MP calls for better police communication following stabbing ‘rumour mill’

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A Leicester MP has called for better police communication after the “rumour mill” filled hours of silence following a fatal stabbing in the city last week.

Police were called to Oxford Street on 3 February after 20-year-old DMU student Kahleed Oladipo collapsed after sustaining stab wounds. He was taken to Leicester Royal Infirmary but died shortly after.

Cordons and road closures were put in place the same night, but Leicestershire Police did not confirm the nature of the incident nor announce that any arrests had been made until around 11am the following morning, Wednesday 4 February.

MP for Leicester South, Shockat Adam, said this “lack of communication” in the hours following the incident meant “unhelpful” speculation took hold, with some X users “utilising a tragedy to politicise” and blame minorities for the stabbing.

He said: “The police haven’t caught up with social media. They have to plan for this. They could have communicated more frequently.

“The lack of communication creates a vacuum which gets filled up with the rumour mill.

“They’re not taking into account that with social media, if they don’t say anything, other people will.”

Leicestershire Police said they were aware of the distress caused by the incident and posted updates on social media as soon as all the required protocols had been completed.

A spokesperson for the force said: “The force understands that this incident has caused significant concern to those living in the surrounding area and the wider community.

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“Following the report being received, emergency services were deployed and a scene preservation was put in place to secure any evidence and allow the investigation to begin.

“Notification of the road closures were publicised on the force’s social media channels.

“During this period, enquiries were also undertaken to locate the deceased’s next of kin and allow time for specially trained officers to notify them of what had happened. This is in line with the force’s victim-first approach to such incidents.

“Information about the incident was publicised to the force’s website and social media channels once all necessary processes had been undertaken.”

The news of the stabbing comes after DMU became the UK’s first Safer Knife Campus, which involved replacing sharp kitchen knives with round-tipped ones.

In light of last week’s fatal stabbing, Adam said he will expedite his work on improving city centre safety.

As well as campaigning for a national department for knife crime, Adam said the cultural, social, and educational roots for knife crime must be tackled.

Providing funding to voluntary grassroots organisations who work to stop knife crime in Leicester must be a priority, he added.

Harper Dennis, of North Road, West Drayton, London, has been charged with the murder of Khaleed Oladipo and another count of possession of an offensive weapon in a public place.

The 18-year-old appeared before Leicester Magistrates’ court on Saturday 7 February.

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