Tragedies remain rare but more to be done, police chief says
Tragedies which have seen young people killed in Wolverhampton "remain rare" but more needs to be done to steer youngsters away from crime, a police chief has said.
Chief Superintendent Richard Fisher, chairman of the Safer Wolverhampton Partnership, said the city had not seen such "devastating violence" in the past three years.
But he warned the teenagers killed in knife attacks in Lanesfield and Pendeford earlier this year were a "stark reminder" of the dangers when young people carry weapons.
And he has moved to reassure people apprehensive over using the city's bus station that "significant incidents" had fallen in the last few months – and there should not be any "no-go" areas for people in the city.
Ch Supt Fisher said: "I don’t want anyone to feel unsafe in our city – that’s why I was saddened to hear some people had become apprehensive about using the city’s bus station following some recent incidents.
"Whilst there have subsequently been stories of continuing trouble at the bus station, we don’t recognise this as now being the case, although we do acknowledge that this is a busy area with a lot of people, especially young people, passing through every day.
"But sadly, beyond the city centre, in the last four months we have seen the appalling murders of two young men. Both teenagers were killed in knife attacks and these deaths are a stark reminder of the dangers that come when young people carry weapons and use them to settle differences.
"Thankfully in the previous three years the city hasn’t seen such devastating violence and Wolverhampton is the third lowest in the West Midlands for this year in terms of violent crime involving young people – so these tragedies remain rare."
The police official said 12 "key offenders" at the bus station have been arrested for 38 offences, 10 of these have been charged and there have been four convictions so far, after collaborative work was carried out to tackle the issue.
And he announced the force would continue to steer youngsters away from crime and they are being offered support if they are at risk, with work going on in schools to educate children about knife crime – whilst activities are on offer over summer to keep young people out of trouble.
He added: "We are committed to steering youngsters away from getting involved in violence and in particular knife crime; we understand that the solution to youth crime and violence lies with the young people themselves and the opportunities they are given in life.
"Young people are being offered support if they are identified as being at risk, with work going on inside primary and secondary schools to also educate children about knife crime, exploitation and gangs, whilst over these summer holidays there’s hundreds of activities on offer, much of it free, helping to keep young people active, engaged and out of trouble.
"Earlier this month the city was also successful in securing £365,000 from the Home Office Safer Streets Fund to invest in tackling anti-social behaviour and promoting the safety of women.
Risks will always exist, as they do in any town or city, and we know there’s always more to be done to keep everyone safe – and feeling safe. But we are striving to give Wolverhampton’s fantastic young people a city they can thrive in."
