Traders in Hyson Green say the area needs to be made safer. One shopkeeper described the area as 'hell'.
A number of businesses told Nottinghamshire Live they had experienced incidents of burglaries, break-ins and arguments. Not all traders, however, have had issues like these and said that Hyson Green has a 'good community' - while police insisted 'we're in a very good place with local crime rates falling'.
The latest data from the 2021 Census ranked Hyson Green as one of the most deprived areas in Nottingham. Different businesses in Hyson Green have shared their thoughts.
Read more: Neighbours in Nottingham's most deprived community admit 'the data doesn't lie'
Shopkeeper Freydun Sakhi, 55, has worked in Hyson Green for 10 years in his off-licence. Originally from Aspley Lane, he said that the area has got worse in the past 10 years.
Freydun said: “Safety is the most important thing. I’ve had to defend myself from being stabbed with a knife and now they’re gone [in prison] for 10 years. There’s nothing positive. I have some good guys come in, that's it.”
Comparing the area he lives in to Hyson Green, Freydun said “There is heaven. Here is hell.”
Freydun added: “In 10 years, it’s [Hyson Green] got worse because of the economy. People have problems, and the customers are mostly poor. Getting benefits is now harder and we get people who come in with no jobs.”
Other areas which had been ranked as the most deprived in Nottinghamshire included Radford, Newark South West, Sutton Central and Leamington. On Radford Road, Hyson Green, is Multi Express, a variety store selling many different products.
Raj Singh works at Multi Express, a family business. He spoke about the area and said: “Not all customers are troubled - we get good and bad. I’ve lived in the country for 23 years and there are hard-working people - this country gives people everything so why come and make trouble?”
Raj is originally from India. He added: “Just yesterday, we had a customer take something and the glass on the door has been broken, too.”
Faisal Mahmood is the owner of Mobile World on Radford Road. He has had the shop for nearly three years - and despite two incidents of theft, Faisal has had a relatively good experience in Hyson Green, where he also lives.
He said: “It’s alright working here, anywhere you get good and bad. I’ve had two incidents in my shop but it’s otherwise been fine. With the first incident, the police were very helpful.”
Aadam Saleem, 22, is a sales assistant at Cutprice Furniture and Carpets. Aadam’s family has been running the store for the past five years but the carpet shop has been on Radford Road for decades.
Aadam spoke about what working in the area is like. He said: “It’s an alright area - I know it’s one of the poorest in the UK. There’s a lot of Muslims here which gives a sense of brotherhood and unity.
“There’s been an influx of Eastern Europeans which is great but a lot of people we know are moving out of the area. A lot of our customers are from all over Nottingham and have never had any problems.”
Inspector Ben Lawrence, who leads the City Central neighbourhood policing team, which covers Hyson Green, said: “We’re currently in a very good place with local crime rates falling at a much higher rate than the national average – but I’m not complacent and we are determined to do even more to see this fall further. As such, we will continue to regularly attend partnership meetings, working with council colleagues, councillors, resident associations, third-sector organisations to discuss ways to make the local community even safer than it already is.
“It is this partnership approach that led to a 35.9 per cent reduction in reports anti-social behaviour over the 2021-22 financial year in the Hyson Green and Arboretum area – well above the Government target of 20 per cent. We have more officers than we have had in a long time and that is enabling us to carry out regular high-visibility and plain-clothes patrols in and around Hyson Green.
"These patrols will continue and robust action will be taken where criminal offences are identified. Recent examples of this include the charging and remanding of a male over multiple burglaries, with the suspect detained by officers who were in the area conducting intelligence-led counter burglary patrols.
“Whether using proactive patrols or targeted engagement, we remain committed to ensuring that residents feel safe and will continue to respond to community concerns. That is why it is important that anyone who has any concerns reports them to Nottinghamshire Police as soon as possible on 101 or 999 in an emergency.”
Why not sign up to one of our newsletters by clicking here to keep up with all the latest news from across Nottinghamshire.
READ NEXT:
