Knife pair arrested in Bulwell after being stopped by police

That’s the warning issued by the force’s city knife crime team after they arrested two suspects and seized a pair of blades during a single stop in Bulwell.

The specialist officers were scouring the area during one of their daily patrols when they spotted a car being driven suspiciously, so pulled it over in Bacton Avenue.

Shortly after approaching the vehicle at around 5.20pm on August 10, the team carried out a search of the occupants, which led to the discovery of both a lock knife and a Stanley knife.

Two men, both aged 28, were then arrested on suspicion of possession of a bladed article in public.

Sgt Matt Daley, of the city knife team said: “We’ve heard every type of reason for carrying a knife that you can think of, whether its that they’re off to a relative’s house to cook them dinner, or they’ve literally just finished doing some DIY and have just popped out without thinking.

“A common one we often hear as well, is that they need the knife for work and forgot they had it, so we do probably uncover craft knives, as well as kitchen knives, the most when we stop and search people.

“While some people think they’re being clever or try and make a reason for carrying a knife up on the spot, the fact is there is no good excuse for carrying a knife in public, so these defences won’t stand up in a police interview or in court.”

In addition to carrying knives in public, under the Offensive Weapons Act 2021, it is also illegal for people to keep certain weapons in their homes or in a private place, such as knuckledusters, samurai swords, zombie knives, throwing stars or friction lock batons.

Bearing all of this in mind, Sgt Daley is adamant that, like some of the different tales they hear from people they stop, claiming ignorance won’t be seen as a valid excuse for anyone found with a weapon in their possession.

He added: “It’s not acceptable for anyone to take a knife out in public, and anyone who does so should expect to find themselves in trouble.”