Serious violence has 'reduced' in Portsmouth area despite spate of stabbings

Officers in Portsmouth said they have been working closely with partners to “continue making the city a safer place to live, work and visit”.

Between November 11 and 17, over 300 knives were deposited in surrender bins across the county as part of Operation Sceptre, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary’s force-wide week of action to tackle knife crime. In Portsmouth, there are permanent knife surrender bins at the Eastern Police Investigation Centre and Portsmouth Central Police Station.

From the period of October 2023 to December 2024, there has been a 35.5 per cent reduction in serious violence in the district, the force has said.

Yet violent stabbings continue to plague the area on a regular basis. Going back as recently as November, there have been a number of brutal attacks. A teenager was left with life changing injuries after being stabbed at Havant Train Station before later in the month a 19-year-old was stabbed in the chest in Cottage View, Somerstown, on November 24.

During the same month, Donell Charles, 23, was handed a hospital order due to diminished responsibility after he knifed to death Aimen Ahmed, 18, in July 2023 on the steps of Guildhall.

On December 14, a 25-year-old man was knifed in the area of KS Somers Town Cash & Carry in Somers Road. The following day a fight involving a “large group of people” on Buckingham Green in Buckland led to a man being stabbed several times in the leg while another man was left with head injuries.

Police have said they are working to reduce knife crime with a key focus of their work being prevention. “During the week of action, officers ran 16 community engagement events across the city, including schools, community centres and youth clubs, to provide further education on the risks and consequences that come with choosing to carry a knife,” a spokesperson said.

“We continuously work with partners to manage individuals at risk of reoffending, identifying those who have been involved with knife-related offences and providing opportunities for engagement and diversion, pursuing prosecution and enforcement when appropriate.”

Portsmouth chief inspector Sarah Nicholson said: “Tackling serious violence including knife crime, robustly dealing with offenders and working in partnership to prevent offending remain a priority across the county and locally in Portsmouth.

“Compared with the same period last year (October – December 2023), there has been a 35.5% reduction in serious violence in the district.

“We encourage the public to continue reporting to us and providing information in relation to individuals involved in serious violence and knife crime, so we can maintain the focus to keep the community safe.”