Police launching a new drive to tackle gun crime in Birmingham tonight, in the wake of a number of shootings in the city this month.
Over the next few days, uniformed, plain clothes and traffic officers will be focusing on areas of the city which are linked to a spike in gun crime in recent weeks.
Handsworth, Newtown, Birmingham city centre, Digbeth, Aston and Ladywood will see traffic officers, plain clothes and uniformed officers focusing on tackling the threat from gun crime.
Armed patrols will also be focusing on those areas to reassure communities and deter armed criminals.
Across the entire West Midlands there have been 10 firearms discharges in June, with four of those happened in the west of Birmingham.
Since April, there have been 31 firearms discharges across the force compared to 41 in the same period last year. Police have also taken 39 guns off the streets, compared to 21 in the same period in 2019.
Ch Insp Phil Cape, of the Birmingham Organised Crime Team, said: “We know there are tensions between some criminal gangs at the moment, so we’re responding to that by making sure officers are in the right places at the right times.
“It’s also vital that we let the law-abiding people of those areas know that we are taking action and we are here to help.
“We’ve got community representatives who we’ve invited to view the operation closely over the next few days.
“This will give them the opportunity to ask questions and see the approach we’re taking to making their area a safer place to be.”