Tough new police powers to target rising knife crime in West Midlands will begin

The West Midlands has been chosen as one of four pilot areas for Serious Violence Reduction Orders (SVROs), which give police powers to stop and search criminals with knife offences and gang members without reason.

The two-year scheme starts in April and comes as the region continues to face soaring levels of knife crime and violence.

The SVROs can last for up to two years once approved by magistrates and will be targeted at offenders classes as high-risk.

If successful the scheme will be rolled out nationally in 2025.

The move has been welcomed by Wolverhampton South West MP Stuart Anderson, who said knife crime was having a "devastating" impact on the region.

He said: "Alongside the other action that we are taking to increase the number of police officers and their visibility, the pilots will generate useful insights before a decision is made on their national rollout.

"Together, this will help to prevent future tragedies and build safer communities."

Courts will be expected to grant the powers for anyone aged 18 or over convicted of a knife or weapon offence unless there is a “compelling” reason not to do so.

The powers go beyond usual stop and search rules requiring officers to have reasonable grounds to suspect that an offence may be about to be committed.

Knife crime in the West Midlands is the highest of any region outside London with almost 5,000 offences recorded in the year to June 2022.

Meanwhile offences involving a knife were recorded at a rate of 170 per 100,000 population – the highest rate of all 43 police forces in England and Wales.

In Wolverhampton last year 16-year-old Ronan Kanda and 15-year-old Zane Smart were fatally stabbed in separate incidents.

Earlier this year Bailey Atkinson, 20, was stabbed to death in Walsall and another incident saw a man knifed on Dudley High Street.

Sussex, Merseyside, and Thames Valley will also run SVRO pilots.