How dedicated police teams are driving down robbery offences

Dedicated teams of officers are continuing to drive down the number of robberies on our streets and bring offenders to justice.

Nottinghamshire Police established proactive teams four years ago to investigate the most serious robberies and burglaries in the city and county.

The teams have a remit to tackle the most serious robberies involving weapons, violence and the most vulnerable victim groups.

The number of robberies committed in Nottingham has reduced from 709 in 2018 to 493 so far this year – and has fallen every year except one during this five-year period.

A spotlight is being shone on the teams’ efforts this week as part of Operation Calibre, a special week of action to target robbery hot spots, track down wanted suspects, engage with the community and provide advice to people to prevent them becoming a victim.

Detective Inspector Julian Eminson-Ferry, who oversees the robbery team in the city, said:

“As in some other parts of the country, this type of crime is falling in Nottinghamshire.

“That is thanks in no small part to the detectives and other officers within the proactive teams, working alongside other policing teams, in preventing robberies in the first place and when they do occur carrying out meticulous investigations which bring offenders to justice.

"Having dedicated officers allows us to focus our resources and investigate reports thoroughly. It also enables offences from different locations to be linked and investigated as a series.

“We’re delighted that we’ve seen a reduction in robberies since the teams were introduced and I hope this provides reassurance to victims and the wider community.

“However, we are not complacent and our message is simple — we will not tolerate violence in our communities and we will continue to work tirelessly to bring offenders to justice.

"The teams’ success is also down to the support it receives from other policing departments including Response, Neighbourhood Policing Teams, the Knife Crime Team, Intelligence and the Neighbourhood Support Unit among others, all working together to achieve a positive outcome.

"I would also like to thank all the external partnership agencies including Social Services, Community Protection Officers, the universities and the third sector groups which have all contributed to a reduction in robberies.”

The team in the city consists of detective constables, police constables, investigators and trainee and graduate detectives.

It was established in 2019 after Nottingham, like many areas in the country, had witnessed a rise in robbery offences.

There is also a proactive team of officers working across the county on the most serious robbery investigations.

DI Eminson-Ferry said:

“Violence can be used by perpetrators to gain what is not theirs. This can be anything from wallets, mobile phones, and cash.

“Quite often in Nottinghamshire, this crime is committed by young people, towards other young people.

“Our work neither starts nor stops with this week of action, but it is an opportunity to highlight the hard work that is ongoing across the force.

“I would also encourage the public to help us and protect themselves by remaining aware of your surroundings and who might be watching you, particularly when using a smart phone in the street or when using cash machines.

“Install and activate any tracking services that are available on your phone or tablets. Make sure you know how to log onto the tracking services and then tell the police when reporting a theft, to give us the best chance of tracking the device and locating offenders.”