Following the shooting in Norwich, Norfolk Constabulary Chief Constable Simon Bailey has spoken of the role that everyone can play in helping to make our communities safe.
In the early hours of yesterday morning a number of officers were called to an area of Adelaide Street and West End Street in the outskirts of the city centre.
This followed reports of a shooting of a young man which left him with injuries that have required several hours of surgery. My thoughts are with his family at what I am sure will be a very challenging time for them.
I know that this news combined with the tragic murder of David Hastings in Rose Lane last weekend may leave members of our community with concerns about the safety of our city and what we, as their local police force, are doing to tackle the repercussions from such events.
I can say with absolute confidence that every effort is being made to trace the person or people behind this. I have teams of officers working on both enquiries and while there has been a man in his 20s charged with the murder in Rose Lane, my detectives are doing everything they can to find those responsible for this latest assault.
Recently I have spoken publicly about the fact that, in line with national crime figures, crime in Norfolk has risen. I'm also aware of some of the public commentary on social media about people feeling intimidated when visiting the city and their concerns about their perceptions of crime and violence. We have to acknowledge that there has been an actual increase in crime across the county; we cannot shy away from this fact. However, there are a number of reasons why this has occurred. The number of complex crimes such as cybercrime continue to grow; the fact that we, as a force, have established better recording practices and we are also seeing more cases where victims are confident enough to come forward and speak to us around crimes such as sexual offences and domestic abuse. This final aspect is a positive, not only for the constabulary but for the other agencies who work tirelessly to build the trust and confidence of victims who have suffered and continue to suffer from these hidden crimes.
However, while statistics and public commentary can provide us with a benchmark to help us focus our priorities, I believe they don't necessarily show us the complete picture. We always need to look at these cases in context and even though such events are a shock to all those involved, they are isolated. Incidents of this nature are not common, either within the city or the county as a whole. I can also reassure you that while, at this very early stage, the motive for the assault remains unclear, we do not believe that either of the recent offences are connected.
Adelaide Street is not alone in having its own local issues, however, it has not been an area that has suffered notably high crime levels or anti-social behaviour and to our knowledge, has not been raised as a priority road by local residents. As a police force we can only take action when we are made aware of specific incidents. We listen to what the public are saying and we are working with our partners to share any information we receive.
There can be no doubting the commitment, effort and resources Norfolk Constabulary puts into such incidents but we cannot do this alone. We all have a role in keeping our community safe and we need to ensure our local residents feel confident to work with us to make this happen.
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