Around 50 people have been banned from Sheffield ‘s leisure centres and libraries – including for watching porn and racial abuse.
Data obtained by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) following a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to Sheffield Council revealed a relatively small number of people have been banned from these “incredibly safe public spaces. The council has reassured that their facilities remain secure for both employees and patrons.
No more than 40 people have been banned from leisure centres and no more than 16 from libraries. The reasons for their ban are as follows:
Leisure centres
- Aggressive behaviour: 18
- Safeguarding reasons: 7
- Non-payment of facility usage: 5
- Vandalism and anti-social conduct: less than 5
- Unpaid debts or verbal threats: less than 5
Libraries
- Anti-social behaviour: 6
- Racially abusing a security steward at the Central Library: less than 5
- Viewing porn sites on the library’s computers: less than 5
Cllr Kurtis Crossland, chair of the communities, parks and leisure committee at Sheffield City Council, said: “With more than 3.9 million visitors to our city-wide leisure facilities every year, and with more than 875,000 visits to our libraries and archive services, I think these numbers speak for themselves.
“Our facilities are incredibly safe, both for staff and those visiting. Our teams, and the teams at Sheffield City Trust and Places Leisure, who run the city’s leisure venues, work incredibly hard to ensure this.
“This is achieved through staff training and by having clear methods and procedures to ensure safety.”
Sheffield Council has emphasised that their library and archive services, which see around 875,000 visits annually, maintain a strict stance against any unacceptable or anti-social behaviour, as well as misuse of computers and equipment. They assure that immediate action is taken to minimise disruption to other customers and staff.
The council’s staff collaborate closely with anti-social behaviour teams, neighbourhood policing units, and other relevant services to guarantee safety and promptly address any arising issues. Security teams are also deployed when necessary.
In leisure centres, employees undergo training to enhance their non-verbal and verbal communication skills, equipping them to handle a range of situations that may occur.
The council further stated that these venues follow a clear escalation process to manage behaviours. This includes providing staff with guidelines and emergency contact information, including management and emergency services if required.
All facilities operate CCTV and enforce a zero-tolerance policy towards aggressive behaviour. Additional security teams can be summoned when/if needed.
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