Revealed: West Midlands Paramedics dealing with 30 stabbing and shooting incidents A WEEK
Paramedics are dealing with 30 stabbing and shooting incidents a week in the West Midlands as the region struggles with an upsurge in violent crime.
New official figures show that West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) responded to 1,512 incidents where a victim was either knifed or shot in 2017/18 – up from 1,355 the previous year.
A total of 1,174 incidents were recorded in 2015/16, meaning paramedics now attend 29 per cent more attacks with these weapons than they did two years ago.
The figures, which were provided to the Express & Star by WMAS, also show the number of calls classed as 'emergency incidents' – major incidents usually involving injury – has also risen sharply over the period, rising 11 per cent from 884,403 to 984,556.
The E&S is campaigning for a change the law on the sale of deadly blades, after an investigation by the newspaper revealed that long reach machetes, lock knives and swords were easily available to buy in high street stores.
SIGN OUR PETITION HERE
WMAS spokesman Jamie Arrowsmith said: “Far too often, our staff see the serious consequences of knife crime with patients suffering very serious, and sometimes fatal, injuries.
"One knife-related crime is one too many and we would encourage everyone to think about the potential consequences of their actions before carrying a knife with them."
WMAS has specialist trauma teams on call to deal with the victims of violent attacks, including stabbings.
A total of eight people have been stabbed to death in the West Midlands over the first six months of the year, including Wolverhampton teenager Keelan Wilson, who was stabbed to death in the street last month.
MORE:
The region has seen 20 murders over 2017/18, and there have also been dozens of shootings, non-fatal stabbings and gang related incidents during what has been widely dubbed as a violent crime epidemic.
Weapon possessions across the region have gone up by more than a third since the start of the year. The region's woes are mirrored on a national level, prompting Home Secretary Sajid Javid to bring in the Offensive Weapons Bill, which will ban ownership of 'zombie knives' and attempt to make it more difficult to buy other types of blades.
But critics have said the legislation does not go far enough.
