Silent Crime: Shoppers in Bilston speak of slow police response and more bobbies on the beat
The fear of crime and the response of the region's police has been a topic of conversation amongst residents for a long time.
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Crimes of different types against people are committed each day, with the after effects felt by people as they try to recover what has happened to them, particularly victims of what are termed minor crimes.
These can include theft, including theft from a person, motor vehicle, or property, property damage, civil disputes, antisocial behaviour, drug use or dealing, drunk and disorderly behaviour, low level criminal damage, minor assaults and domestic violence, shoplifting and weapons possession.
We spoke to local people as we launch a campaign against these offences and others which we are collectively terming Silent Crime to give victims a voice. You can read more about the campaign below.
According to statistics released by Crimerate, the crime rate in the United Kingdom is 82 per 1,000 people as of June 2024, excluding Scotland, while it said that Wolverhampton is the most dangerous city in the West Midlands, and is among the top 20 most dangerous overall out of the West Midlands's 44 towns, villages, and cities.
The site said that the overall crime rate in Wolverhampton in 2023 was 129 crimes per 1,000 people, which left it among the top 20 most dangerous cities, and the 479th most dangerous location out of all towns, cities, and villages in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
An area of Wolverhampton which is said to have a high crime rate is Bilston, which Crimerate said was the most dangerous medium-sized town in the West Midlands with an overall crime rate in 2023 of 176 crimes per 1,000 people.
Several violent incidents have happened in and around the town, including the stabbing on Shawn Seesahai in November 2023, the death of Kamaljeet Mahey in December 2023 and a man who was stabbed following a brawl near the Bilston McDonald's in February 2022.
The town, which is one of the most deprived areas of Wolverhampton, has also seen a lot of minor crimes, from cars being taken to house burglaries, and people out shopping in the town centre said they had been left hoping to see more police out on the beat.
Andy Cox from Bradley spoke about how he had never been a victim of minor crime, he knew someone who had had their bag stolen and the 61-year-old said he felt they had had no real help in getting the crime resolved.
