Police say no need to be concerned after a spate of violent attacks in Norwich
Three incidents involved knives recently, with one proving fatal
Last updated 14th Feb 2022
There's no need for those in Norwich to be concerned after a spate of violent attacks over the last few weeks.
That's the message from Superintendent Terry Lordan, who's the district commander for the city.
Three recent violent incidents involved knives in the city.
Superintendent Lordan told us there will continue to be a heightened police presence in the city: "If you do see officers in and around Norwich, do come and speak to us. We are there to engage and we'll use every asset that we've currently got.
"But these type of incidents are really rare. I'd like to reassure the public that certainly with the two incidents on Magpie Road and Motum Road, we've got two individuals that have been charged and clearly there is a court process that is on-going."
He also told us he believes this is all being driven by drug gangs linked to county lines, but says they're taking steps to tackle it: "Anybody that we believe is linked to county lines, or we've received information that they may be carrying something, we are and have been doing door knocks.
"We've been talking to parents and speaking to individuals involved in terms of the huge risks. The three knife related incidents are rare, it's not common place and I won't allow it to be common place in Norwich.
"We started with around 35 county lines and we're now down to six. What we're doing now is working with the Metropolitan Police to target the line holder, so rather than targeting the kids that are being exploited we've arrested 77 people, they have all been charged and all guilty pleas".
The Superintendent concluded by saying that everyone has a role in tackling knife crime: "Most of my officers live and work in Norwich and they are part of the community and they want to have a safe city.
"The public have a key part to play in terms of if they receive information, or they are not happy or they just want to speak to somebody.
"There are youth workers that engage with a number of children along social services and children services. In addition to that there's public health in terms of people who have complexed needs".
Investigations into the recent knife-related crimes are ongoing.