Spike in Incidents Amidst Growing Concern
Nottingham has witnessed a worrying uptick in knife-related incidents in early 2025. In March alone, three separate knife attacks occurred within days of each other, prompting anti‑knife campaigners to demand urgent action. One campaigner, Zoe Cooke, warned that youth violence is being normalised, with young people even reluctant to report incidents to the police.
Meanwhile, police recorded two new knife-related attacks in the city centre on 9 June including stabbings in Old Market Square and Long Row leading to a surge in high‑visibility policing in hotspot zones.
Police Response: Increased Patrols, But Challenges Remain
Nottinghamshire Police have responded with a dual strategy of uniformed and plain‑clothes patrols, deploying specialist Knife Crime Teams, CCTV vans, and knife arches in key areas such as Old Market Square, Clumber Street, and St Mary’s Place . The force’s knife units seized over 900 weapons since formation; in 2024 alone they made 163 arrests and recovered 73 knives, much of this effort focused in Nottingham city centre.
However, should intervention have been issued sooner?
The force’s Hotspot Action Fund (HAF), backed by £1.5 million in government funding, enabled hundreds of hours of patrols across Nottinghamshire, including city zones like Hyson Green, Sneinton, and Radford. These patrols led to multiple arrests, stop‑and‑searches, and reductions in serious violence and antisocial behaviour in targeted areas .
The OPCC reports that overall violent knife crime fell by over 8 % across Nottinghamshire in the year to March 2025, and Nottinghamshire Police boasts one of the UK’s best emergency call‑answering rates, over 91 % within 10 seconds.
However, Nottingham City is a greater risk according to recent data publshed.
Conservative Critique: Shortcomings in Policing Strategy
From the Nottingham Conservative perspective, these measures are a partial fix and too reactive:
1. Insufficient Police Presence & Under‑resourcing
Nottingham Conservatives argue that current resources remain stretched. Although funding injections like HAF funding have helped, Marcus Jones Nottingham's Conservative Leader contend that "officer numbers are still low and visible policing in residential and hotspot areas outside the city centre remains inadequate. The broader national picture of police underinvestment supports the view that local forces like Nottinghamshire cannot sustain long-term reduction strategies without sustained funding".
2. Overreliance on Stop‑and‑Search
While Nottingham Police emphasise stop‑and‑search tactics to deter offenders, Conservatives point to national studies showing limited effectiveness only around a 5 % reduction in violence with potential to erode trust in minority communities. They call instead for community‑led focused deterrence and mentoring strategies proven more effective.
"A great example of such work falls under Switch-Up under the stewardship of Marcellus Baz BEM, maybe more intervention funding should be directed to such programmes that actual do make a difference" - Marcus Jones
https://www.marcellusbaz.co.uk/
3. Need for Proactive Prevention Over Reactive Measures
Campaigners warn that youth violence is deepening before police detect it. Conservatives echo this, calling for earlier intervention for vulnerable children—including through education, mental health support, and multi‑agency action to stop “knife culture” before it begins. They cite the PCC’s four‑year plan as a step forward but urge its accelerated implementation .
Summary
Nottingham faces persistent knife‑crime issues despite increased policing activity. While violent crime has declined modestly, Conservatives question whether the current reactive strategy is sufficient. They advocate for:
- Sustained investment to build up officer headcount and neighbourhood policing.
- Reduced reliance on stop‑and‑search in favour of community partnerships.
- Earlier intervention to target root causes of youth violence.
- Zero tolerance to carrying knives.
- Invest more in community intervention groups.
Without deeper fixes and more proactive policing, knife crime and public safety risks may remain entrenched in our City.
Marcus Jones
Nottingham Conservatives Leader
