Extra high-visibility police patrols planned for Derby after a string of high-profile crimes
It's being done to help reassure locals who have concerns over their safety in the city centre
After a string of high-profile crimes in Derby - including the murder of a man in a bank one afternoon - extra high-visibility police patrols are planned to help ease safety concerns.
More Public Protection Officers are also being brought in to tackle anti-social behaviour.
Increased public protection patrols will be visible in Derby city centre “in the coming weeks” to offer reassurance to visitors and businesses following a series of high profile crimes.
Derby City Council leader, Councillor Nadine Peatfield said the authority has “strengthened its commitment to public safety” following a string of criminal incidents, including a high profile murder in the city centre, all of which have raised public alarm.
The incidents have led to serious discussions about levels of public safety in Derby with residents expressing fears they do not feel safe. One woman told a reporter this year: “I know people who are too frightened to come to Derby.”
However, the Labour council leader says newly recruited Public Protection Officers (PPOs) will soon be deployed to the city centre and across Derby to help provide “on-the-ground” reassurance.
But Conservative group leader Councillor Steve Hassall warned reports of anti-social behaviour, crime, aggressive begging, drug use and street drinking “continue to rise” and added “Derby needs action, not words.”
This week, asylum seeker Haybe Cabdiraxmaan Nur was jailed for life after he stabbed Gurvinder Johal to death inside Lloyds Bank on St Peter’s Street in May.
Safety concerns were further raised following a daylight robbery on the same street in July. That incident saw a group of youths smash their way through a pawnbrokers shop window before running away, prompting a police investigation.
In the summer, Cllr Peatfield wrote to the then Home Secretary Yvette Cooper requesting more police officers for Derby. The Home Office said it would support her and Derbyshire Police.
In an update on the situation, Cllr Peatfield said the council had recently recruited more PPOs who will be visible in Derby city centre “in the coming weeks”. She also said there would be “additional high-visibility patrols”.
PPOs are not police officers and have different powers, but they can enforce fines for anti-social behaviour.
Cllr Peatfield said: “We have strengthened our commitment to public safety in the city centre by increasing the number of Public Protection Officers (PPOs) and introducing additional high-visibility patrols.
“This approach allows us to focus on maximizing the resources we directly control to ensure immediate, visible presence and support for our residents. Our newly recruited PPOs will be deployed in the coming weeks.
“They will be on the ground, engaging directly with residents, visitors, and business owners to offer reassurance, provide support, and effectively tackle issues such as antisocial behaviour and environmental concerns that impact quality of life in the city centre. This is a tangible step we are taking, right now, to make a difference.”
But Conservative group leader Councillor Steve Hassall claimed residents and visitors still do not feel safe in the city centre.
He said: “While warm words are always welcome, residents, businesses and visitors are tired of hearing promises without seeing meaningful action. Public confidence in Derby city centre is low and what people are asking for is not more meetings, statements or strategy talk, but visible, sustained results.
“We are told there will be additional Public Protection Officers in the coming weeks. Residents have heard similar commitments before, only to see short term patrols disappear as soon as the headlines move on. High visibility patrols are welcome, but only if they are maintained over a long period and supported by enforcement, not just engagement.”
However, Derbyshire police said it is committed “to showing the visible policing presence in the city that people want to see.”
A Derbyshire police spokesperson said: “Significant work has been carried out by officers and staff within the city over recent months, with dozens of arrests and stop searches taking place.
“We continue to work closely with partners, including the council, to help tackle issues seen in the city – and ensure that crime, which in the latest statistics has seen a further 2% decrease year-on-year, continues to fall.
“We are keenly aware that recent crimes, in particular those high-profile incidents in the city centre, have caused concern and that we are committed to showing the visible policing presence in the city that people want to see.”