Councillor and police clash over 'lack of response to knife crime' in Sandwell

A woman was stabbed multiple times in Petersfield Drive, Rowley Regis, which comes under Langley ward, on Friday.

Langley Councillor Caroline Owen complained that knife crime was rising in her ward and due to cuts West Midlands Police do not have the resources to prevent it.

But West Midlands Police have hit back, saying they take knife crime in Sandwell "incredibly seriously" and are seconding more officers to deal with violence in the borough.

Councillor Owen believes a lack of intervention work with youngsters is also causing long-term problems on the streets.

"We are desperately in need of more police in this ward," she said.

"There is a lot of crime, especially knife crime, in Langley happening, especially around Lion Farm, but people find it hard to get the police when they need them.

"The police we have are doing everything they can but the problem is cuts to the police force; there's just not enough of them on the ground."

She added: "This latest stabbing on Petersfield Drive is shocking. We want intervention in Langley but it is just not happening because we are asking for more community policing but are just not getting it."

The stabbing victim, a woman in her 50s, was taken to hospital where she was treated for "non-life-threatening injuries" and a man at the address was arrested on suspicion of wounding.

Chief Inspector Keeley Bevington. from Sandwell Neighbourhood team. defended the force's record in Langley.

She said: "As a force we take knife crime incredibly seriously and our focus around Langley and the Lion Farm estate is no different.

"The local neighbourhood teams regularly patrol the area, interacting with young people and offering reassurance to members of our community. We also have additional officer resources who patrol the priority locations under Guardian funding.

"We work really closely with youth groups and schools in the area, around prevention opportunities, to offer advice, listen to people’s concerns and be a visual presence."

She added: "Since January this year, there have been six reports of someone having a bladed article in public; two of these cases had a positive outcome around charges, three were filed undetected with limited investigative opportunities to progress to charge or other outcomes, and one is still under investigation

"This week there is a dedicated focus on knife crime under the National ‘Op Sceptre’ campaign and dedicated patrols and knife sweep operations are planned to try and tackle violent crime in our community."

Chief Inspector Bevington called on the local community to help them in fighting knife crime.

She said: "We are playing our part in tackling knife crime, but we cannot do it alone – we need help from the community and parents. We are urging parents to speak to their children about the devastating impact of carrying knives. Our Life or Knife website provides guidance and help to anyone who can support us.

“We also need our community members to be our eyes and ears, and report any anti-social behaviour and crime to us, so we can target our patrols to areas of most concern to the public."

A reorganisation of resources in Sandwell will now see more officers dealing with violent crime.

Chief Inspector Bevington added: “Sandwell Police are currently internally recruiting newly-created posts which will see increased numbers of officers working on the violence agenda. These roles include school intervention and prevention officers, early help officers as well as officers dedicated to impact areas and neighbourhood taskforces.

"We are really invested in our community and continuing to develop and improve the safety for our residents."