If you complain about South Yorkshire Police and ask for a review, the reviewing body found the force's original outcome was not reasonable and proportionate in 25.0% of 76 completed reviews in 2024/25, the 16th highest of 43 forces and 0.5 points above the national figure of 24.5%. South Yorkshire Police recorded 36,276 stop and searches between 2023-07 to 2026-06, and 68.2% ended in no further action.
Share a fact about South Yorkshire Police
The most common stated reason South Yorkshire Police gave for a stop and search was "Controlled drugs", with 22,609 searches, 66.8% of those with a reason recorded.
Source: data.police.uk, 2023-07 to 2026-06. Figures as published; see the tables on this page for the full denominators.
Complaints about South Yorkshire Police
| Complaint cases logged | 1,406 |
|---|---|
| Employees | 5,561 |
| Cases per 1,000 employees | 252.8 (37th of 44) |
| Review applications to the local policing body | 57 |
| Review applications to the IOPC | 31 |
Where reviews found the outcome was not reasonable and proportionate
| Route | Reviews completed | Outcome overturned | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local policing body, complaint not investigated | 43 | 10 | 23.3% |
| IOPC, complaint not investigated | 30 | 9 | 30.0% |
Stop and search by South Yorkshire Police
| Searches recorded | 36,276 |
|---|---|
| Period | 2023-07 to 2026-06 |
| Months of data | 36 of 36 |
| Ended in no further action | 68.2% |
What South Yorkshire Police searched people for
| Stated object of search | Searches |
|---|---|
| Controlled drugs | 22,609 |
| Stolen goods | 4,739 |
| Article for use in theft | 3,225 |
| Offensive weapons | 2,522 |
| Firearms | 731 |
Who South Yorkshire Police searched
Use of force by South Yorkshire Police
| Year | Use of force reports | Relative volume |
|---|---|---|
| 2020/21 | 5,927 | |
| 2021/22 | 6,845 | |
| 2022/23 | 9,330 | |
| 2023/24 | 12,275 | |
| 2024/25 | 19,244 |
Recorded use of force by South Yorkshire Police has risen 224.7% since 2020/21. Nationally the total rose 39.4% over the same period, so this force is rising faster than the national trend.
Taser use
| Total recorded Taser uses | 683 |
|---|---|
| Of which discharged | 35 |
| Share actually discharged | 5.1% |
Most recorded Taser use is drawing, aiming or red-dotting rather than firing. The share actually discharged is the figure worth knowing.
Complaining to South Yorkshire Police
Complaints go to the force first. Use its own official channel so the complaint is recorded properly and you get written confirmation.
- South Yorkshire Police official website
- Telephone: 101
What you can do about it
Complaining to a force and bringing a claim against it are different processes with different outcomes. Reviews overturn the force's own finding in roughly a quarter of cases nationally, which makes the review stage worth understanding before you use it.
South Yorkshire Police in the news
The five most recent reports mentioning this force, collected automatically. Headlines and links belong to the publishers named. We do not edit, summarise or endorse them, and inclusion here does not imply any finding against anyone.
- Vicar "surrounded by patriots" as police guard church during Doncaster protests
- South Yorkshire Police Federation says forces need "total rethink" of dangers on the road in light of deadly TikTok trend
- Arrest after worker dies at Evri parcel hub
- Police plan patrols after "spike in reports of burglaries"
- Appeal after masked burglars raid several homes
- Independent Office for Police Conduct, police complaints statistics for England and Wales, 2024/25.
- data.police.uk stop and search API, 2023-07 to 2026-06. Accessed 2026-08-29.
- Home Office police use of force statistics, England and Wales, 2024/25.
Data last refreshed , covering 2023-07 to 2026-06. Every figure on this page is recomputed from the source datasets, not edited by hand. Found something wrong? Tell us.