The behaviour in Downing Street during the pandemic set the wrong example for young people - Dr Alan Billings

It is the persistent nature of ASB and the seeming inability of anyone to make a difference that was making people angry and depressed. This focus on ASB rather than crime is often mirrored in other meetings across the county, though people demand less talk – about strategies or plans – and more action. They want to see results.

It is never easy to explain the role of a Police and Crime Commissioner on these occasions. There are always people present who think that I run the police service and can give operational orders to police officers. But once we were past that, I listened to what people had to say and responded with what I knew, what I could do and what the police were doing and planning to do.

As it happened, my staff had made a successful bid to the Home Office for funding to increase foot patrols of both police and local authority wardens in 48 ASB hot spot areas across South Yorkshire – Operation Civitas.

Dinnington is one of the hot spot areas, so I was able to speak about additional patrolling that is and will be taking place in those parts of the town where incidents have mainly been reported. This is additional officer time achieved through overtime and will not mean switching resources from somewhere else.

Some members of the audience at the meeting in Middleton Hall spoke with some passion about the behaviour of some local young people. They did not treat the police – or anyone in authority – with respect, they said. They commented particularly on the foul language that they had heard hurled at police officers by young people in the street.

It did seem to me – though I didn’t say so – that it was unlikely that the young people had invented the words or the behaviours they were showing. But if we are to shift their language and behaviour we all have a responsibility to behave better towards others.

Yet all last week we were hearing about the behaviours and language used by political advisers, ministers, MPs and sometimes civil servants at the highest level, during the Johnson administration. It received wide coverage and I doubt whether there is a young person in the country who doesn’t know the language and conduct which seems to have been the common currency of that particular period.

I rather hoped that the MP at the meeting might have offered some small apology on behalf of the politicians who were complicit in setting such appalling examples, but none came.

ASB is blighting all our communities. ASB involving young people is one aspect. Disrespect and inappropriate language is part of that. We will continue to struggle to bring about change locally if those at the top can’t set a better example.

A shortened version of the Police and Crime Commissioner for South Yorkshire’s latest blog post.