Federation chairman questions if we are ‘targeting the right people' to stop knife crime

Knife crime in Birmingham is at an all-time high as we move from 2022 to 2023. The violence has caused West Midland Police to implement more measures in their tactics to control the situation as charities continue to fight for their community.

By the end of 2022, there was a report of 588 knife crime attacks in Birmingham alone. This puts West Midlands with the highest percentage of knife crime attacks with London at second place. With many of these crimes being committed by teenagers between the ages of 16 and 18, these crimes are affecting the education of these students and leaving gang lifestyles behind.

According to the UK Parliament’s House of Commons Library, the West Midlands Police Force recorded 152 offenses involving a knife per 100,000 populations between 2021 and 2022. Though this is a decrease of 3% between 2020/2021, it is not enough to see a visible change in the community.

Speaking to Love Brum’s Kathryn Simkiss, Recruitment Officer, she said: “We value members that are diligent in improving Birmingham. Knife crime has gotten worse throughout the years and with our charity and help we aim to stop the violence.”

Knife crime credited by: Compass Support

There have been many charities and organisations throughout the years to help stop and prevent knife crime in Birmingham and West Midlands. The police force has its own campaign of LifeorKnife, and separate charities such as LoveBrum, Compass Support , Voice Against Crime, and many more.

They all have the same goal of improving the city they love and educating all ages on the consequences of knife crime.

As of April 19th, there has been a trial that allows West Midland Officers to stop and search anyone above the age of 18 to check for knife possession if they have an SVRO (Serious Violence Reduction Order). However, though this appears ideal, it fails to search for the highest rate of knife crime offenders of under 18s.

Federation Chair, Richard Cooke questions: “Is this really tackling the problem and targeting the right people?”