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Council homes could be seized from families whose children are caught with knives .

The new policy is part of an effort to drive down the spread of knife crime in the Nottingham area.

Nottingham City Council said the eviction power at its disposal for tenants living in Nottingham City Homes properties acts as "a serious deterrent" as police push forward with their knife crime strategy, reports Nottinghamshire Live.

Chief Constable for Nottinghamshire Police , Craig Guildford said it is about "putting pressure around peers and families" as police cannot "arrest their way out" of Nottingham's knife crime problem.

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The plans was revealed at the launch of Nottinghamshire's 27-page Knife Crime Strategy, held at the National Justice Museum on Monday, October 1.

Police and Crime Commissioner Paddy Tipping said: "One of the partners is the city council which owns a lot of the housing stock.

"They can use threats of eviction to pressure parents to get onto their kids by saying 'we are not having this or you are out on the streets."

Knife crime has risen by 11 percent across Nottinghamshire and the force, with its partners including the city and county council, want to see that number dramatically reduced.

Knife crime went up nationally by 22 percent last year.

(Image: NottinghamshireLive/ WS)

Councillor Jon Collins, leader of Nottingham City Council, said: "All the evidence shows that the risk of losing your home or your parents and grandparents losing their home by being involved in this activity is a serious deterrent.

"This is one of the conditions in the tenancy agreement, which means that if someone in a property is - and they do not need to have been convicted - is involved in knife crime, just like drug dealing or any kind of firearm issue, that gives Nottingham City Homes working with Nottingham City Council powers to seek eviction. We won't accept it."

The most recent police figures show that there were 822 knife incidents during the 12 months to March 2018, compared to 742 offences in the previous year.

(Image: NottinghamshireLive/ WS)

An ongoing gang rivalry between groups in St Ann's and Radford has also resulted in a number of knife attacks and guns being discharged in recent months.

The most recent attack saw Esrom Ghide, 20, stabbed to death in Hyson Green following an incident in Hawksley Road on Wednesday, September 5.

The attack happened at 5.40pm and has seen five boys - three aged 14, one aged 16, and one aged 17 arrested on suspicion of murder.