A SHARP drop in knife crime in the West Midlands has been welcomed by the region’s Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Simon Foster.
Mr Foster praised the hard work of West Midlands Police after the new statistics were announced, including a notable reduction in knife-enabled robberies.
The figures reveal that knife crime involving under-25s fell by 15 per cent since April 1 – following an 18 per cent reduction throughout the 2024/25 financial year.
The West Midlands has also achieved a drop of more than 25 per cent in knife robberies, the biggest fall of all the seven English police forces that are part of a dedicated government taskforce.
Mr Foster said: “This is very welcome news and demonstrates the relentless commitment, dedication and hard work of the officers and staff of West Midlands Police.
“Tackling knife crime and reducing violence has always been one of my top priorities, and it is a testament to the force’s action and the essential investment in our wider prevention work, taking place within our Violence Reduction Partnership, that we are seeing these welcome reductions.
“I am particularly pleased to see the significant drop in knife-enabled robberies, which is the largest reduction among all the forces in the government taskforce. However, while these figures are encouraging, there is absolutely no room whatsoever for any complacency. One victim of knife crime, is one too many.
“I will continue to hold West Midlands Police to account, to ensure this positive trend is maintained and that we continue the constant and unremitting action required, to prevent and tackle knife crime, keep people safe and secure and save lives.”
West Midlands Police Chief Constable Craig Guildford added: “We’ve seen some impressive reductions in knife crime, which has the real-world impact of fewer lives being lost, and fewer families and communities being torn apart.
“While it’s certainly pleasing, there’s still a huge amount of work for policing and wider society to do to tackle this problem.
“It’s part of our ongoing commitment to make the West Midlands a safer place for everyone.”
The PCC welcomed Home Secretary Yvette Cooper to Birmingham last week for a briefing on the ongoing action to tackle knife crime and reduce serious youth violence across the West Midlands.
Ms Cooper said: “These are devastating crimes that really destroy families and we need to make sure we keep up this progress.”
