Dozens of weapons taken off the streets by specialist team

Dozens of knives and other dangerous weapons have been taken off the streets and out of harm’s way by a specialist police team.

The force’s knife crime team seized a total of 73 weapons and made 163 arrests during 2024 as its dedicated officers continued their work to keep communities safe.

The team also made more than 200 drug seizures after carrying out 364 stop and searches on the streets of Nottingham and surrounding areas.

The team has now been directly responsible for almost 900 knives and offensive weapons being seized since its formation eight years ago.

Knife crime in Nottinghamshire fell by 10.5 per cent between January and December 2024 when compared with the same period in 2023, according to local police figures.

Targeted patrols are key to the work of the knife crime team.

After selecting an area to focus on for their shift, the officers split up into teams and go out on patrol to look for potential knife-carriers.

They also follow up the latest intelligence to identify suspects who could have a weapon or be involved in other criminality.

Their approach has resulted in numerous blades being found that might have otherwise gone undiscovered.

Being out on the streets has also led to the team identifying other offending too, like drug dealing and traffic offences, although targeting knife crime remains their number one priority.

Chief Inspector Karl Thomas, the force’s knife crime lead, said:

“Reducing knife crime is a force priority and the proactive patrols, stop and searches and weapons seizures carried out by this team are a vital part of these efforts.

“Their work helps to keep the streets safer by identifying potential knife carriers and recovering weapons which may otherwise have gone undetected.

“It allows us to stay one step ahead of those wiling to put themselves and others at risk by carrying a knife.

“Having this visible presence on the streets can have a real impact in helping to deter this type of criminality, while allowing us to rapidly respond to any offences that take place.

“I’d like to commend Sergeant Matt Daley and his team for their dedication and determination to reduce the number of knives in circulation, which is reflected in these outstanding results.

“We have repeatedly said that education and prevention are also key to reducing knife crime.

“Alongside our partners, we do a lot of focused work around early intervention to try and stop young people making the decision to carry a knife.

“Our specialist schools and early intervention officers regularly go into schools to speak to children about the dangers of knife crime.

“While overall knife crime is down for the county, we are committed to doing more to maintain this trend, with enforcement, engagement and partnership work all pivotal in helping us achieve this.”