Lozells and East Handsworth and Aston make the list
Part of Swanshurst Park off Yardley Wood Road cordoned off on April 24 following reports of a stabbing. West Midlands Ambulance were called to reports of a stabbing on Yardley Wood Road in Birmingham at 2.35pm and a man was rushed to hospital with serious injuries(Image: Birmingham Live)
New data reveals the postcodes that recorded the highest number of serious offences in a 12-month period in Birmingham. Following a wave of highly publicized city stabbings, the data analysis was published amid intensified public pressure on police chiefs to ensure resident safety. Here are the key details….
- Top Crime Hotspots Named: The two policing areas with the highest number of violent and sexual offences were named as Lozells and East Handsworth and Aston . These two were the only areas where over 2,000 such offences were recorded over the 12-month period.
- Timeframe and Crime Type: The analysis used data from West Midlands Police showing the number of offences recorded in the 12 months up to August . The serious offending encompassed everything from domestic violence and rape to robbery and murder.
- Wave of Recent Violence: The data analysis was published following a recent wave of shocking violence in the city, including the fatal stabbing of Katie Fox near the Bullring and the killing of 19-year-old Yassin Alma in Handsworth. These high-profile incidents intensified pressure on police chiefs to reassure the public.
- Other High-Crime Areas: Beyond the top two, other areas that ranked highly for serious offending included Acocks Green, Stockland Green, South Yardley, and Sparkbrook . This data reveals the high-crime areas where residents are statistically most likely to face serious incidents on their doorsteps.
- Police Reassurance in City Centre: Following the recent attacks, police sought to assure residents that the city centre is safe , despite a cluster of four stabbings there in just over a month. Detective Chief Inspector John Askew noted that such incidents “could have happened in any” city centre.
- Focus on Youth and Knife Crime: Police acknowledged the issue of youth crime, particularly regarding knife carrying. Detective Constable Inspector Mandy Thompson noted that officers are actively engaging with schools and universities to combat the attitude among young people that they think it is “acceptable to carry a knife.”
- 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
[ Birmingham’s most violent postcodes named after wave of city stabbings – full list ]