South Yorkshire Police and Rotherham Council have made significant progress in their commitment to removing illegal vapes, cigarettes and tobacco from the town’s streets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The force\u2019s district police officers and Rotherham\u2019s Tobacco Control Alliance removed over \u00a3900,000 worth of illegal vapes, cigarettes and tobacco between January and December 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chief Superintendent Laura Koscikiewicz said: \u201cRemoving illegal vapes, cigarettes and tobacco from our streets was one of our key priorities last year, as we were aware that the amount being discovered was very high. I am therefore extremely pleased with these results and we remain committed to continuing to ensure Rotherham remains a safe place to work, live and visit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOur officers work hard alongside the council to find these illegal substances, and these results demonstrate the amount of dedication and persistence our officers and members of the trading standards team have put in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe safety of the people of Rotherham and across the whole of South Yorkshire is our priority, and these illegal substances are being sold to people with potentially harmful chemicals within them, which could cause serious health problems.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As of the end of December 2023, a total of 27,085 vapes were seized across Rotherham, with a total value of \u00a3301,117. In addition to this, a total of 1,221,788 cigarettes were seized, valued at \u00a3525,836. Finally, a total of 82,151 grams of illegal tobacco was seized, to the value of \u00a383,882. The products seized had a street value of \u00a3910,835.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rotherham Council\u2019s cabinet member for adult social care and public health, Coun David Roche, said: \u201cThe availability of illegal tobacco and vape products on our streets is a huge concern for the council, and 2024 will see additional investment of public health funding in the trading standards team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThese products are often targeted at children and other vulnerable residents, leading to a lifetime of nicotine addiction and associated harm to health. Illegal products often contain contaminants that are potentially extremely harmful and pose a huge health risk to residents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFor any residents wishing to stop smoking, Get Healthy Rotherham offers free advice and support.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
South Yorkshire Police urge anyone with additional information relating to the suspected sale of illicit vapes or tobacco products, you can report it via their online portal or by calling 101.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
South Yorkshire Police and Rotherham Council have made significant progress in their commitment to removing illegal vapes, cigarettes and tobacco from the town’s streets. The force\u2019s district police officers and Rotherham\u2019s Tobacco Control Alliance removed over \u00a3900,000 worth of illegal vapes, cigarettes and tobacco between January and December 2023. Chief Superintendent Laura Koscikiewicz said: \u201cRemoving […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":627,"featured_media":54994,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[415,27,1196,18,21,16,86],"tags":[1204,57,1205,15,132,133,369,38,131,60,1206,1203],"class_list":["post-54964","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","category-crime","category-front-page-highlights","category-health","category-news","category-top-stories","category-top-story-4","tag-cigarettes","tag-crime","tag-illegal","tag-news","tag-rotherham","tag-rotherham-city-council","tag-rotherham-council","tag-sheffield","tag-south-yorkshire","tag-south-yorkshire-police","tag-tobacco","tag-vapes"],"yoast_head":"\n