The “despicable behaviour” showcased by a group of young people in Nottingham city centre has prompted a police probe. Officers are pleading with members of the public for information as they try to identify youths who were seen wielding machetes in the city centre.
The horrifying incident allegedly happened near Council House in Old Market Square on November 16, Nottinghamshire Police said. A member of the public called 999 after he reportedly saw, at about 6.15pm, four youths on two e-bikes confronting a group of other youths who were on foot. Two of the e-bike riders were reportedly in possession of machetes.
Officers swarmed the area, which is just next to where the city’s Winter Wonderland event is being held, within minutes, NottinghamLive reports.
While the scary incident reportedly unfolded in view of families, no injuries were reported.
Police led a search, but the suspects had left the area. Now, Nottinghamshire Police is working to find the youths involved in the incident and have released CCTV images of a number of people they want to identify. High-visibility reassurance patrols are continuing to take place in the area, police added, as officers work to identify those involved.
Condemning the incident, Chief Superintendent Nick Waldram said: “This type of despicable behaviour has absolutely no place in our city and rest assured we will leave no stone unturned until they are in our custody. We will use every power at our disposal to find them and throw the full force of the law at them. This incident happened in view of families with children.
“No one should have to go into the city and experience this shameful and dangerous behaviour. We have a team working on identifying those involved. However, we would urge anyone with information to come forward. Someone out there knows who they are. Do you know who these people are? Have you heard who might be involved?
“We are working every day to remove weapons from our streets and also to educate young people about the dangers of carrying them. This flies in the face of all the good work we are doing and damages our city’s reputation. Incidents such as the one on Sunday evening underscore just how important our work is and why it is such a high priority for Nottinghamshire Police.”
Anyone with information is asked to call 101 quoting incident 578 of 16 November 2025.
Alternatively, information can be reported anonymously via Crimestoppers either by phone on 0800 555 111 or via the webform – Give information | Crimestoppers.