Nottinghamshire Police reaping rewards of dedicated knife team

Nottinghamshire Police’s county knife crime team say they have learnt to expect anything when they go out on patrol with drug hauls, stolen items and banned drivers among things officers run into on a daily basis.

Taking weapons off the streets remains the team of seven’s priority – officers seized 79 blades and offensive weapons last year – but they often uncover other offences along the way.

On Thursday, January 19, within minutes of starting a late shift, officers spotted a van being driven in Mansfield by a person known to them.

Checks revealed the driver was disqualified and the van was stopped – with a search revealing about a dozen bikes being discovered inside, including at least one which was stolen.

The driver was arrested on suspicion of theft, driving while disqualified and driving without insurance, while the bike was returned to its owner.

The force said, by targeting individuals who could be involved with knife crime, the team regularly uncovers other crimes.

Team patrols last year resulted nearly 500 stop-and-searches, 191 arrests and 138 drug seizures.

Sergeant Jonny Groves, of the county knife team, said: “Clearly, our main focus is to target knife crime offenders and weapon-enabled crime. However, through our work, we do come across a range of other offences too.

“A lot of people who carry knives have links to wider criminality like organised crime groups and the drugs trade, so that’s why we target those we know are involved in this activity.

“Inevitably, stopping and searching these targets will lead to us uncovering other crimes that we perhaps weren’t expecting to come across, which is precisely why we use this tactic.

“The hope is this type of proactive policing will also allow us to stay one step ahead of anyone who does carry a knife, so that we can intercept them before a potential knife crime happens.

“I’m proud of the work my team does every day in Nottinghamshire.

“I feel the patrols we carry out and the tactics we use go a long way towards preventing and detecting weapon-enabled crime and making Nottinghamshire a safer place to live.”