A police search has been launched after footage emerged of three youths brandishing machetes in broad daylight in Nottingham city centre.
In the early afternoon of Friday, a confrontation among unidentified youths broke out near the Nottingham Contemporary gallery, as they waved long blades at one another. Fortunately, no injuries were reported in connection to the incident.
An employee of the gallery told the BBC that the incident took place at around 12:30 on Friday, saying: “They were wielding knives at each other, and a lady tried to stop them.”
“Everyone ran away. I locked the door of the [venue], the Contemporary locked the door,” the employee said, adding: “I was scared for my life. We were lucky we had no customers in.”
The BBC has faced backlash on social media for sharing footage of the incident in which the faces of the three youths were blurred out.
Former Brexit Party MEP and GB News presenter Martin Daubney said: “Why did the BBC blur their faces? Why protect the identities of dangerous thugs?” adding: “How low Nottingham, my home city, has fallen, to feral mobs.”
The Nottinghamshire Police have since released pictures of the suspects to allow for the public to aid the investigation in apprehending them.
Chief Inspector Karl Thomas of the Nottinghamshire Police said: “I have seen the footage of this incident and share the same sense of revulsion that other viewers will feel.
“Detectives are investigating what happened as a matter of urgency and are working at speed to identify all the young people involved.”
“I urge anyone who recognises them to get in touch as soon as possible. Although incidents of this nature are rare, we fully understand the concern they cause in the community. I want to reassure everybody about just how seriously we are treating this incident.”
Although still lower than pre-pandemic levels, the year ending June 2023 saw knife crimes rise by 3 per cent over the previous year, with 50,833 offences recorded in the UK, compared to 49,435 offences in the year to June of 2022.