Let’s halt serious violence together

Police and Crime Commissioner Gary Godden has called for a ‘Team Nottinghamshire’ approach to tackling serious violence following a city centre stabbing.

An investigation by Nottinghamshire Police is continuing after a 17-year-old boy was stabbed to his chest at around 4am on Sunday in the High Street. A man was due in court today charged in connection with the incident.

Commissioner Godden said he understood community concern around the incident and called for positive public support for police and partner agency efforts to deal with the incident - and their wider ongoing work to make Nottinghamshire a safer place for all.

He said: “The public often look to the police for answers when issues of serious violence occur.

“But tackling serious violence is far more complex than that. By the time the police become involved it is often when the harm has already been done, to an individual, to their loved ones, and to the wider community.

“To make a genuine impact, we need to work collaboratively as a society, to get further ahead of the issue.

“This means the full spectrum of partner agencies working alongside the public to prevent and support people affected by issues such as childhood trauma, exploitation or social inequalities.

“This is often known as the ‘public health’ approach to tackling serious violence - when we look at the bigger picture and work on the basis that violence can spread like a disease and prevention is better than the cure.

“The Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Violence Reduction Partnership has been very effective in working this way, bringing together partners across a range of sectors from blue light services, to health, education, local authorities, charities and voluntary organisations, to support people with a range of issues that prevent them going on to become involved in serious violence.”

Police recorded violent knife crime is down 2.5% in the year to September 2024, when compared to the same period in 2023.

There has also been an 18% reduction in in-patient hospital admissions for knife crime in the year to July 2024.

The national lead for knife crime Commander Stephen Clayman visited Nottinghamshire last week and was so impressed that he has asked local partners to support national best practice work going forward.

“However positive the statistics are, they will be no comfort to the victims of knife crime and their loved ones,” added commissioner Godden.

“Every knife crime is one too many – so we must continue to work together in partnership as a community across Nottinghamshire where everyone is playing their part in preventing knife crime before it causes harm.

“The public have a big part to play in this. I would urge parents to be aware of who their children are with and where they are, and make them aware that carrying a knife does not protect them – it puts them more at risk.

“I would also urge people to call out knife carrying – staying silent could have tragic consequences but reporting it could save someone’s life.

“Nottinghamshire Police is here to support you, as part of a Team Nottinghamshire approach that brings the police, partner agencies and the public closer together in a shared goal for a safer Nottinghamshire for all.

“This has been further improved with the roll out of a new neighbourhood policing model, announced earlier this week. Nottinghamshire Police is now safeguarding a consistent presence of police officers in all 12 neighbourhood policing areas. These officers are devoted to working in the heart of their communities – building community relationships and giving people a trusted way to give information and the confidence that it will be acted upon as part of our collective efforts to enhance public safety.”

Mohammed Ahmadalye, aged 22, of Bath Street, Nottingham, was arrested on Monday November 18 in connection with the city centre incident.

He was charged with making threats with a bladed article in a public place and wounding with intent on Wednesday November 20 and is due to appear at Nottingham Magistrates Court this morning.

Nottinghamshire Police has referred itself to the IOPC due to past involvement with both the suspect and the victim.

• To report crime, call 101, or in an emergency, call 999. If you want to report anonymously, you can also call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. You can also report crime online via www.nottinghamshire.police.uk using an online form or live chat function.