South Yorkshire Police say rise in gun crime 'cannot be tolerated'

One of the recent shootings took place on Malton Street in Burngreave

A spate of shootings in South Yorkshire has prompted police to issue an ultimatum to criminals and communities, saying the issue "cannot be tolerated".

In the past week, a man was shot getting out of a car in Burngreave, a gun was fired at a house in Aston, and a man was shot at in Thrybergh.

Police said the number of reported firearms discharges had increased and they wanted to find those responsible.

Assistant Chief Constable Dave Hartley urged people to get in touch.

ACC Hartley said: "There is no doubt we will tackle this issue, and with every discharge we see, we will seek to flood the area with specialist officers, combing every inch of the crime scenes and working relentlessly to find those responsible.

'Armed criminality'

"What we don't want to see is innocent people being hurt, and we need to get to those involved before further discharges happen".

In an appeal to the community, he added: "We are committed to tackling this and with your help, we will make sure that those involved in armed criminality spend many years in custody to reflect on their mistakes."

On Sunday, a 42-year-old was getting out of his car on Malton Street, Burngreave, when he was shot in the leg at about 22:10 BST.

That same night, shots were fired at a house on Rosedale Close, in Aston, at about 23:30 BST, leading to two teenagers being arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.

On Friday, a man had to be treated for suspected gunshot injuries to his leg after a drive-by shooting outside a working men's club on Hollings Lane, Thrybergh, at 19:20 BST.