Police appeal for witnesses to robbery

October 28, 2021 by Leave a Comment

By Kira Gibson

A man was robbed and assaulted in East Gates, Leicester, at about 8pm on Saturday, October 16.

Police said he was involved in a disagreement with a group of young people who punched the victim before then stealing his bicycle.

Police are appealing for those in the area around the time to contact them, as it is believed that some may have recorded the incident on their phones.

They are also looking for two women who it is believed helped the victim following the assault.

Anyone who has any information about the event, or video footage of what happened, please contact PC 4499 Neil Rawlings on 101 – quoting crime number 21*603162.

Filed Under: Latest, Police news, Third Year

Concern for Leicester as violence and sexual offences rate doubles

October 14, 2021 by Leave a Comment

By Thomas Carter

The proportion of violent or sexual offences out of the overall crime rate in Leicester has doubled over the last five years, recent figures have shown.

According to CrimeRate.co.uk, the number of crimes involving violence or sexual offences has reached 17,022 this year, accounting for 41 per cent of overall crime in the city.

The rate is a drastic increase on previous years, seeing a rise of more than double since 2016 when it was only 19.9 per cent.

In response to the figures, an official spokesperson for the Leicestershire Police Force told Leicestershire Press: “The force recognises that serious violence – especially that which leads to the death of a person – can have a devastating impact on the families of those involved and our communities.

“Just one death is a death too many and our officers continue to work and engage with communities and partners, through the Violence Reduction Network (VRN) to tackle the causes of street-based violence to prevent further harm.

“Between April 2019 and March 2021, there has been a decrease in incidents of knife-enabled, street-based violence for all age groups – including those under 25.”

Percentage of Crime (%) for violence and sexual offences has doubled (Credit: Thomas Carter)

In comparison to other crimes, violence and sexual offences are one of the few rates that have seen a constant increase in the last five years, alongside public order and drug-related crime.

When considering England, Northern Ireland and Wales as a whole, Leicester is among the top 20 most dangerous cities, having an overall crime rate of 97 crimes per 1,000 people in 2020.

On the matter of tackling the rising crime rate, the Leicestershire Police spokesperson added: “The force is currently running a hotspot policing trial, which aims to disrupt serious violence in targeted areas where violence is most common and further investment has been made with the introduction of school liaison officers, who work in a number of schools within these locations to engage with children and young people to divert and support them away from criminality and harm.

“The number of sexual offences – including sexual offences and rape – remain low and the force employs teams of specially-trained officers to investigate such incidents and offer support to victims.”

For further information and advice regarding subjects discussed in this article, please visit https://www.leics.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/rsa/rape-and-sexual-assault/

Filed Under: Crime, Latest, Police news, Third Year

Leicester Neighbourhood Watch launches pet campaign

May 17, 2021 by Leave a Comment

By Kira Gibson

Neighbourhood Watch in Leicester has today launched a social media campaign for protecting pets.

The campaign is called ‘PROTECT YOUR POOCH’ and will run online from today (May 17) till May 30.

One of the images that accompany the pet campaign

It has been set up in response to the ever-growing worries of pet theft in Leicestershire.

The campaign aims to make pets “SECURE, IN SIGHT and SEARCHABLE” and to make pet theft a specific criminal offence.

Along with emails being sent regarding the campaign, people are asked to share posters and social media posts regarding the campaign to raise awareness and encourage others to sign a petition or contact their local MP.

On May 27 at 5pm there will be a dog theft webinar held by Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Katy Bourne about the campaign and why it is needed.

The Sussex PCC conducted a survey of 124,729 people and of those surveyed, 22 per cent have either had a dog stolen or knew someone who had their dog stolen.

According to the Pet Reform campaign, only one per cent of all cases of dog theft in recent years have led to a prosecution.

The campaign looks to change the current restrictions on dog theft, as they are currently classed as ‘property’ under the Theft Act 1968.

To find out more about the campaign, please go to www.ourwatch.org.uk/protectyourpooch or click here to sign the petition.

Filed Under: Latest, Police news, Second Year

Police raid parties and issue fines as students flout lockdown restrictions in Covid-hit Leicester

March 5, 2021 by Leave a Comment

By Laura Murphy and Sarah Danquah

A student who was fined £800 for contravening lockdown laws and attending an illegal party says he doesn’t regret going to the party – he only regrets getting caught.

The 19-year-old student, who was visiting his girlfriend at DMU from his uni in London, was arrested by police after they broke up a huge party in student accommodation.

The incident happened on Saturday night (FEB27) at Inka Studios in Percy Road, near to the University of Leicester. There were more incidents nearer to DMU the previous night.

“We just wanted to be around people and didn’t really think about the virus,” admitted the 19-year-old student, who did not want to be named. 

Young people gather in the street after police put a stop to their illegal party.

“The police turned up at 4 am and shut everything down. I’m not really around people so who could I really pass the virus on to? All the people that are vulnerable are currently being vaccinated anyway.

“If you’re willing to break the law, though, you should be able to face the consequences.”

‘Several illegal parties’

It was one of several illegal parties students held in the city last weekend, according to Leicestershire police. Leicester currently boasts the second highest number of coronavirus cases in the East Midlands.

Similar parties were broken up by police in student households in Dover Street, Marquis Street and Tudor Road, near DMU, on Friday night.

Police estimate more than 100 students had attended the parties and that 35 people were issued with £200 forced penalty fines.

The Friday night party seemed to start in one house and move to others, say neighbours, as the police attended and broke-up gatherings.

Harvey Mills, the director of Cloud Student, the company that owns the student property in this area, said calls were made to police and they attended promptly. Mr Mills called on DMU to crack down on students breaking restrictions.

Residents of Tudor Road were disgusted at the blatant disregard for the rules.

“Some of us have lost our jobs so it’s quite disturbing seeing all these people being inconsiderate and not caring about what is happening around them,” one resident said.

Another resident who witnessed the partying said students were being irresponsible. “Parties like these occupy the police at the weekend,” she said. “The police shouldn’t have to deal with students being inconsiderate.”

A police spokesperson said they will be patrolling the Tudor Road area to prevent other gatherings from happening. 

Will it stop the gatherings? It might not. One student who ran from las weekend’s party and was not caught remains unrepentant.

“I wanted to have fun. I am tired of staying of indoors. I feel like Covid is never ending,” she said.

“I’d definitely go to a party again – not this week but probably next week.”

We asked DMU to comment on this, but they did not respond.

Filed Under: Breaking News, COVID-19, Crime, First Year, Latest, Local, news, News, Police news, Postgraduate

DMU police officer leads city colleagues to £4,000 heroin bust

November 12, 2020 by Leave a Comment

By Alexander Hodgkins-Jones

A De Montfort University police officer helped city force colleagues make a £4,000 drugs bust on Monday afternoon (NOV9) after spotting someone acting suspiciously on campus CCTV.

A male suspect was arrested in Castle Gardens on a number of drugs related charges and £4,000 worth of heroin was seized after the eagle-eyed DMU officer led colleagues to him.

The bust involved a drugs dog and was part of an ongoing national anti-knife campaign called Operation Sceptre.

“What people don’t realise is the quality of CCTV is getting better and better,” said the officer, who wished to remain anonymous but who has 14 years of experience with the force.

“When I started, it was VHS tapes and you were lucky if you could pick anyone out, now the quality is unbelievable.”

DMU cameras cover much of the campus and has made spotting suspicious activity “easier than it ever was” according to the officer.

“Criminals don’t realise how good it is and I’m good at spotting ‘stuff’ taking place,” he said.

A passive drugs dog was able to confirm the suspicions of the DMU officer by indicating the man had been in contact with an illegal substance which allowed Leicester City Police to move in and make the arrest.

The Leicester City Police Twitter account praised the DMU officer for his role in the arrest, calling it a great example of teamwork.

Filed Under: Crime, Local, News, Police news, Third Year, Today's Top Story
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