Police warn 'one punch can kill'

A campaign to highlight the fact that a single punch can kill is being launched by Nottinghamshire Police.

Over the past decade there have been seven confirmed deaths from ‘one punch’ incidents in Nottinghamshire.

All those involved were men or teenage boys. With the average age of victims being 25 years old, and the attackers’ average age just 21, the force is determined to get its message through to young men.

Campaign posters will be distributed in pubs and bars in Newark, Nottingham, Mansfield and Worksop ahead of this weekend – which is expected to be one of the busiest of the year.

It will also be sent to schools, colleges, sports clubs and gyms after the Christmas holiday.

Superintendent Helen Chamberlain, who is the force’s lead officer for violent crime reduction, said: “The first thing to stress is that such incidents are extremely rare, but 2011 has seen one young man die and another jailed for causing his death in Nottingham.

“This is the kind of incident in which men from the same age group tend to be both the victims and assailants.

"In the posters that will accompany this campaign, the attacker and the deceased are one and the same person.

“That is to underline the fact that a young man could potentially deliver a punch that proves fatal. Equally, in the heat of a violent confrontation, he could just as easily be on the receiving end of one.

“Under the influence of alcohol, drugs or even peer pressure, a person’s judgement and behaviour can become impaired. Innocuous disputes can escalate out of all proportion. In young men, this response to alcohol can be aggravated by a heightened sense of bravado.