Part of Sheffield's Meadowhall shopping centre cordoned off by police as two injured in stabbing attack

Two men have been taken to hospital after a suspected stabbing at Meadowhall today. South Yorkshire Police were still on the scene this evening, as investigations continued into the incident at the well-known shopping centre.

Officers have confirmed that two men have been arrested in connection with the investigation.

Police have tonight issued a statement on the incident. They said: "Officers are currently at the scene in Meadowhall Shopping Centre in Sheffield following reports of a stabbing.

"Two men aged 19 and 20 have been taken to hospital where they are currently receiving treatment. Two men aged 24 and 20 have been arrested on suspicion of Section 18 assault.

"A cordon remains in place inside part of the shopping centre and enquiries are ongoing."

Officers have not given any details of the extend of the injuries which were suffered by the men who were taken to hospital. The incident comes as it emerged that there were over 800 crimes reported at the shopping centre over a 12 month period from September 2022 until the end of August 2023.

Bosses at Meadowhall say it is one of the safest places in the city to shop, with security measures including a visitor code of conduct, a team of security staff, a partnership with South Yorkshire Police, including a dedicated police station on site, as well as CCTV and ANPR monitoring the site.

The centre also runs a dedicated retail crime initiative in partnership with retailers to share information between its security teams and individual retailers supporting the quick identification of, and response to, potential safety or security issues, and the police or its security team attend every reported incident at the centre to investigate.

Darren Pearce, centre director at Meadowhall, told The Star last month: “The safety of our visitors, colleagues and retail partners is our number one priority and a responsibility that we don’t take lightly.

"We have dedicated police and security teams always monitoring the centre and our car parks and we ask everyone to work in partnership with them to help make Meadowhall a welcoming space for everyone to enjoy.”