"Tackling knife crime is a priority" as community is reassured by the police after spate of stabbings in the city

The message comes after a number of recent incidents across the city, including one involving teenagers at park, which have also followed other high profile court cases involving knife crime over the past year.

District Commander for Portsmouth, Superintendent Paul Markham said he was ‘acutely aware of the impact that this has within our communities in the city’ and said that despite the recent incidents, the levels of serious violence reported in the city is reducing.

He said: “It is of upmost importance to the force, our local partners, and to myself as District Commander that all those who live in, work in and visit the city should feel safe in doing so.

“We ensure that all reports of serious violence are responded to promptly and investigated effectively and expeditiously. Since the start of this year, serious violence in Portsmouth is down 9.8 per cent and youth on youth violence is down 58.1 per cent.

“Whilst we appreciate and understand that any incident of serious violence is going to cause concern, especially where more than one incident has occurred in relatively quick succession, we do not currently believe that there is any link between recent incidents in the city. These incidents are being thoroughly investigated and are believed to have been carried out in isolation.

“In recent weeks, we have arrested four people, and subsequently charged two, as part of our detailed investigation into a serious assault at Kingston Park in Fratton on Tuesday 24 June.

“A 16-year-old boy from Southsea was charged with causing grievous bodily harm with intent, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and breach of a Criminal Behaviour Order – namely, associating with a person who he was prohibited from associating with.

“A 16-year-old boy from Portsmouth was charged with causing grievous bodily harm with intent, possession of an offensive weapon in a public place, and breach of a Criminal Behaviour Order - namely, associating with a person who he was prohibited from associating with.

“We also arrested and charged Musa Farah, 24, of Stubbington Avenue in Portsmouth with attempted murder and grievous bodily harm with intent, as part of our investigation into a serious assault at an address on Victoria Road North on Sunday 29 June.”

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Superintendent Markham said that as well as prosecuting offenders, officers were very proactive in their efforts to prevent it from happening in the first place, using stop and search powers as well as education.

He said: “Another key part of how we tackle serious violence is by working closely with our partners to identify individuals at risk of being involved in knife crime and together help divert them away from offending. We also visit every school in the District at least once a term and support them with additional information and engagements to prevent knife crime.

“In addition, we also utilise our stop and search powers to help identify individuals who may be carrying an offensive weapon. In June 2025, we carried out searches on 158 people in Portsmouth, 20 of which were specifically for an offensive weapon. Regardless of the initial reason the powers are used, every search is considered an opportunity to potentially recover an offensive weapon.

“We also take part in Op Sceptre, a week of intensified action in which we increase our regular patrols in locations where serious violence has occurred previously. Between 19-25 May, as part of the most recent week of action, officers ran community engagement events across the city, including with schools, community centres and youth clubs, to provide further education on the risks and consequences that come with choosing to carry a knife. A number of targeted patrols, knife sweeps, and visits to known knife carriers were also undertaken.

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“There are permanent knife surrender bins at the Eastern Police Investigation Centre and Portsmouth Central Police Stations as part of our work to keep our communities safe from serious violence.

“Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary is also currently taking part in Safer Streets Summer, a national government initiative aimed at tackling street crime, shop theft, and anti-social behaviour (ASB).

“We want to encourage communities and young people to report information about weapon-enabled crime and other offences either by reporting it to police on 101 or by giving that information anonymously through independent charity, Crimestoppers or their under 18s service called Fearless, which can be accessed via Fearless.org or by calling 0800 555 111.

Any parents and professionals concerned about knife crime in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight can visit Safe4Me for advice, help and support.”