Derby leaders plead for help to fight city crime

The Labour leader of Derby City Council has rejected criticism that the city has become "lawless" following an attack on a shop in broad daylight.

Nadine Peatfield addressed the issue at a full cabinet meeting on Wednesday night as police continue to appeal for information after three masked men attacked a pawnbrokers in St Peter's Street on Monday.

It follows a number of violent incidents in the city in recent months, including several murder investigations.

Peatfield said she would be writing to Home Secretary Yvette Cooper to push for more resources for the city beyond what has already been promised.

Cooper launched a government crime initiative in Derby last month and promised 35 extra officers, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Derby MPs Baggy Shanker and Catherine Atkinson also met with the home secretary this week to discuss crime in the city following the St Peter's Street raid.

Shanker said people needed to start seeing "results" from the government.

"Police must be visible, present, proactive and on our streets. Local people need to feel the difference not in words, but in lived experience," she said.

Peatfield told the meeting on Wednesday that police had increased their presence in the area.

"In recent weeks, the number of serious incidents, including several tragic murders, has been unprecedented for our area," she said.

"Let me be clear: violence and criminality in our city and county will not be tolerated.

"We are taking action. Across the partnership – including local authorities, the police, community groups and health services – we are working tirelessly to make it harder for criminals to operate, clamping down on low-level anti-social behaviour, drug dealing, and organised crime to prevent escalation.

"Decades of austerity have taken their toll. Since 2010, Conservative-led governments have cut over 20,000 police officers nationally, and imposed cuts on councils and public services that support our most vulnerable residents."

After the meeting Peatfield said a promise of 35 more police officers for the county from the home secretary "would never be enough" and said she will be writing to Cooper urging her to up the numbers.

"We do need more policing in our city. We can only ask the question," she said.

Derbyshire's police and crime commissioner Nicolle Ndiweni-Roberts will also be contacting the home secretary about further support.

Conservative group leader Steve Hassall however criticised both the council and the police for "doing nothing" about high-level crime incidents.

"Derby is lawless under Labour," he said.

"This is not the city I recognise. We've got people afraid of going to St Peter's Street. We have authorities in Derby doing nothing.

"I have never, ever witnessed such fear and anger from the public as we're currently facing.

"We have criminals happy and comfortable to commit that crime in the city...what needs to happen is robust enforcement."

Peatfield said the criticism from the Conservatives was "irresponsible".

But the leader of the Reform UK group Tim Prosser echoed the remarks.

"We've all seen on a daily basis large-scale organised crime across the city for a while now. We are looking desperately now for results," he said.

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