Leading West Midlands Police officer says trend of younger victims is "shocking"

As calls grow for a new youth centre to keep young people safe in Birmingham following the murder of a school boy, we've been talking to the very people faced with investigating younger victims of crime - West Midlands Police.

Superintendent Gareth Morris is one of the leading police officers on Operation Guardian which is tasked with looking into and tackling youth violence and knife crime. He says he's "shocked" at the trend for younger people being involved in serious knife violence.

14 year old Dea-John Reid was stabbed to death in Kingstanding in May 2021, and since then, campaigners are calling for more safe spaces in the city. Exclusive figures from a freedom of information request show between January 2011 - January 2021, more than half of city council-run youth centres have closed.

Speaking to us as part of our investigation into the impact the closures are having on young people in the city, Supt. Morris says; "...Rather than just policing out an issue and putting yellow jackets police out, running a stop and search operation, yes those things have value in the here and now, but there's definitely a role for improving the provision of activity that encourages more positive activity in these sorts of locations, which by their very nature, makes it a more hostile environment for criminality..."

Young people in the city say they're scared to go out, and that youth services are too outdated. There's concern that a lack of opportunities in areas of the city which haven't seen as much investment as others is one of the reasons there are younger victims of crime. On this, Supt. Morris told us; "The reality is that since austerity many of these most deprived areas have seen investment drop, and cases have dropped in the more affluent areas. So if we're serious about addressing violence, then yes it's our job to try and make sure we intervene early, but ultimately if we don't address those social areas of disparity, then we are forever going to policing the outcomes."

When asked if he'd support campaigners' efforts to get a new youth centre in the city, Supt. Morris said; "I genuinely think that any positive opportunity and safe location for young people to go, where there are positive role models, there are areas for them to be involved with...absolutely, absolutely."