Suspects believed to have been involved in a knife-point robbery were swiftly stopped in their tracks after some excellent teamwork from police and the public.
Nottinghamshire Police received a report that two males had threatened two men in the Nursery Avenue area of Chilwell before taking their bikes.
Officers searched the area and received information that one of the suspects had boarded a tram heading towards Nottingham after the stolen bike he had was recovered by a member of the public. The other had ridden off on another stolen bike.
Nottinghamshire Police control room staff quickly contacted tram operators NET which led to officers arresting a 16-year-old boy at the Cator Lane stop on suspicion of robbery.
Following the suspect’s arrest, at around 8.45pm yesterday (Saturday 24 April 2021), a police officer was walking back to his car when a NET employee came running after him and told him the second suspect had just cycled past.
He turned to see a male riding a mountain bike along the tramway towards Nottingham.
Moments later fellow officers arrested a 14-year-old boy on suspicion of possession of a knife in a public place. Two knives were also seized.
The stolen bikes were recovered and returned to the victims.
Both suspects remain in custody while enquiries continue into the robbery.
Detective Sergeant Charlotte Henson said: “A number of police teams and resources, including the control room, dog officers, response officers and the force drone, all played a part in the fast-moving combined effort to stop the suspects in their tracks.
“Nottinghamshire Police takes all reports of knife-related and robbery offences extremely seriously and continues to work tirelessly to target suspected offenders and bring them to justice as well as removing knives from our streets.”
The arrests come as Nottinghamshire Police prepares to take part in the national Operation Sceptre knife crime campaign, which launches tomorrow (Monday 26 April 2021).
The week of action is just a snapshot of the ongoing year-round work carried out by Nottinghamshire Police and its partners, standing alongside local communities, to tackle knife crime by bringing together all aspects of education, engagement and enforcement.
The force’s activity during the week will include community weapons sweeps, patrols in knife crime hot-spot areas and proactive operations.
