Targeted stop and searches helping take knives off Nottinghamshire's streets

That is the view of Sergeant Matt Daley whose knife crime team has carried out more than 700 stop and searches in the last year alone.

Officers scour the area for targets intelligence suggests could be involved in drug activity or weapon-enabled violence.

The stop and search tactic has proven itself to be incredibly effective for the city team and allowed them to make more than 130 weapon seizures over the last 12 months.

In addition to the weapon seizures made during that time, the team have also made in excess of 200 drug seizures.

Nottinghamshire is one of only a handful of forces nationwide to have two dedicated knife crime teams – with the county team also seizing more than 70 knives in the last year.

Taking more than 300 weapons off the streets between them, the teams have played a part in helping reduce knife crime in Nottinghamshire with reported knife crime offences down by two per cent in the last year.

Sgt Daly said: “Whether we’re out in vehicles or on foot, our patrols allow us to be out there and be the eyes and ears on the street.

“We target people that recent intelligence and our policing roadcraft skills would suggest could be in possession of knives or drugs.

“We’ve carried out more than 700 stop and searches in the last year and we have a high success rate – they play a big part in what we do.

“I think these tactics are invaluable to policing and have yielded us brilliant results, so I’m a true believer this helps keep people safe.”

Engaging with communities and educating people about the dangers of carrying a knife, so that they don’t pick one up in the first place are also key elements of the force’s year-round approach to tackling knife crime.

As part of this preventative work, Nottinghamshire Police and its partners work within the community to spread this important message, while specially trained officers carry out regular school visits.

Sgt Daly said: “Our primary focus as a knife crime team is all geared around keeping our communities safe and reducing that risk of harm from weapon-enabled crime.