The Commissioner attended celebrations for the Chinese New Year at the City Hall, Sheffield on Wednesday, 6 February.

He gave awards to children from various schools in the city who had designed posters to represent the symbol of the New Year – the pig.

Dr Billings said: “There is now a resident Chinese population of about 10,000 in South Yorkshire with up to 7,000 Chinese students coming to our colleges and universities.

“It was good to see both South Yorkshire Police and British Transport Police engaging with the Chinese communities and building good relationships.

“I have no doubt that many of the students we see will become important and influential leaders in business and the academic world in future and we want them to leave the city with good memories of a safe and welcoming place.”