'More to be done' after spate of stabbings in Derby
Derbyshire's police and crime commissioner (PCC) has suggested work to tackle knife crime needs to focus on adults as well as young people following four stabbing incidents in Derby over a 12-day period.Gurvinder Johal was fatally stabbed at Lloyds Bank in the city centre on 6 May before a man in his 30s suffered stab wounds to his arm at a house in Crewton Way in Alvaston on 15 May.The following day two men were stabbed during a fight between two groups in Middleton Street, Normanton, before another stabbing in Mercian Way on Sunday.PCC Nicolle Ndiweni-Roberts said she felt preventative work needed to be targeted at a range of age groups.
Her comments come during national Knife Crime Awareness Week and the launch of Operation Sceptre - a co-ordinated week of action by police forces across England and Wales to tackle knife-related violence.Ndiweni-Roberts called the spate of knife incidents in the city a "deeply troubling period for local communities"."These are not just statistics — these are lives forever changed. Behind every headline is a person, a family, a community left in pain," she said."Too often, we focus on young people — and while that is important, it's not the whole picture. "Some of those involved in knife crime are now adults who grew up in environments where carrying a knife was normalised. We have to reach them too."
The PCC said significant work has already gone into prevention — particularly education among young people - but the issue was "not confined to youth alone".She added there needed to be a "change in attitudes" to get to the "root causes" - such as poverty, mental health, addiction and organised crime.Ndiweni-Roberts as well as enforcement, collaboration with different organisations like schools and the NHS could help.Her office said Derbyshire had seen a 10.9% reduction in knife crime in the past year.
Work 'not done'
Derbyshire has received funding from the Home Office to support its Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) and wider prevention work. In 2025-26, the PCC was awarded an additional £641,000 to expand these initiatives further."This funding is critical... It's helping us tackle knife crime from every possible angle — through education, community support, policing, and prevention," said Ndiweni-Roberts."But until people feel truly safe in their communities, our work is not done."Haybe Cabdiraxmaan Nur, 47, of Western Road, Derby, has been charged with the murder of Gurvinder Johal, 37. He is due to provisionally stand trial in the new year.A man in his 30s has been arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm with intent following the incident in Meridian Way.
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