Four arrests in city drugs and weapons operation

Nottinghamshire Police’s zero-tolerance approach towards weapon-enabled crime was demonstrated after a teenager was charged and other suspects were arrested over separate offences.

Officers taking part in Operation Guardian patrols in Nottingham city centre spotted a youth who was acting suspiciously in Long Row at around 7.20pm on Saturday (15 October 2022).

After he was stopped and spoken to, a flick knife was recovered and seized. The 16-year-old was arrested and has been charged with possessing a knife blade in a public place. He was subsequently released on bail and is due to appear at Nottingham Youth Court on 11 November 2022.

Operation Guardian is now well established in the city centre and across other parts of Nottinghamshire, with the proactive police activity helping to keep people safe by tackling drugs and reducing violence, with the aim of preventing crime from happening in the first place.

Other arrests during Saturday’s patrols included a 20-year-old man who was detained by officers after a fight broke out in Old Market Square.

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A 34-year-old man was arrested in Beastmarket Hill after officers spotted him smoking what appeared to be cannabis. A small bag of the illegal substance was found in his pocket and he was arrested on suspicion of using and possessing a class B drug. The suspect was further arrested for using threatening or abusive words following comments he made to an officer as he was being detained.

Meanwhile, a 39-year-old man was stopped and arrested in Market Street for breaching a court order.

Sergeant Graham Whitt, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “The swift action taken in response to these incidents demonstrates our commitment to keeping people safe and cracking down on weapon-enabled crime.

“We continue to take a zero tolerance approach to this sort of criminality.

“I’d like to reassure people that the force will do everything in its power to protect the public, to ensure that those who carry weapons are dealt with quickly and appropriately and to remove dangerous weapons and harmful drugs from our streets.”