20:00, 03 Dec 2025<\/p>\n
![\"Councillor](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/0_JS326815538-1.jpg\")
Councillor Robert Alden, leader of the Conservatives at Birmingham City Council(Image: Nick Wilkinson\/Birmingham Live)<\/p>\n
Councillors have clashed over calls to declare a public safety emergency and \u201cmake Birmingham<\/a> safe again\u201d.<\/p>\n Conservative<\/a> councillors recently urged the Labour<\/a>-run authority to adopt their proposed action plan to \u2018make Brum safer\u2019 amid recent stabbings in the city centre<\/a>.<\/p>\n The plan included setting up a high street safety task force, including business groups, to tackle the issue of violent and sexual crimes.<\/p>\n READ MORE: <\/strong>Inside heated Birmingham Council meeting as leadership faces bins strike fury<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n But the Labour administration criticised the move by the opposition, saying work is already under way to tackle violence and accusing the Conservatives of \u201cplaying politics\u201d.<\/p>\n The Conservative\u2019s motion for debate, which calls for a public safety emergency to be declared, was discussed at a full council meeting this week.<\/p>\n The motion said the council should introduce a number of measures, including:<\/p>\n But Birmingham Labour amended the motion to reflect the work it says is already being undertaken to tackle violent crime in the city and to remove the declaration of a public safety emergency.<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s be clear about what undermines public confidence in this city\u201d Conservative councillor Robert Alden said at the meeting. \u201cIt is serious crimes happening on our streets and the elected politicians refusing to do anything about it.<\/p>\n \u201cPretending these issues are false narratives is dangerous, a mistake and fails the residents in our great city.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s why it\u2019s a shame to see the amendment that\u2019s come forward from the Labour group.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe call for action [\u2026] made no finger of blame in the motion against [Birmingham Labour] \u2013 it merely asked the whole chamber to come together and make Birmingham safe again,\u201d the Conservative councillor added.<\/p>\n Councillor Jamie Tennant, the cabinet member for community safety, acknowledged last week that recent violent attacks had \u201cshocked our city\u201d and stressed that tackling the issue has been a \u201ctop priority\u201d.<\/p>\n READ MORE: <\/strong>Birmingham bins boss issues message as residents face 15 months without recycling collections<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n \u201cWe continue to work with the police and our partners to tackle the scourge of knife crime and combat violence against women and girls,\u201d the Labour councillor said in a statement.<\/p>\n \u201cAs a council we must work to make our city safe whilst countering false narratives that undermine public confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n He continued that from this week, the council will have doubled the number of Community Safety Officers working across the city.<\/p>\n \u201cThe council is already working with police to develop an action plan to make our city centre safer,\u201d Coun Tennant said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Conservative Group will have the chance to play a constructive role in its development.\u201d<\/p>\n Speaking at Tuesday\u2019s meeting, Coun Tennant said: \u201cViolence is never acceptable and our thoughts are very much with the families of those who have been affected and the victims of any attack.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have a duty to be honest and not to scaremonger and spread fear.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile there has been some horrendous attacks in the past few months, crime is falling.<\/p>\n \u201cThe trends [\u2026] are going in the right direction and our amendment adds some of that context and some of the work already under way.\u201d<\/p>\n He previously criticised the opposition party, arguing that the West Midlands had lost hundreds of experienced police officers under successive Conservative governments.<\/p>\n READ MORE: <\/strong>Birmingham Council issues demolition update as empty tower blocks ‘attract vandalism’<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n \u201cLabour is already beginning to put that right through increasing funding and rolling out more Designated Neighbourhood Officers,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Coun Tennant also added at the meeting that the council was already upgrading lighting in various parts of the city centre and highlighted the work being done with the youth service to tackle the issues \u201cat their roots\u201d.<\/p>\n The amended motion was ultimately passed through.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is very disappointing that Labour rejected calls for a public safety emergency to be declared,\u201d Coun Alden said afterwards.<\/p>\n \u201cThere was a basic consensus on certain points such as the importance of increasing visible safety, calling on West Midlands Police<\/a> and the Police and Crime Commissioner to ramp up dedicated patrols.<\/p>\n \u201cBut much more is needed.\u201d<\/p>\n Council leader John Cotton previously said the authority was committed to tackling knife crime through \u201ccoordinated prevention, education, and enforcement efforts.\u201d<\/p>\n The council also said recently that it regularly \u201cinspects, maintains and rectifies faults\u201d on its streetlighting across the city and has taken a number of measures, including an \u00a38m programme of replacing ageing lighting with modern LED types.<\/p>\n \u2018Serious youth violence has fallen\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n Following recent incidents in the city centre, West Midlands Police (WMP) said last month that it would increase patrols in central Birmingham.<\/p>\n \u201cOur patrols are supported by resources from across West Midlands Police, as well as partners including Birmingham City Council<\/a> and safety officers from the Central BID,\u201d the force said.<\/p>\n \u201cProject Servator deployments also take place regularly around the city centre to keep you safe, by providing a reassuring presence for the public and disrupting a range of criminality.<\/p>\n \u201cHighly-visible specialist uniformed officers are on-hand to speak to anyone with concerns, and deployments also include plain clothes officers who are trained to spot the signs someone may be planning or preparing to commit a crime.\u201d<\/p>\n The police force also recently said extra officers would be on the streets as it continues work to reduce knife crime and serious youth violence around the region.<\/p>\n\n
![\"Birmingham](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/0_escenic-2025-11-28T134920226.jpg\")
Birmingham Labour cabinet member Councillor Jamie Tennant\/Robert Alden, leader of Conservative group at Birmingham Council(Image: Council webcast\/Alexander Brock)<\/p>\n![\"Birmingham](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/0_WhatsApp-Image-2025-09-09-at-130844_censored.jpg\")
Birmingham City Council House(Image: Alexander Brock)<\/p>\n![\"Leader](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1_JS318736323.jpg\")
Leader of Birmingham City Council John Cotton(Image: Nick Wilkinson\/Birmingham Mail)<\/p>\n