Crime chief urges Rudd not to forget West Midlands
THE West Midlands has experienced the biggest increase in knife crime in any part of the country outside London.
The scale of the problem in the region was revealed by the Home Office as it published plans to crack down on violence this week.
Home Secretary Amber Rudd launched a £40 million Serious Violence Strategy which warned the increase in violent crime was linked to a rise in the sale of crack cocaine.
The strategy included a graph showing how knife crime had increased across the country – revealing that the problem is growing fastest in the West Midlands.
The number of crimes involving a knife has risen by more than 1,000 a year in the area covered by West Midlands Police comparing the year to September 2014 with the year to September 2017.
It reflects a general increase in violence. A total of 52,176 crimes involving violence against a person were recorded in the 12 months to September 2017 in Birmingham, Solihull, Coventry and the Black Country. This was an increase of 11 per cent compared to the year previously.
The Government has come under fire from Labour, which says cuts in police numbers are partly to blame.
Home Office figures show the West Midlands had 8,626 police officers in 2010, and the number had fallen to 6,756 in 2017.
As recently as Sunday, a woman believed to be in her 30s was in a critical condition in hospital after suffering suspected knife wounds following an incident in Walsgrave Road, Coventry.
Police were last week hunting three men after a teenager was robbed at Sutton Coldfield train station. A gang threatened to stab the 17-year-old boy if he did not hand over his valuables.
Also last week, a teenager was charged with the stabbing of a mother who had just dropped her child off at a Black Country nursery.
West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson has urged the Government not to forget about the region in its proposals.
A report published in November by the Commission on Gangs and Violence, set up by Mr Jamieson, warned there were “crucial links between the drugs industry, the illegal use of firearms and knives and serious violence”.
Mr Jamieson has allocated £2 million to begin putting into practice some of the report’s recommendations including creating teams of negotiators to defuse violence between gangs and a mentoring scheme to help young people at risk of offending.
And he has met Ms Rudd to ask the government to provide an additional £2 million.
Mr Jamieson, said: hope the “I government’s strategy to tackle violence is more than just warm words. To be successful the government needs to support schemes such as the Gangs and Violence Commission in the West Midlands, which is delivering opportunities for young people to turn their lives away from crime.
“The West Midlands was the first area in England to bring in a public health approach to reduce violence.
“It means the health service are working alongside the police to reduce this kind of crime. Progress could be much quicker with support from the government.”