

Hillsborough disaster

Main article: Hillsborough disaster

The force was condemned by Prime Minister David Cameron in September 2012 for their dishonesty and gross negligence in their handling of the Hillsborough disaster in 1989, which led to an apology from the then Chief Constable David Crompton. The Hillsborough Independent Panel had exposed the way in which the force had attempted to divert blame from their own mishandling of the tragedy by feeding false information to the media and altering statements given by their own officers. In June 2013, UK newspaper The Guardian reported on emails sent by Crompton in which he had suggested that the families of fans killed at the Hillsborough disaster had been untruthful. In one, Crompton had written: "One thing is certain – the Hillsborough Campaign for Justice will be doing their version … in fact their version of certain events has become 'the truth' even though it isn't!! I just have the feeling that the media 'machine' favours the families and not us, so we need to be a bit more innovative in our response to have a fighting chance otherwise we will just be roadkill."

On 27 April 2016, it was reported that the force's Chief Constable David Crompton was to be suspended following statements made by South Yorkshire Police after the verdict of the jury in the second Hillsborough disaster inquest. He was temporarily replaced by Deputy Chief Constable Dawn Copley, but the following day it was announced that she herself would be stepping down "in the interests of the force and the workforce" after an investigation into her conduct whilst serving as Assistant Chief Constable at Greater Manchester Police was reported.

Rotherham child sexual exploitation scandal

Main article: Rotherham child sexual exploitation scandal

The force's judgement has been called into question over a number of incidents in the Rotherham child sexual exploitation scandal, where prosecutions were not undertaken.

In January 2020, the Independent Office for Police Conduct found that South Yorkshire Police had taken insufficient action to protect from harm a child, who had been sexually abused and exploited by Asian men for several years from 2003 onwards. An unnamed chief inspector had told the investigation that the force had been aware of similar abuse for 30 years but had ignored it for fear of increasing racial tensions. In July 2020 the Independent Office of Police Conduct again considered the force's response in relation to the death of Amy-Leanne Stringfellow.

Other incidents

In May 2016, it was reported that two serving police officers, a pilot serving with the National Police Air Service and two retired police officers who crewed the South Yorkshire Police helicopter were to stand trial accused of misusing the camera on the SY Police helicopter to film people who were naked or having sex. Four of the men denied charges of misconduct in a public office and were due to stand trial at Sheffield Crown Court on 17 July 2017. A fifth man did not appear at the hearing. All of the men apart from the fifth were found not guilty of any offence by a jury he had previously admitted four charges of misconduct in a public office.

Police area

The police force covers an area of approximately 600 square miles (1,554 square kilometres) which is made up of the county's three boroughs (Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham) along with the City of Sheffield. The resident population is 1.2 million.

The force is divided into four basic command units (BCUs):

Force headquarters is at Carbrook House, in Tinsley, Sheffield, following a move from Snig Hill police station in early 2013. This move saw the senior command team and other services (such as firearms licensing) move into one location, funded by the sale of outdated buildings, including West Bar police station, and the future sale of vacated properties.

Fleet

South Yorkshire Police is one of a number of police forces in the United Kingdom to merge its vehicle maintenance operations with their area fire service, merging maintenance operations with the South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service in June 2018. Joint maintenance operations are based at a workshop in Rotherham, which opened in late 2020.

Management

The chief constable since May 2021 is Lauren Poultney. She replaced Stephen Watson, who left South Yorkshire Police to take over as chief constable of Greater Manchester Police. Watson replaced Dawn Copley, the former deputy chief constable, who stood down a day after assuming the acting chief constable post due to 'her conduct at a previous force being investigated'. Copley assumed the post after David Crompton was suspended regarding comments made about the Hillsborough disaster.

Governance

South Yorkshire Police is governed by the Mayor of South Yorkshire. The incumbent mayor is Oliver Coppard, who was re-elected in 2024. The mayor is overseen by the police and crime panel.

Before November 2012, police governance was undertaken by the South Yorkshire Police Authority, made up of elected councillors from the four metropolitan boroughs. In that month it was transferred to the South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner and then the PCC's responsibilities were merged into the mayor's role in May 2024.

References

References

1. (10 January 2013). "Obituaries: James Brownlow". The Times.
2. (27 September 2011). "Peter Wright obituary". The Guardian.
3. (8 October 2011). "Med Hughes says South Yorkshire Police is in 'safe hands'". BBC News.
4. (24 January 2012). "David Crompton appointed new South Yorkshire Police chief". BBC News.
5. (27 April 2016). "South Yorkshire Police chief suspended over Hillsborough".
6. Police Roll of Honour Trust. "South Yorkshire Police Roll of Honour".
7. Watson, Leon. (26 April 2016). "Hillsborough verdicts: Police to blame for disaster in which 96 Liverpool fans were unlawfully killed, jury concludes". The Telegraph.
8. Conn, David. (26 April 2016). "Hillsborough inquests jury rules 96 victims were unlawfully killed". The Guardian.
9. Norfolk, Andrew. "Rotherham police chief: we ignored sex abuse of children". The Times.
10. (19 January 2020). "Rotherham sex abuse: Failure to identify police officer questioned by MP". BBC News.
11. Conn, David. (12 April 2012). "Hillsborough and Battle of Orgreave: one police force, two disgraces". The Guardian.
12. (17 June 2014). "Battle of Orgreave ex-officer calls for police conduct inquiry". BBC News.
13. (21 July 2025). "Battle of Orgreave national inquiry confirmed". BBC News.
14. "South Yorkshire Police's Hillsborough apology". BBC News.
15. . (14 June 2013). ["Hillsborough comments made by chief constable in email to be investigated"](https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2013/jun/14/hillsborough-comments-chief-constable). *[[The Guardian]]*.
16. . (27 April 2016). ["South Yorkshire Police chief suspended over Hillsborough"](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-36154201).
17. . (28 April 2016). ["South Yorkshire Police chief to stand down over criticism"](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-36166000).
18. (25 February 2016). "Rotherham child sexual abuse victims to take police to court". [[The Guardian]].
19. Norfolk, Andrew. "Rotherham police chief: we ignored sex abuse of children". The Times.
20. (18 January 2020). "Rotherham police did not do enough to protect girls from abuse by Asian men, says watchdog". The Telegraph.
21. (21 July 2020). "Investigation into South Yorkshire Police contact prior to woman's death".
22. . (10 May 2016). ["Five in court over South Yorkshire Police helicopter sex films"](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-36259647).
23. . (7 June 2016). ["Police helicopter sex accused to stand trial"](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-36469945).
24. Siddique, Haroon. (4 August 2017). "South Yorkshire police helicopter crew cleared over filming people naked". The Guardian.
25. (7 July 2011). "South Yorkshire Police purchase the Carbrook House in Sheffield". Property Magazine International.
26. Tooze, Sarah. (1 July 2019). "Fleet profiles: South Yorkshire Police & South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue". FleetNews.
27. (30 April 2021). "Joint fire and police vehicle workshops hailed a success". South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue.
28. (11 June 2021). "South Yorkshire Police confirm first ever female Chief Constable". ITV News.
29. (26 March 2021). "Experienced Chief Constable Stephen Watson confirmed as new Chief of Greater Manchester Police". Greater Manchester Combined Authority.
30. (28 April 2016). "Acting South Yorkshire police chief steps down over conduct questions". The Guardian.
31. "South Yorkshire Police Command Team". South Yorkshire Police.
32. (4 May 2024). "South Yorkshire Mayor: Oliver Coppard re-elected for Labour". BBC.
33. "The South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (Election of Mayor and Transfer of Police and Crime Commissioner Functions) Order 2024".