Recent tragedies have included the killings of Katie Fox and Yassin Alma
05:40, 01 Dec 2025Updated 08:44, 03 Dec 2025
There has been a recent wave of violence in Birmingham.(Image: Darren Quinton/Coventry Telegraph)
Birmingham has been rocked by a wave of shocking stabbings over recent weeks which have intensified pressure on police chiefs to reassure residents, commuters and visitors they are safe in the city.
The killing of Katie Fox as she waited for a bus near the Bullring sparked national headlines, and was then followed by the fatal stabbing of 19-year-old Yassin Alma in Handsworth.
There were four stabbings in the city centre in just over a month, including another attack on a 17-year-old boy outside the Bullring.
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Following the latest wave of violence, we analysed latest crime data to find out where the statistically most dangerous parts of the city are.
These are the high-crime areas where residents are most likely to have to put up with serious offending on their doorsteps.
Violent and sexual offending data from West Midlands Police showed the number of offences recorded in the 12 months to August.
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This most serious offending can include everything from murder and robbery to rape and domestic violence.
The two policing areas of Lozells and East Handsworth; and Aston remain Birmingham’s crime capitals.
These were the only two areas where over 2,000 violent and sexual offences were recorded over the 12-month period.
Yassin Alma, 19, was knifed in Handsworth Wood on November 16.
Other high-crime areas include Acocks Green, Stockland Green, South Yardley and Sparkbrook, with the full list below.
Violent and sexual offences in the 12 months to August
- Lozells and East Handsworth – 2,288
- Aston – 2,264
- Acocks Green – 1,949
- Stockland Green – 1,932
- South Yardley – 1,924
- Sparkbrook – 1,811
- Shard End – 1,777
- Bordesley Green – 1,761
- Washwood Heath – 1,732
- Small Heath and Highgate – 1,585
- Smiths Wood – 1,564
- Hodge Hill – 1,539
- Kingstanding – 1,508
- Ladywood – 1,507
- Springfield – 1,506
- Longbridge – 1,502
- Stechford and Yardley North – 1,464
- Tyburn – 1,411
- Perry Barr – 1,363
- Edgbaston – 1,349
- Bartley Green – 1,335
- Winson Green – 1,321
- Handsworth Wood – 1,320
- Northfield – 1,304
- Kings Norton – 1,284
Police have sought to assure Brummies the city centre is safe following recent attacks.
Detective Chief Inspector John Askew, lead for Operation Fearless, said of the Katie Fox attack: “The police were there within minutes of it happening.
“This is one city centre across the country, it could have happened in any, it just so happened to take place in Birmingham.”
Detective Chief Inspector Mandy Thompson added: “One simple thing we do is, if we get a group of youths outside McDonalds, we can get their names and then we can check with schools, universities and we can do relevant engagement with those schools.
“We know there is an attitude around young people that they think it’s acceptable to carry a knife.”
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