'This is a safe city' - Wolverhampton top cop moves to reassure residents after spate of shootings

An 11-year-old girl and a 15-year-old boy were left with gunshot wounds to their legs after shots were fired in Shelley Road, Fordhouses, on Bank Holiday Monday.

It comes after shots were fired into the back of a car outside Wolverhampton College in Paget Road, where a man in his 20s suffered gunshot wounds.

Shots were also fired between two cars in a residential area of Upper Villiers Street, Wolverhampton, a few weeks ago, and just last week, a shooting took place at a venue on Bitterne Drive, Whitmore Reans.

Police have yet to make arrests following the two latest shootings, but there have been a total of seven arrests in relation to the other two incidents.

Superintendent Simon Inglis, the local policing superintendent for Wolverhampton, said the shootings were 'clearly unacceptable' but they were not being linked, nor were they gang-related.

He said: "The Paget Road one, we had a shooting near to the college. That potentially could have had something to do with drug criminality but that wasn't gang related.

"We did act really quickly and four people have been arrested."

He said it was believed a blank firing pistol was used in the Upper Villiers Street incident, but police are still taking the matter very seriously.

He said the shooting in Whitmore Reans may have been linked to drug criminality but it is believed to have been a spontaneous event.

He said police would react quickly and remove criminals from the streets at the earliest opportunity, adding: "This city is a safe city".

Superintendent Inglis also urged communities to come forward if they have any information, promising that officers would act quickly on any intelligence received.

He said: "Our biggest partner is the public. We can't tackle this alone.

"On a daily basis we access any intelligence we receive from a number of sources straight away. We will act on that promptly. It's absolute priority for us."

He said preventative action was also being taken, while intervention work with schools was also important.

West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster said gun crime had sadly risen in recent years and was often fuelled by drug dealers and violent gangs.

He said "reckless government cuts to policing" had contributed to the rise in violent crime.

“West Midlands Police know I have a zero-tolerance approach to this issue," he added.

"I expect offenders to be found, arrested and brought swiftly to justice.

“My violence reduction partnership is also hard at work preventing violence from happening in the first place and removing both victims and perpetrators from a dangerous life of crime.”

Councillor Stephen Simkins, deputy leader of Wolverhampton Council, said the authority would also do everything in its power to help reduce gun crime in the region.

"It's an absolute tragedy we in today's society see guns used on our streets – it's unacceptable," he said.

"We will do everything we can to support the police in their investigation and to support the families affected by this.

"This council will do everything in its powers, working with police and other organisations to prevent this happening again.

"We need a bigger police presence and more officers, not just in Wolverhampton, but across the country. It needs a national solution."

Wolverhampton's The Way Youth Zone also works together with police to hold workshops helping steer young people away from gun and knife crime.

Bosses said they were shocked to hear of the latest shooting in the city and have spoken of the impact gun violence is having on young people who 'fear for their safety' when walking the streets.

Rebecca Bunger, head of youth work at The Way Youth Zone, said: "At The Way, we've been deeply shocked and very saddened.

"Especially when young people have been caught in the cross fire, that's really devastating.

"Our young people do feel worried and fear for their safety when they are out on the streets in Wolverhampton, much more now than before the pandemic.

"We regularly speak with young people about the impact of gun violence and knife crime."

Wolverhampton South East MP Pat McFadden said the number of shootings in the city in a short space of time was 'extremely worrying'.

"We've now had a number of shooting incidents in various parts of the city since the start of the year," he said.

"It's really important the police catch and punish those responsible for those violent crimes.

"Over and above that, the public need to be assured it's safe to go about their business in the city.

"This number of shootings is extremely worrying and is eroding confidence in public safety."