More patrols in Wolverhampton over Bank Holiday weekend after violent crime spate

It comes after a total of four stabbings or shootings in the city since April 14.

Detective Chief Inspector Paul Drover today said there will be a visibly higher number of police around the city and in estates across the weekend.

He assured the public that they will be able to enjoy the Bank Holiday in safety, and said there will be a swift response from police should any disorders take place.

Two men were shot and another stabbed after violence flared in Eastfield on April 24, while two people were injured following a brawl where a gun shot was heard in the city centre on April 19.

On April 27, two men were stabbed after being asked for cigarettes, while a youth worker was slashed with a knife in Fowlers Park, near Park Village, on April 14.

DCI Drover said: "In the city over the weekend there will be a heightened presence, both of uniformed officers and of special teams including armed officers, so people can have a safe Bank Holiday weekend.

"There will be no disorder or violence in the city without a response."

It is believed the two shootings were related to gangs in the city, and DCI Drover said the police's aim is to "dismantle" the gangs.

He said: "I have been working in the city since 2004, and we are in a far better position than we were in the mid 2000s.

"These two incidents are not related. What we have is unfortunate circumstance of two unrelated incidents close together.

"Over the coming days and weeks there will be special operations that will be occurring.

"Our objective is to disrupt and dismantle those criminal groups that we believed were involved in the disorder we have seen in the past two weeks."

He said the police had already made arrests in connection with the incident in Lichfield Street in the city centre, and the shooting in Deansfield Gardens in Eastfield.

He said: "With all of these incidents investigations are still progressing."