Gangs now ‘ruling’ the streets in quiet suburbia MP: Police cuts have left neighbourhoods under siege
ABIRMINGHAM MP says gun-wielding gangs are ‘ruling the streets’ following the latest firearms incident in a south Birmingham suburb.
MP Steve McCabe, who represents Northfield, said there needed to be a greater local policing presence in the area which has been infiltrated by violent street gangs.
His comments were made in the aftermath of an incident on Saturday morning which saw two men arrested on suspicion of possessing a sawn-off shotgun after a car window was shot through in Overbury Road.
Firearms officers were alerted at 2.30am after a member of the public heard the sound of a gun shot.
A 23-year-old man was arrest- ed at the scene following a footchase, while an 18-year-old man was tracked down in a nearby tower block which was cordoned off by police.
A sawn-off shot-gun was recovered from the foot-well of a damaged car found at the scene.
Saturday’s incident is just the latest in a number of firearms incidents in Northfield over the past two years.
Mr McCabe told the Birmingham Post: “This is an issue which I have been bringing up for some time. This is not the fault of police as they have received huge cuts to front line neighbourhood officers. But it means these gangs are now ruling the streets.
“There needs to be more police on the ground in Northfield and other areas of Birmingham where gangs are prominent. Police are doing their best with the resources they have but they need more officers.”
Gangs have been involved in a deadly turf war. The ‘Frankley Killers’, the ‘24736’ and the ‘61’ groups are among groups linked to a growing list of offences in the Northfield, Kings Norton, Longbridge and Bartley Green areas since January 2016.
The gangs are known to be involved in d r u g dealing includ- ing selling Class A drugs heroin and cocaine and Class B cannabis. They are also believed to be responsible for robberies, carjackings and public disorders.
West Midlands Police has been tackling the escalating crimewave, including bringing prominent Northfield ‘61’ group member Marcel Mullings-Boyd to justice and arresting other suspects.
Mullings-Boyd, 19, was jailed for five years in June after admitting possession of a gun and drugs offences.
Birmingham Crown Court heard the teenager, from Outwood Drive, Northfield, was a leading member of the ‘61’ gang and was known as Big Mac on the street.
Police had raided his home and seized a converted firearm and eight cannabis plants with a street value of between £2,240 and £6,720.
These gangs are now ruling the streets