Officer hurt in spate of robberies in Portsmouth
Police say they have a 'large number of officers' investigating
Last updated 23rd May 2023
Police are investigating five robberies in Portsmouth in just over an hour last night (Monday 22 May).
Three males - wearing masks or balaclavas - targeted people in North End and Hilsea.
An officer was also injured.
A 16-year-old boy's been arrested.
The reports received by police are:
• At approximately 7.30pm, two 12-year-old boys had their bikes taken from outside the Premier store on the corner of Stubbington Avenue and Lyndhurst Road.
• At 7.40pm a 31-year-old was assaulted on Kensington Road, suffering minor injuries. Nothing was taken but an attempt was made to steal his phone.
• At around 8pm two 15-year-old boys were approached at Alexandra Park near to the Mountbatten Centre. Three males attempted to steal a mobile phone from one of the boys but other members of the public intervened. Shortly afterwards, at around 8.15pm, three males approached a 17-year-old boy in Alexandra Park and threatened him with a knife. They assaulted him causing minor injuries to his neck and head. Nothing was taken.
• At approximately 8.05pm an 18-year-old man had Air Pods, a phone and jewellery taken from him on Mayfield Road. The man was threatened during the incident but not injured.
• It was reported that at approximately 8.40pm a 12-year-old boy had his phone stolen near to the Mountbatten Centre. He was not injured.
• A Police Community Support Officer who was deployed to the area following the reports was assaulted by one of the males, causing minor injuries to his face, arm, knee and hand.
The three males involved have been described as black or mixed race and were all wearing balaclavas/masks. Two of the males are reported to have been on bicycles, while one was on an electric scooter.
One of the males has been described as slim build, approximately 5ft 10ins tall and wearing black clothing a baseball cap.
A second male has been described as slim build, approximately 5ft 10ins tall and wearing a grey/charcoal coloured tracksuit and cap with a New York Yankees logo on the front.
This afternoon, a 16-year-old boy from Portsmouth has been arrested in connection with these incidents.
Police say they'd like to reassure local residents that they take these reports extremely seriously and have a large number of officers investigating today.
Officers have also increased patrols across the city.
Portsmouth Chief Inspector Pete Smith said: “We fully appreciate how concerning this string of incidents will be to local communities and the distress that has been caused to the victims.
“I want to reassure all residents that we are doing everything we can today to investigate and identify and arrest those involved.
"Our detectives are across the city today following all lines of enquiry available. We will also have a number of officers, including our neighbourhood teams, carrying out dedicated patrols across the city.
"Please do come and speak to them if you have any questions, information or concerns.
“Finally, we are aware of speculation on social media regarding these incidents. While we understand that people want to share information, please try to avoid any online speculation, which can damage ongoing investigations, and instead report all information that you have to the police.”
Anyone with information about any of these incidents is asked to call 101 quoting 44230202557/Operation Blot.
Officers would also like to hear from anyone who may have been a victim of a similar incident last night and has not yet reported it to police.
Alternatively, you can submit information online here.
Always call 999 if a crime is in progress or if you or somebody else is in danger.