Concern Nottingham 'desensitized' to violence after teen stabbed in chest

Concerns have been raised that vicious stabbings are desensitizing Nottingham to violence after a teenager was critically injured in the city centre. A young person was left fighting for their life in hospital after being stabbed in the chest on High Street, Nottingham city centre, at around 4am on Sunday, November 17.

Nottinghamshire Police cordoned off an area around High Street and Cheapside at the back of Exchange Walk parade of shops, stopping the city's southward trams and diverting shop workers, while forensics officers examined the crime scene. Passersby were saddened when they learned of the violent act that had taken place within the taped-off zone, but said they were not surprised by more knife crime taking place on the city's streets.

Deborah Wilkinson, 54, who works in the nearby M&S, said she did not feel safe even before hearing of the stabbing, which had reinforced her view. “We had a bloke running around with a machete a few weeks ago and now this.

"I don’t think it’s safe in the city anymore, you have to have your wits about you. It’s crazy, it's been out of hand for a while now.”

Darren Rose from West Bridgford, who also works near the cordon, thought the frequency of knife crime in the city had made locals desensitized to the "shocking" level of violence displayed in such attacks. “It’s probably not just a Nottingham problem but it’s very sad how we’ve become desensitized to these stabbings - we should be a lot more shocked than we are," he said.

"When I speak to younger people they tell me sometimes that they don’t feel safe in the city centre. I just hope that they [the victim] pull through, it’s very sad.”

Retiree Stephen Bartlett, 76, from St Ann's, said he believed the latest stabbing was just another thing to discourage people from coming into the city. "I wouldn't be out at that time, but you should be able to go out without having to worry about these things, it seems like something bad happens every week.

"I don't know if knife crime is getting worse, but it certainly seems to be more of a thing now than it was years ago." Chief Inspector Iain Blackstock of Nottinghamshire Police said the force was currently in the early stages of its investigation, with no suspects arrested as of yet.

He added: “We are working in the area to gather evidence and would also like to speak to any witnesses who have yet to come forward. If you saw this attack or anything at all suspicious in the moments before and after we would like to hear from you.”

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 quoting incident 90 of November 17, 2024. Reports can also be made anonymously through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.