Crime falling faster in Notts than most places in country, figures show

All crime reduced by 11 per cent across the county - compared to an average fall of seven per cent nationally and three per cent regionally.

A sustained reduction in knife crime continued in the figures released by the Office for National Statistics - just as Nottinghamshire Police announced plans to put more resources into tackling the issues with a second dedicated Knife Crime Team.

The four per cent drop in knife crime means the force is already outstripping the national reduction of three per cent and the regional increase of two per cent and it is hoped the additional officers will drive offences down even further.

A number of other key crimes also fell significantly including sexual offences (down 13 per cent), robbery (down 20 per cent), burglary (down 14 per cent).

Theft fell by 20 per cent and vehicle crime fell by 15 per cent, while violence fell by four per cent and drugs offences fell by three per cent.

Chief Constable Craig Guildford said: "This follows a lot of hard work and the results speak for themselves. We have put in extra resources where they are needed and in the areas that people tell us through surveys that they want us to tackle.

"By careful planning over the past two years, the force will have taken on 250 additional officers by the end of March, with a further 100 new posts in the next financial year.

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"We have invested in neighbourhood policing and given more teeth to our front line which was taken away during austerity. We have built that back including in areas like public protection in line with public expectation.

"We are launching a second knife crime team. We were the only force outside of London to have a dedicated team and now we are expanding that after seeing the great benefits that proactive enforcement has given us."

CC Guildford added that while the Covid-19 pandemic had impacted on the second half of the statistics - which cover the year to September 2020 - previous results clearly showed the reduction was well under way already.

"The fact that Nottinghamshire Police's reduction in crime is outperforming the national average makes it clear that this is not just about people being under lockdown - this is a tangible fall in crime brought about by targeted and proactive policing," he added.

Police and Crime Commissioner Paddy Tipping said: “We can clearly see that the focus on front line police officers is paying dividends.

“Crime is reducing at a faster rate here than in most other areas, we are tackling the issues that matter to people. Knife crime is coming down while issues such as burglary and vehicle crime are being addressed and we can see reductions there too.

“We are doing everything we can to maintain the momentum of these reductions, so that people feel even safer in their homes and neighbourhoods.”

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