A teenager has been charged in connection with a series of street robberies around Nottingham city centre.
Multiple people are understood to have had their jackets taken after being threatened with violence by a large group.
Police received reports that three boys, aged 13, 14 and 14, were approached by the group and ordered to hand over items while inside Victoria Centre on Sunday (27 March 2022).
A coat, bag and cash were allegedly then taken during the incident, with the suspects running away from the scene.
Two robberies and an attempted robbery are understood to have also taken place around Nottingham city centre within the space of just a few minutes on 7 March 2022.
Two 19-year-old men were reportedly threatened with a knife and made to hand over their jackets, phones, wallets and a watch, during separate incidents on Goldsmith Street and Dryden Street.
One of the bank cards taken was then used to buy items later that night.
Another man was also left with a fractured eye socket after reportedly being punched in the face when he refused to hand over his watch during an attempted robbery in Chaucer Street on 7 March 2022.
A 17-year-old boy, who can’t be named for legal reasons, has been charged with causing grievous bodily harm with intent, four counts of robbery, two counts of attempted robbery and fraud by false representation.
He has been released on conditional bail and is next due to appear at Nottingham Crown Court on 13 April 2022.
Detective Sergeant Frank Guddemi, from Nottinghamshire Police’s dedicated robbery team, said: “We have now charged someone in relation to a string of reported robberies and attempted robberies in Nottingham city centre.
“Our understanding is that multiple people were threatened and forced to hand over items, while a man was also reportedly assaulted during one of the incidents.
“It goes without saying but this kind of behaviour is completely unacceptable.
“Robbery is a very serious crime that can have a hugely detrimental effect on people’s physical and mental wellbeing.
“Nottinghamshire Police has a zero-tolerance approach to these kinds of violent crimes and will continue to respond swiftly to all reports we receive, so that anyone found guilty is brought to justice.”
Nottinghamshire Police has a dedicated robbery team, which targets offenders, supports victims and engages in preventative work to help stop these offences from happening.
This work has contributed towards a massive 38 per cent reduction in robbery incidents in Nottinghamshire, with a drop from 1,257 to 779 incidents across the county between October 2020 and September 2021, compared to pre-Covid levels between October 2018 and September 2019.
