We ask Birmingham: What is causing youth knife crime across the city?

A series of brazen youth knife crime incidents have plagued the region over recent years.

Alarming new figures have been unveiled which show that around 10 knife crimes have occurred each day in the West Midlands since 2020. A Freedom of Information request to West Midlands Police has revealed that 6,185 knife crimes occurred from November 2020 to October 2023, with 11,286 in total in the West Midlands from November 2020 to October 2023.

The figures showed that more knife crimes happened in Birmingham during this time than anywhere else in the region, with the city accounting for 55% of all knife crime incidents reported in the West Midlands, acording to the figures.

We went to Birmingham city centre to ask people what exactly they think is causing a rise in knife crime.

Joe said: “I think the main thing about knife crime is that people get sucked into an underground world and I think it's more to do with pride - almost like they're trying to impress certain people. Some people think, okay, I could get stabbed or whatever, I need to protect myself so I'm going to also carry a knife but obviously we know that if you do carry a weapon someone's more likely to stab you with your own knife than you are them.”

Ana said “Sometimes I feel a bit scared because there’s a lot of homeless people around, and it's a lot of the people who are using drugs as well, which has probably caused all of these problems - and this is a big problem for all of England. ”

The statistics paint a bleak picture as it pertains to knife violence across the region. Since 2020 around 10 knife crimes have occurred each day within the West Midlands. Over half of all knife crime incidents reported were here in Birmingham. While a number of high-profile cases have left the city disturbed, the sheer scale of knife crime would likely be beyond the comprehension of most people - an epidemic that likely won't be slowing down anytime soon.

Joe said: “I think the main thing that people could do is obviously be more vigilant on the streets, you know - just keep your eyes peeled. If someone looks a bit dodgy stay clear - and obviously more policing as well. I've noticed that you don't really see that many coppers on the streets so much anymore, obviously we know that there's a problem with not enough police officers on the streets in Birmingham.”

Steven added: “We still haven't got enough first aid around Birmingham to get out people who have been stabbed. I think it's through computers and what they're all on. When you watch TV it's all evilness, and you watch all these things, people using knives and all that. I think it's a wicked world. Why is it rising so fast? I think technology is taking away people's humanity How would you feel if you're in that situation and you get stabbed? I've been bottled. It’s going to break people's hearts and tear them apart.”