A message on behalf of Birmingham Police Commander, Ch Supt Tom Joyce
|
||
|
|
||
|
||
|
A message on behalf of Birmingham Police Commander, Ch Supt Tom Joyce |
||
|
Dear, Resident We're taking direct action against knife crime in Birmingham, which means you may see more officers than usual in certain locations over the coming days. In recent weeks, we've seen several incidents involving knives, including a stabbing in Small Heath yesterday which tragically led to a man losing his life. A 46-year-old man arrested on suspicion of murder remains in custody and we are not looking for anyone else in connection with what happened. Whilst we are not linking this to any other incidents, we completely understand how concerning knife crime is, and the misery it brings to communities across the city and the wider region – so we are doing everything we can to tackle it. In many other cases across the city, our response and subsequent investigations have led to suspects quickly being arrested and brought before the courts. Although knife crime in the West Midlands has fallen, we still recognise that every knife crime offence is one too many. We understand that behind every offence like this, real people are affected, and we have seen first-hand the devastation that it causes to families and loved ones. All our officers are mindful of this, and I want to assure residents and visitors that we are all working relentlessly to make Birmingham the safest place possible, for everyone. This includes working hard to prevent knife crime from happening in the first place. With that in mind we will be using extra powers in parts of the city tonight, with the safety of the public our priority. We will be using section 60 powers in Birmingham city centre, Sparkbrook and Soho Road from 5pm today until 1am tomorrow morning. The maps below show the specific areas our powers will cover. Section 60 powers allow us to stop and search people without the need to have reasonable grounds. We know that the use of stop and search powers can sometimes cause concern to communities. We don’t use them lightly and we make sure their use is fair and appropriate. You can read more about how we do this here. While we are directly targeting knife crime, today and across the weekend we have teams of officers on duty across the city, ready to respond and investigate all forms of crime appropriately. This includes high-visibility patrols but also plain-clothed patrols which you may not notice, as well as work with colleagues from across the force including firearms officers, and our dog and drone units. We know that as we move into darker nights, criminal behaviour can change and we can see a rise in certain type of offences, which is why we target our operations and patrols at key times. Project Guardian, our force wide knife crime operation, sees officers patrolling in targeted areas, while also carrying out weapon sweeps, stop and searches, retailer checks, and test purchases. As well as these powers and active enforcement, we are continuing to work with partners around education and prevention - especially speaking to young people about the dangers of carrying a knife, and we will keep up our work with schools, colleges, and charities to reinforce that messaging. We also ask parents and guardians to help us. If you're concerned your child might be carrying a weapon, or involved in crime in any way, we would urge you to report it to us. Likewise, if you are concerned about knife crime in your area or spot anything suspicious, they should report it to us. You can report via 101, Live Chat on our website, or stay completely anonymous and call Crimestoppers on 0800 555111. Always call 999 in an emergency.
Kind Regards, Ch Supt Thomas Joyce Birmingham LPA Commander
| ||
Reply to this message | ||
|
|
