Hucknall: Nottinghamshire Police adds more officers to knife crime teams as crackdown on weapons continues

Nottinghamshire Police are adding extra officers to dedicated knife crime teams after completing its national officer Uplift allocation a year early.

Additional police officers have been allocated to proactively target criminals who carry weapons and drugs on the streets.

This move will see new officers added to each of its two specialist knife crime teams, proactive mobile policing units trained in assertive stop, search, and containment techniques.

In the last year the teams' actions have led to 259 people appearing in courts and 168 potentially lethal weapons being taken off the streets during more than 1,400 proactive stop and searches.

Patrolling in police cars, unmarked vehicles, and on foot, team members carry out operations in every part of the county, often responding to specific intelligence from neighbourhood policing teams.

The news of the additional investment comes as Nottinghamshire Police supports the national Operation Sceptre, a week-long campaign to highlight the work forces undertake all year round to tackle knife crime.

It was part of this work that saw a huge knife seized during a patrol in Hucknall earlier this week.

Superintendent Kathryn Craner, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: "We are committed to reducing knife crime and safeguarding victims, and we will take any action necessary in order to do that.

"Our specialist knife crime teams are a vital resource in our work to keep people safe and have delivered exceptional results since they were introduced.

"Not only they an effective way to take potentially lethal weapons off the streets; they also help us to lift the lid on more serious drug-related criminality.

"Put simply, some people often carry knives because they are involved in other types of crime and feel the need to protect themselves. The more of those people we find the more related offences we uncover and the safer our streets become."

Chief Constable Craig Guildford said: "We are passionate about this work because we know it helps us to take serious offenders off the streets and also keeps members of the public safe.

"I am delighted to announce some additional officers for our specialist knife crime teams and know they will each play a vital role in taking weapons off our streets and locking up dangerous offenders who blight our communities."

The force has also confirmed that it will be undertaking more weapons sweeps, educational input for schoolchildren and proactive operations to reduce offending and keep people safe.