Clamp down on knife crime in Derby city centre hotspot

Officers in Derby have ramped up their response to knife crime as the city centre is identified as a Derbyshire hotspot for violent crime in an ongoing forcewide initiative to tackle serious violent crime.

Operation Wintershield, which was launched last month, uses intelligence to identify hotspot areas for knife and violent crime and will involve a multi-agency approach to tackle the root causes of the issue.

As part of the operation, a specialist policing plan has been put together for the city centre which includes proactive Op Wintershield patrol cars, and increased foot patrols by both uniformed and plain clothes officers. As part of these patrols, officers are working closely with partner agencies with the aim of identifying and mitigating risk before a crime takes place.

Inspector Clare Preston-Davies, who oversees policing in the city said:

“It comes as no surprise that most violent crimes will take place in cities and larger towns, and I am really pleased to have been able to exploit intelligence gained as part of Operation Wintershield to maximise our policing effort in disrupting these crimes.

“We are taking a zero-tolerance policy towards those found in possession of a knife, and our aim is to get as many knives off the streets as possible.

“We have seen a number of great results coming in, including securing successful prosecutions against two men who were carrying knives in Derby, on the same day, earlier this week. That’s two more knives off the streets and we couldn’t have done it without the support of the community.

“In both cases, detailed below, we received calls from concerned members of the public which officers promptly responded to and were able to make arrests and bring charges.

“If you suspect someone may be carrying a knife or have any other information which may help us tackle violent crime please contact us.

“If you feel uncomfortable speaking directly with police, you can report instead to Crimestoppers 100% anonymously.

“That seemingly insignificant piece of information you provide, may be the difference between life and death for someone out there.”

James Lawson, of Church Lane, Morley was arrested in Spondon on 30 November following reports that a man was outside the Bank Bar in Aspen Drive with a knife. He was charged with possession of a knife and remanded to appear at court on 1 December. The 30-year-old admitted the offence and was jailed for 26 weeks.

On that same day, another man was arrested in Derby after reports that he was carrying a knife and behaving suspiciously.

Aaron Anderson, of Rauche Court, Derby appeared at court on 2 December and pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing a knife in a public place. The 23-year-old was jailed for 44 weeks.

Two teenagers have also recently been charged with possession of a knife. A 16-year-old boy was arrested in St Peter’s Street on 21 November. He was remanded into prison custody and appeared at Southern Derbyshire Magistrates Court the following day, where he was released on court bail pending a further hearing.

Meanwhile, a 13-year old boy is due to appear at Southern Derbyshire Youth Court on 17 December after he was charged with possession of a knife and threats to kill, in connection with an incident in Hepworth Road, Woodville on 26 November.

Operation Wintershield will run until the end of February 2022 and for its duration officers and staff will be sharing the excellent work that is going on to tackle serious violent crime, particularly amongst vulnerable groups such as children and young people.

You can follow our work on social media by following #OpWintershield

• Facebook – send us a private message to /DerbyshireConstabulary
• Twitter – direct message our contact centre on @DerPolContact
• Website – complete the online contact form https://www.derbyshire.police.uk/contact/af/contact-us/
• Phone – call us on 101.

You can also call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.