'One of the country's biggest crises': West Midlands murder rate hits 10-year high

The Office for National Statistics said there were 79 murders in the wider region in the year to June 2018 – up 30 per cent from the previous year.

West Midlands Police dealt with 42 killings and there were 10 murders in the area covered by Staffordshire Police.

The figures also show the full extent of the region’s knife crime epidemic, which Wolverhampton South East MP Pat McFadden today branded ‘among the biggest crises facing the country’.

Recorded offences with blades are up six per cent in the last year to June 2018 across the West Midlands.

Over the period there were 4,327 incidents involving blades, including 35 murders, 59 cases of attempted murder, 209 threats to kill and 1,907 serious assaults.

Overall, total recorded crime has rocketed by seven per cent in the West Midlands, with a 10 per cent spike in the WMP area and a five per cent rise in Staffordshire.

WMP dealt with a 21 per cent increase in violent crime, a 16 per cent rise in weapons possession, a 23 per cent increase in sexual offences and a 22 per cent spike in robbery.

In Staffordshire there were huge rises in robbery and weapons possession offences, which showed respective spikes of 30 per cent and 29 per cent.

It comes after two more murders shook the Black Country in what has been a grisly year so far.

Christopher Harm, aged 28, was found stabbed to death in Engine Lane, Brierley Hill, Dudley, in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Less than 24 hours earlier, father-of-four Richard Helm, 37, died after he was knifed in Raven Crescent, Ashmore Park, Wolverhampton.

From cuts to 'crisis'

Politicians from across the region have expressed grave concerns about the rise in violence, with cuts to police officer numbers seen as a major factor behind the rising crime rate.

West Midlands Police has lost more than 2,000 officers since 2010, while Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson revealed this week that the force’s budget cuts had now hit £175 million over the same period.

And WMP Chief Constable Dave Thompson also revealed the force may have to get rid of up to 500 officers due to government changes in pension contributions.

Pat McFadden, the Labour MP for Wolverhampton South East, said: “This is amongst the biggest crises facing the country. We’ve seen this coming for a while and these figures prove that violent crime is on the rise.

"The cuts in policing over the last eight years are short-sighted and wrong. We need a change of heart and a much more visible police presence. We can’t simply tolerate a slide back into a higher crime environment.”

'Eliminate weapons'

Dudley South Tory MP Mike Wood spoke in Parliament last week about the increase in violent crime and the problems it was causing in society.

"I can understand that, although you are still unlikely to be a victim of one of these crimes, why people are very, very worried,” he told the Express & Star.

“The only way we are going to stop violent crime is to eliminate the weapons in circulation too frequently.

“While we will certainly be arguing the case for the West Midlands to get additional resources, we need to make sure these resources are used effectively. The only way we are going to reduce crime is by making sure criminals face justice.”

Dudley Council leader Pete Lowe, Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Stourbridge, blamed the Tories for cutting police funding.

“These figures are an awful indictment of the Tory cuts,” he said, citing Labour’s pledge to recruit 10,000 new police officers to address the crisis.

West Midlands MEP Bill Etheridge said the figures showed the Government was ‘failing in the more basic duty of protecting its people’.

Police cuts, political correctness and now increased funding against ‘hate crime’ are giving criminals too much freedom,” the Libertarian Party deputy chairman said.

“They currently have the freedom we should have and it’s time to redress the balance.”

Modernising

Staffordshire police Deputy Chief Constable Nick Baker, said: “We understand people’s concerns around any rise in crime and the impact it can have on the quality of life of those who live, work and visit Staffordshire and we will continue to prioritise the crimes that cause the greatest harm, as well as tackling the issues that cause local concern.

“Over the past 12 months we have introduced a more modernised service to policing in Staffordshire, which has seen a significant investment in neighbourhood policing.

"These officers are focusing more on proactive policing in communities, developing specialist capabilities for more complex crime and working with our partners to find effective ways of intervening early to prevent crime and harm.”

Over the last year WMP dealt with a 21 per cent increase in violent crime, a 16 per cent rise in weapons possession, a 23 per cent increase in sexual offences and a 22 per cent spike in robbery.

Across the country crime rose by nine per cent, with knife offences up 12 per cent, robberies up 22 per cent, sexual offences up 18 per cent).

Just 8.7 per cent of reported offences resulted in criminal charges being laid – the lowest for three years. Meghan Elkin, head of the ONS Centre for Crime and Justice, said knife crime has been rising for four years.

“There have been some improvements in recording by police but we do think this is a genuine increase,” she said.