Residents share areas they avoid in Birmingham due to safety concerns

National World - LocalTV

Birmingham residents share which areas they avoid, how safe they feel in the city, and what changes they believe could improve security.

Transcript

00:00Birmingham's crime data highlights stark contrasts across different areas.

00:07South Yardley, for example, has a crime rate of 223 incidents per 1,000 people, more than

00:13twice the national average.

00:14Meanwhile, Stockland Green has recorded the highest number of reported crimes in the city.

00:20But crime rates alone don't tell the full story.

00:23For many, perception plays just as big a role in determining where they feel safe.

00:27While some areas are statistically more dangerous, personal experience often influences people's

00:33choices just as much.

00:35So which areas do people tend to avoid and why?

00:40I would say mostly the outskirts, like, not the outskirts, but like Erdington, Ladywood.

00:47Just because, like, if you look around here, it's a lot cleaner, easier, busier, and it's

00:54just, you feel a lot safer where there's more people, and it's a lot cleaner.

00:58There's a lot more knife crime in those areas.

01:02I don't go into, I don't go into unsafe areas, that's it.

01:07I don't.

01:08I live the south side, so it's a bit more, no, it's still has its problems, but it hasn't

01:14got the problems of the north side of the city.

01:17Well, Spark Hill, because where the area is now, it just looks like a bit of a slum around

01:22there at the moment.

01:23It's not really down in the dumps.

01:24There used to be nice places around there, but now there's nothing.

01:28Smetich?

01:29Two ghettos.

01:30Two ghettos, like, I'm from Italy now, I'm not used to them places.

01:37People's experiences vary, but certain areas have gained a reputation for crime.

01:42Handsworth, for example, has a crime rate of 194 incidents per 1,000 people, making

01:48it one of the highest in Birmingham.

01:50Some say they actively avoid certain neighbourhoods, while others believe media coverage exaggerates

01:55the risks.

01:56Factors like street lighting, anti-social behaviour and past incidents influence whether

02:01people feel safe.

02:02But beyond location, time of day is a major factor.

02:06Many say they feel fine moving around in daylight, but take extra precautions after dark.

02:11So how safe do people feel travelling through Birmingham at night?

02:17I tend not to travel in the evening.

02:19I don't come into Birmingham if I can help it on the evenings, unless I know exactly

02:23where I'm going.

02:24So if we're going out to theatre or somewhere, we go directly to the theatre, I tend not

02:30to just kind of come into town.

02:32As a guy, I'm all right, to be honest, I'm fairly safe, not 100% because you're never

02:38100% no matter where you go.

02:40Not very, no, not very, especially on the night in Birmingham, it's just not nice.

02:46There's always people out and there'll always be more catcalling.

02:49Yeah, especially as young girls, you learn to avoid big groups, especially, sorry, big

02:55groups of men.

02:56And always, always walk in groups.

02:57Yeah.

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