Gun crime has been a growing issue in the UK in recent years.
The death of schoolgirl Olivia Pratt Korbel who was killed in a shooting in Liverpool in 2022 shocked the country, and a 16-year-old boy was shot and killed in Ladywood, Birmingham in November last year.
Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures on homicides (murders and manslaughters) which involve shootings for the year ending March 2021 show an increase in shooting homicides that year across England and Wales. There were 35 killings in 2020/21, five more than during 2019/20 and a nine-year high.
And now, new figures can reveal the areas of the West Midlands where gun crimes are highest. New findings show that Birmingham gun crime accounts for half of the entire West Midlands figures, an investigation by law company Personal Injury Claims has found.
According to data obtained via a Freedom of Information request to the force, overall, an average of 2 gun crimes happen every day across the region. A staggering 2,693 gun crimes have been recorded by West Midlands Police between November 2020 to November 2023
Of all the responses received from police forces in the UK, West Midlands was ranked second in the nation for the most recorded gun crimes during this period. The county came behind London’s Metropolitan Police.
These are the seven areas of the West Midlands that have the highest rates of gun crime:
1. Birmingham
Birmingham overwhelmingly comes out on top, accounting for 50% of the county’s gun crime
2. Smethwick
Sandwell came second on the list, accounting for 11% of recorded gun crimes
3. Dudley
Dudley accounted for 9% of recorded gun crimes in the region
4. Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton accounted for 9% of recorded gun crimes in the region