Nottinghamshire Police’s knife crime team can be seen chasing and capturing a suspect at Taser-point in dramatic footage released to mark the team notching up more than 200 arrests during the first half of this year.
The footage, which also shows officers seizing a knife and a Taser in a separate incident following a report of a street fight, shines a light on the proactive day-to-day work of the hard-working knife crime team.
Team members are seen chasing after a man in Bramcote after stopping a car containing people suspected to be involved in the supply of Class A drugs – with drug supply often going hand-in-hand with knife crime.
The man ran off, crossing the busy A52, but the determined knife crime team was hot on his heels and quickly detained him on the central reservation.
A 27-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply Class A drugs.
Officers seized Class A drugs and recovered other discarded drugs following the chase and arrest on 18 May 2021.
More drugs along with cash and a mobile phone were found after officers subsequently searched his home.
During a separate incident, in Commercial Gate, Mansfield, knife crime team members recovered a knife and a Taser after responding to reports of two men threatening each other with weapons.
The knife was found in the boot of a car believed to be linked to the incident and the Taser was seized after the driver was stopped and searched.
Two men were swiftly arrested in connection with the alleged incident on 9 February.
Patrick Horner, 27, of Bath Lane, Mansfield, was subsequently charged with affray, possession of a weapon for the discharge of a noxious liquid/gas/electrical incapacitation device/ thing, possession of a knife in a public place and possession of an offensive weapon in a public place.
Jack Miller, 19, of Commercial Gate, Mansfield, was charged with affray and possession of an offensive weapon in a public place.
Both men are due to appear at Nottingham Crown Court on 8 July 2021.
While the knife crime team’s significant impact on tackling and reducing crime cannot be reflected by statistics alone, its results achieved between 1 January and 15 June include:
• 217 arrests
• 81 knives seized
• 253 drug seizures
• 100 suspects charged/reported for summons
• 143 vehicles seized
• Eight firearm seizures
• 15 offensive weapons recovered
• 890 stop searches carried out
• More than £200,000 of drugs seized
National figures show that knife crime in Nottinghamshire fell by ten per cent in the 2020 calendar year as the force’s knife crime team continues to have an impact.
Further sustained reductions were achieved after the knife crime team doubled in size earlier this year, boosting its capacity to tackle violence and crime, remove dangerous weapons and drugs from the streets and keep people safe.
The force was able to swell the team’s ranks due to being at the forefront of the national police recruitment drive through Operation Uplift, which is recruiting hundreds of extra officers to our front line while also becoming more representative of the communities we serve.
Chief Inspector Kathryn Craner, the force’s knife crime lead, said: “Our officers work tirelessly on a daily basis to protect communities, tackle knife crime and educate people on the harm it causes.
“The positive impact of our knife crime team can’t be underestimated but it doesn’t work in isolation.
“It is just one part of our whole force approach to combating knife crime, working shoulder-to-shoulder with our partners and communities across Nottinghamshire to tackle and reduce serious violence and remove dangerous weapons from our streets.
“While we have seen a reduction in knife crime, outperforming the national average, there is no room for complacency and we are absolutely determined to keep violence levels down.
“It’s crucial that we maintain our focus to drive down knife crime and serious violence using all the means at our disposal.
“Just one knife crime can have devastating consequences which is why Nottinghamshire Police continues to work relentlessly all year round to tackle the issue as well as focusing on preventative work with partners to steer young people away from knife crime in the first place.”
As well as strong enforcement action to crack down on knife crime, education and prevention work is key to Nottinghamshire’s approach.
This includes schools and early intervention officers who are dedicated to working with children across the county, educating them about the consequences of carrying a knife and encouraging them to make positive life choices.
Another key driver helping to steer young people away from knife crime and violence is Nottinghamshire’s Violence Reduction Unit which continues to work with vulnerable individuals and families to help understand the root causes of violent crime, make a difference to young lives and put them on the road to a safer and more positive future.
Street outreach workers, a custody diversion scheme and other initiatives including the Ben Kinsella Trust at the National Justice Museum also serve to educate young people and help prevent them becoming involved in violent behaviour.
Caroline Henry, Nottinghamshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner, said: “These results illustrate that the scourge of knife crime is being tackled and all credit to those who have delivered these impressive results.
“It’s disappointing though, that it is necessary. I remain committed to the principle that ‘prevention is better than cure’. If we can introduce crime prevention initiatives and early intervention approaches that deal with the causes rather than consequences of crime, then we will have fewer victims, fewer lives ruined and a reduced demand for service on our police.
“This is why I am so proud of the Nottinghamshire Violence Reduction Unit. Already we are seeing the positive benefits of a public health approach the steers young people away from harm. Working in partnership with the police and other agencies, it is already delivering tangible behavioural change, something which I want to build upon.”
