Police statement on safety in Nottingham after two knife related incidents in a week
A police cordon was set up in Hockley after a fight involving youths.
Nottinghamshire Police have moved to reassure the public Nottingham is safe after two knife-related incidents in the same week.
A second arrest has been made as officers investigate a fight involving youths around Lower Parliament Street and Hockley on Thursday morning (February 27).
Armed police were called and Hockley was cordoned off between its junctions with Lower Parliament Street, Goose Gate and Cranbrook Street. A machete was discovered at the scene.
Later that evening, A 31-year-old man was arrested yesterday on suspicion of affray and today, Friday (February 27), a second man, aged 28, was also arrested on suspicion of affray. Both suspects remain in police custody.
Their arrests come after a separate incident on Sunday (February 23) in Primark where a 17-year-old boy was stabbed.
A 16-year-old boy, who cannot be named due to his age, pleaded guilty to wounding without intent and possession of a bladed weapon in a public place in Nottingham Magistrates Court on Wednesday (February 26).
The 17-year-old victim sustained non-life-threatening injuries to his chest inside the store in Long Row.
Magistrates have granted the defendant bail with strict conditions, not to enter Nottingham city centre. He is due to be sentenced in Nottingham Magistrates Court on March 26.
Speaking after both incidents, Superintendent Chris Pearson, of Nottinghamshire Police, moved to reassure the public about safety in the city.
He said: “Carrying and using offensive weapons and knives is extremely dangerous. It will never be tolerated in Nottingham and those doing so will be identified and apprehended.
“Working alongside partner agencies, we are united around tackling knife crime and our message is crystal clear: we are simply not going to accept it. It is our top priority as a police force and we work with a number of key partners to reduce offending, prevent incidents occurring, and deter young people from carrying knives.
“The incidents that have taken place in the city centre this week will have caused alarm and distress. But I’d like to reassure the public that we are out there making arrests and putting offenders before the courts.
“To further reassure the public, we are proactively conducting high-visibility patrols to ensure the city centre continues to be a safe place – and Nottingham City Council is supporting us with additional visibility.
“In addition to these patrols, our brand-new CCTV van with the capacity to capture a 360-degree view of an area has been deployed to act as a deterrent and to capture evidence. It has the capacity to view an entire area, zoom in directly on offenders, identify any potential threats or capture the direction that offenders leave a scene.
“The city already has a large network of CCTV cameras, which makes it incredibly difficult for someone to commit a crime and think they can get away with it.
“While knife crime is falling across Nottingham, we know the impact that these incidents have on our city and that is why are committed to making our communities safer and take a zero tolerance approach to offensive weapon and knife crime.
“I’d urge anyone who has information in relation to offensive weapons or knife crime to contact us. Information from the public is vital in helping us crackdown on violent crime.”
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