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Violent Street Crime
By Bob Walker
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The Prime Minister has made it clear tackling violent crime is going to be a key priority for the Government.
The so-calledRobbery Reduction Initiative is one way authorities hope to tackle crime in Britain’s ten worst-hit areas, including Nottingham.
Today’s Bob Walker went on the beat with Nottingham Police at night to gauge how bad the problem is.
As the speeding police van negotiates the narrow, pedestrianised streets of Nottingham city centre Inspector Jeff Haywood seems almost nonchalant as he prepares to face what could be a dangerous incident.
Along with two colleagues, he’s been called to a street in the St Ann’s district where two people are reported to be having a violent argument. One may be armed with a knife.
St Ann’s, together with the neighbouring Meadows Estate, has been the focus of a violent drugs war between two rival gangs.
There have been several shootings over the past two years and last month a teenager was shot dead. It is incidents like these that have earned Nottingham the reputation as one of the most violent cities in the UK.
But, thankfully, on this occasion there is little danger. Two police cars arrive on the scene within minutes but the suspects have disappeared into the night.
It’s a wet Tuesday night in Nottingham and for once things are relatively quiet. The police gear themselves up for the 2am rush when hundreds of club-goers spill out on to the streets. But there’s little to report apart from an attempted car jacking at knifepoint and the almost inevitable street robbery.
Nottingham is one of ten areas to be included in the Government’s new Robbery Reduction Initiative launched today by the Prime Minister.
One of those hoping it’ll make an impact in Nottingham is 15-year-old Usman Azam, who as a 14-year-old was stabbed in the leg as he grappled with a drug addict who robbed his father’s shop.
Usman and his parents fought back, attacking the knife-wielding thug with hockey sticks and a baseball bat.
He occasionally helps out in the shop and sees robbery as an occupational hazard. He believes the only way to tackle Nottingham’s crime problem is tougher sentencing, rigorously enforced by judges and magistrates.
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Victim of crime: Usman Azam |
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Nottingham Police HQ |
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Nottingham Police badge |
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