Wolverhampton stabbings prompt 'concern and distress'

Tariq Akhtar says residents are concerned violent incidents are happening on their doorstep

Community leaders have called for calm and more visible policing following a double stabbing, in which a man was killed and another seriously injured.

The dead man, in his 30s, has not yet been named and investigations into events in Whitmore Reans, Wolverhampton, on Thursday are ongoing.

Two men in their 20s were arrested with one released on bail.

West Midlands Police has sought to allay fears but residents have told the BBC there is "concern and distress".

That concern has grown after a series of violent incidents on the streets of the city involving knives and guns in recent months.

Police say those incidents have largely been targeted attacks which are being fully investigated.

Following the stabbings on Thursday, Detectives have been continuing house-to-house inquiries around Harrow Street and Fawdry Street, collecting CCTV footage.

Amid the investigations, the BBC spoke to worshippers at a nearby mosque on Newhampton Road East who had been offered reassurance after the call to Friday prayer. There was a police crime scene at a property further along the road.

"People are very concerned and alarmed at the fact that these sorts of things are happening on their doorstep," said Tariq Akhtar, of the UKIM Madina Masjid and Islamic Centre.

"People are wary as to how they go about their daily life. First and foremost, there has got to be police presence around the area and there's probably a need for the communities to come together - more so than ever - to address some of these problems."

There has been a spate of violent incidents involving knives, and at least four separate shootings in Wolverhampton since the spring, though the police say most are isolated and are not being linked.

They include:

• The arrest of four men after shots were fired at a car outside City of Wolverhampton College on Paget Road in March. A man in his 20s was injured.

• A shooting in April on Upper Villiers Street in Blakenhall involving the occupants of two cars. Three arrests were made at the time.

• A woman in her 20s being shot in the leg following an event at Whitmore Reans Club on Bitterne Drive in April, and a shot being fired at a nearby house.

• Injuries in early May to an 11-year-old girl and a boy, 15, after shots were fired from a car on Shelley Road in Bushbury. Charges have been brought in connection with the case.

• Shots fired at a wedding party at the Gujarati Association in Merridale in Wolverhampton. More than 100 guests attended but there were no injuries reported.

Ch Insp Paul Southern said some of the incidents were gang-related

Ch Insp Paul Southern, head of local policing in Wolverhampton, says some of the recent incidents have been gang-related.

"They have not been linked but they've been quite targeted attacks against individuals," he explained.

"We continue to work with the community by ensuring we have the right resources in the right area to give reassurance to the public and working with our partners to increase the feeling of safety in the area."

But people are once again reeling at seeing another crime scene.

"It's heartbreaking - the kids are scared, there is a perception that a place like Whitmore Reans is bad but it's not the truth," says community worker Dannii Pickin.

Dannii Pickin says she wants to make sure children have engaging activities so they do not get involved in crime

The 36-year-old helps run youth groups at the Gatis Community Space, which opened eight years ago after the closure of a number of youth centres across Wolverhampton.

The organisation has developed a former adventure playground into an inner-city horticultural paradise, to encourage teenagers and families to socialise and make their local environment more sustainable.

Another aim is to engage young people and deter them from gang activity which - sources tell us - is still prevalent in the city.

"Hopefully we can work together to make the area feel safer," Ms Pickin said.

"It's reclaiming places, getting better lighting, making sure there is visible police officers or community workers in the area so that when children are out playing, they know there are people they can rely on.

"I've been in Whitmore Reans most of my life and making sure that there are things for young people to access is the most important thing to stop kids getting involved in violent crime."

There had been a considerable fall in gun violence in the West Midlands between 2007 and 2013 but there is evidence the data is being reversed since.

Official statistics published earlier this month suggest police-recorded crimes involving firearms have increased by 86% in the West Midlands force area, between March 2022 and March 2023.

A man in his 30s was killed in a stabbing on Thursday

More than 1,000 firearms offences were recorded during the 12-month period.

There was also a 16% rise in knife offences during the same period but overall, violent crimes were down by 5%.

So how will Wolverhampton's neighbourhood policing chief ensure there are enough officers to respond and investigate?

"We have the correct resources to respond to community issues," Ch Insp Southern said, adding: "There are times when we have large incidents where we ask for additional force resources which happened over the past weekend."

The force says it is aiming to work more closely with community groups, with new policing initiatives being launched later this year.