Arrest for suspected hate crime ahead of Birmingham Pride

West Midlands Police said three men aged 30, 31 and 34 are believed to have suffered minor injuries in the Hurst Street area of the city centre in a suspected hate crime incident.

After searching the area officers arrested a 23-year-old man on suspicion of wounding and assault shortly after 7pm on Friday.

The force said the incident was being treated as a hate crime.

Chief Inspector Richard Evans, from Birmingham police, said: "We will not tolerate hate crime in our city.

"Birmingham Pride is one of the largest Pride events in the country and is now in its 27th year and people should be able to visit the city without fear of being subjected to violence and threats.

"Planning for it takes place months in advance and the operation involves firearms teams, traffic officers, drones teams, sniffer dogs, neighbourhood officers and volunteer officers known as special constables.

"The focus is to provide a highly visible presence around the Pride site to make people feel safe and to prevent crime. We take hate crime very seriously and would encourage people to come forward if they've experienced a hate crime.

"While we’d prefer victims to come to us directly we know that for a variety of reasons some people do not want to speak with officers preferring to report crimes anonymously or not at all."

Incidents can also be reported at The Loft in Birmingham.