mojatu .com
28 Education & Career
KNIFE CRIME:
Interview with
PC Heather Sutton
This month, Mojatu Ma
gazine interviewed
Heather Sutton of Nottin
ghamshire’s Knife
Crime Team on the imoact in
Knife Crime in our
community and what we can
do to help.
1. What is your role in the Nottinghamshire Police?
The Knife Crime Team are a team of Police Officers
and Detectives who work to keep the public safe,
they are the country’s first dedicated knife crime
team. Their overall aim is to reduce violent crime.
The team act on intelligence and work within different
areas of Nottingham to track down anyone who
thinks it’s necessary to carry a knife. Stop and search
powers, combined with the exclusive intelligence
results in a high success rate in apprehending people
carrying knives.
2. How has Knife Crime changed since you took
your position?
Stabbings were up by 25% in the year to June 2016.
This must stop. That is why the dedicated knife
crime team have been established to tackle the
issue. Multiple arrests have been made since they
started in January 2016. There has been a 27% rise in
possession of blade offences, that’s 27% more knives
off the streets of Nottingham.
3. Who is most likely to be affected by Knife Crime?
It’s important to understand anyone can be affected
by knife crime. When someone is a victim of a knife
incident, it impacts the whole community. We all
have a part to play in reducing knife crime.
4. What would you say to a young person thinking
of carrying a knife?
Don’t do it. It’s as simple as that. Carrying a knife can
increase your chances of becoming a victim, and
your own knife could be used on you. There is a high
chance you will get caught by the Police and you
will be prosecuted for it, that can have such a huge
impact on the rest of your life.
5. Give us a summary of what the Police are
doing to tackle the problem, and how has the
community improved as a result?
The Police are doing a huge amount to tackle
knife crime. All knife offences are thoroughly
investigated. There are a range of effective
intelligence operations taking place to tackle those
who take knives onto the street. We work with
partners to support offenders in addressing any
problems that could contribute to their offending.
We know that once the knife crime team have
worked in an area, there is a positive effect including
reduction in ASB and increased community
engagement with the police.
6. What can we (our readers) do to help?
Can you create the opportunity to talk to someone
about knife crime? Do you have a friend, colleague
or family member who may be directly affected? Can
you talk to them about the risks of carrying a knife?
The message is clear, Nottingham is a safe city, no
one should carry a knife.
It’s vital the public report incidents and information
to us. The more information we have, the more we can
do. You can report anonymously to Crimestoppers
on 0800 555 111 or via their website. You can also
contact Nottinghamshire Police on 101.
Your trust and confidence is really important to us at Nottinghamshire Police. A new
initiative, aimed at improving the way we keep you informed, will include a monthly u
on one of our top priorities. Information about knife crime will be published each mon
including an update on what we are doing to reduce knife crime. The monthly update
demonstrate how seriously Nottinghamshire Police treats an incident of knife crime w
reported to us.
PS 2974 Heather SUTTON
Knife Crime Team
Serious and Organised Crime South
We are hoping that by communicating this information with you, it will build trust with
Investigations
and Intelligence Command
communities, increase reporting and more importantly reduce knife crime. This summ
not exhaustive
and does
not include
all police activity relating to knife crime.
St Anns
Police
Station
Nottingham, NG3 3HR
Summary
activity
14/07/16- 11/08/16
T: of 101
ex between:
811 1927
Areas that have received increased police activity to reduce knife crime
Number of stop and searches completed: 25
68% crime: St Anns
Police
take action to
outcome
rate: knife
Areas that have received increased police
activity
reduce
17
Of the
stop and searches conducted
had a po
Number of stop and searches completed:
25 25
Police take action outcome rate: 68% Number of intelligence items gathered and submitted for further action:
of people
referred outcome.
to partner agency’s for further support: 3
Of the 25 stop and searches conducted Number
17 had
a police
of new investigations: 22
Number of intelligence items gathered Number
and submitted
for further action: 47
Images of knives seized:
Number of people referred to partner agency’s
for further support: 3
Number of new investigations: 22
Knife Crime Monthly Update
Community Bulletin
Between: 14/07/16 - 11/08/16
Images of
knives seized