The Prime Minister invited the country’s forty police and crime commissioners to Downing Street today.

The Police and Crime Commissioner for South Yorkshire, Dr Alan Billings, was unable to attend in person but was able to join the meeting remotely.

Dr Billings said: “I was able to speak to the Prime Minister, the Home Secretary, Priti Patel, and the Policing Minister, Kit Malthouse, directly  about two matters.

“The PM said he wanted to make it easier for the police to use stop and search powers. I told him that I thought we had the balance about right in South Yorkshire. Communities are supportive as long as it is done proportionately and fairly and I have an Independent Ethics Panel who monitor that. We believe that if positive results are not happening in 20 per cent or more of stops, then the community’s confidence will fall.

“I also said I supported the levelling up agenda. If areas were going to be regenerated we had to get crime and anti-social behaviour down.

“But if we are to help young people stay out of the clutches of the drug gangs, we had to restore youth services. That was not a policing matter, though I give help to clubs when I can. It requires the government to help local authorities to restore what has been lost over the past ten years.

“The PM listened but made no promises.”