Knife crime in Nottinghamshire dropping as police efforts start to pay off

An extra sergeant and six police constables have beefed up the numbers on Nottinghamshire Police’s successful Knife Crime Team, increasing its capacity to tackle violence and crime, remove dangerous weapons and drugs from the streets and keep people safe.

The boost in numbers comes after latest official figures released by the Office for National Statistics show that knife crime in Nottinghamshire reduced by four per cent in the year end to September 2020, compared to the previous year.

Nottinghamshire Police Chief Constable Craig Guildford said: “I’m pleased the Knife Crime Team has made such big inroads in tackling and reducing knife and drug-related crime over the last year, with a number of significant arrests and seizures, but it is just one strand of the tireless work we’re doing day in and day out in our communities to drive down knife crime and violence even further.

“They bolster the great work which is taking place every day across the force’s neighbourhood teams, response teams, CID and other areas of the force in terms of enforcement against knife crime.

“We have the only dedicated knife crime team outside of London, which uses intelligence to target those who we know are likely to be carrying knives, and now we have added even more strength to the team to help tackle the issue and make it clear that carrying knives on our streets will simply not be tolerated.”

Paddy Tipping, Nottinghamshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner, said: “Disrupting drug and knife crime is a 24/7 operation in Nottinghamshire and these results reflect the hard work and dedication that goes on all-year-round by the Knife Crime Team and the wider policing family to protect our communities.

“A key strength in Nottinghamshire’s approach is partnership working and the emphasis on preventative intervention as well as enforcement.

“Through the work of the violence reduction unit (VRU), we have deepened our understanding of the driving forces behind violent offending which is helping us to stop young people making mistakes that could cost them their lives or the lives of others.

“The VRU has funded a number of intensive programmes to turn vulnerable young people away from violence and gangs, help them recover from trauma and provide the skills and confidence they need to create a better future. Many of these initiatives are already bearing fruit but there is considerable work to do and we will not rest on our laurels.”

Dave Wakelin, director of the VRU, said: “Tackling and reducing knife violence is a real shared ambition and as partners we continue to work closely together to make our communities safer and prevent young people from carrying knives and inflicting harm.”

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