News, Uncategorized

Is knife crime really on the rise in Nottinghamshire?

By Mia Whitehouse

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The stabbing of a man on a residential street in Gedling on Tuesday night has reopened the conversation about knife crime and public safety in Nottinghamshire.

The victim, who remains in hospital with serious injuries, was attacked outside a Co-op on Westdale Lane East. A 45-year-old man was arrested on Wednesday.

It was the fourth high-profile crime involving a knife in Nottinghamshire in seven days.

On Saturday evening a man was injured after being stabbed on Norton Street, Radford. Earlier the same evening, a man’s neck was slashed at an address on North Gate Newark. And 40-year-old James Cook was fatally stabbed in Castle Gate, also in Newark at 11.53pm on April 30.

A suspect has been detained by Notts Police in all four unrelated incidents.

But the sight of police cordons, and the level of violence involved in all four cases, has led to widespread media coverage as well as discussion and debate on social media.

The series of incidents also follows other knife crimes earlier in the year which led to calls for action from anti-violence campaigners. On February 23, a 17-year-old boy was hurt after being stabbed in Primark in Nottingham City Centre.

Online, there are clearly a number of people who now believe the city and county to be less safe, and who fear knife crime generally is on the rise in Notts.

Commenting on a Facebook post from Nottinghamshire Police this week, Mel Lupton said: “What is this city coming to? It’s becoming a horrible place to live in. I hope the man is ok.”

Another user, Laura Rae added: “This is why I don’t go out as often as I used to. I’d rather stay at home.”

Other people living in Westdale Lane East in Gedling also told Notts TV they felt shocked and frightened after Tuesday’s incident.

How safe is Notts in 2025?

The truth of the current situation is hard to uncover quickly because of the way reliable crime statistics are recorded and published – but there are some conclusions and indications which can be drawn from what is generally available.

Looking at what the statistics say – and what they really mean 

How often crime figures are reported, and how, varies depending on who is compiling and releasing them.

A key aspect in crime statistics is the difference between police recorded crime – those offences which are actually reported to the police – and unrecorded crime; where a crime has occurred but not been reported to police by the victim or witnesses. Past figures have shown only around four in ten crimes which happen are actually reported to the police – meaning police recorded crime is only part of the full picture.

Starting with recorded crime, official figures are compiled by forces and sent to the Home Office – the Government department responsible for policing. It publishes statistics every three months – but has not yet released the figures for the first three months of 2025.

The most recent set of Home Office figures are for the year which ended in December 2024. They show all types recorded crime in Notts fell in 2024 – by six per cent.

Violence in which no-one was significantly injured – which might be classed as common assault and in some cases be no more than pushing someone over – fell by seven per cent in 2024. But more serious violence in which someone was hurt rose by five per cent.

Overall figures indicating how common crime is in the area were also positive for Nottinghamshire in 2024.

There were around 28 violent crimes per 1,000 people in Notts in 2024 – the lowest rate in the East Midlands and below the national England rate of 31.8. And serious offences involving a knife made up five per cent of crime in Notts in 2024 – level with the East Midlands rate and lower than the national rate of seven per cent in 2024.

The total number of violent offences involving a knife specifically in Nottinghamshire went from 854 in 2023, to 811 in 2024, showing a five per cent decrease.

There are-up-to date 2025 local area figures available elsewhere. Recorded crime data shows there were 243 crimes of violence and sexual offences reported in Nottingham city centre in March 2025, for example. This is higher than in February, when there were 236, and January’s 185.

When comparing months, it’s also worth taking into account the fact violent crime normally rises when the weather is warmer.

Comparing the month of March in successive years shows there were 243 city centre violent crimes in in March 2025, 231 in March 2024 – which statistically is a very small increase year-on-year.

When it comes to including unreported crime in all crime data, the accepted benchmark is the Crime Survey for England and Wales – although we’ve not been able to find any local breakdown of these figures – only national numbers.

These figures mix police recorded crime with a survey of thousands of people across the country which asks about their experience of offences – so it collects up some crimes which go unreported to give a more accurate picture.

Nationally, the most recent set of these figures shows violence rose by three per cent in 2024.

Collectively these figures suggest violent crime is actually falling in Nottinghamshire – especially as a trend over recent years. But we will need to see more specific figures for the city and county covering April and May to be released later in year to know more about what is happening now.

The view of Nottinghamshire Police and the Police and Crime Commissioner

Superintendent Chris Pearson from Nottinghamshire Police spoke in February following two knife-related incidents in Hockley and the City Centre.

He said: “While knife crime is falling across Nottingham, we know the impact that these incidents have on our city and that is why we are committed to making our communities safer and take a zero tolerance approach to offensive weapon and knife crime.”

Police and Crime Commissioner Gary Godden also spoke out regarding the stabbing in Primark in City Centre back in February on Radio Nottingham.

He said: “From time to time incidents will happen, we can’t have predictive policing.

“What I will say to people is that you are safe coming into the city, it is heavily policed.

“If people see suspicious activity in any way, shape or form, please report it to the police and allow them to get in there early.”