Police extend stop and search powers in three Birmingham areas for another night after fatal stabbing
The stop and search powers will be in place in Birmingham city centre, Sparkbrook and around the Soho Road in Handsworth and Lozells parts of the city, until 1am on Sunday or 3am in the city centre
Police officers will have enhanced stop and search powers again in Birmingham from 5pm tonight.
Section 60 powers allow police to stop and search people without the need to have reasonable grounds.
West Midlands Police said it will make sure these powers are used in a “fair and appropriate” way.
It follows several incidents involving knives in Birmingham including a stabbing in Coventry Road, Small Heath on Wednesday (October 28) in which Abdillahi Farid Ali was fatally stabbed.
A 46-year-old man has been charged with murder following the Small Heath stabbing.
The powers will be in place in parts of Birmingham city centre, Sparkbrook and around the Soho Road in the Handsworth and Lozells parts of the city.
The powers will run until 1am on Sunday (November 1) around the Soho Road and Sparkbrook, and until 3am in city centre.
Sparkbrook map - powers in place until 1am on Sunday, November 1
Soho Road map - powers in place until 1am on Sunday, November 1
Birmingham city centre map -powers in place until 3am on Sunday, November 1
A West Midlands Police spokesperson said: “We know that the use of stop and search powers can sometimes cause concern to communities. We don’t use them lightly and we make sure their use is fair and appropriate.
“While we are directly targeting knife crime, today and across the weekend we have teams of officers on duty across the city, ready to respond and investigate all forms of crime appropriately.
“This includes high-visibility patrols but also plain-clothed patrols which you may not notice, as well as work with colleagues from across the force including firearms officers, and our dog and drone units.
“We know that as we move into darker nights, criminal behaviour can change and we can see a rise in certain type of offences, which is why we target our operations and patrols at key times.”