Residents in Bordesley Green speak out about crime fears

National World - LocalTV

We visited Bordesley Green – one of Birmingham’s most dangerous areas outside the city centre – to speak with local people about crime, safety, and what needs to change.

Transcript

00:00Official figures place Bordesley Green among the most dangerous areas in Birmingham outside

00:07the city centre. Violent and sexual offences make up the largest proportion of reported

00:12crimes here. In just one recent month, over 150 such incidents were logged by police.

00:19But statistics alone don't reveal how people feel living with that reality. Whether it's

00:23on the school run, commuting to work or just walking to the shops, safety plays a part

00:28in dialect decision making. That's why we've come here to ask residents directly about

00:33their experiences. Do people here feel safe? Are their concerns being addressed? And has

00:38anything changed over time?

00:42Uh, not so safe. I feel like it's rather tense. You have to be on very cautious. Cars

00:49come in or other people are coming. And sometimes alright, depending on if you're a man, but

00:57unless you're a woman.

00:59I know everybody around here, so nobody ain't gonna bother me, but that's just me. But for

01:04other people, it might be that way. You know, they might feel unsafe because they haven't

01:11been around here long.

01:12No, I think we're all safe. We've all felt safe. I have anyway.

01:16Yeah, I walk around at night and at day. It seems safer in myself. I heard there was a

01:21little something going on down the road a couple of weeks ago, but I don't know. I've

01:26never saw anything happen.

01:28West Midlands police figures show a high volume of incidents reported in Bordesley Green,

01:33with violence and antisocial behaviour leading the list. But behind the numbers are wider

01:38social and economic questions. Local facilities, housing conditions, employment opportunities

01:44and visible policing levels all contribute to the picture. The area has a high population

01:50density and serves a broad demographic, including many families and young people. These conditions

01:55are often linked to increased pressure on public services. We've been speaking to people

01:59here to better understand what they believe contributes to crime levels in this part of

02:04the city.

02:05It's not really looked after, so more people are going to go places they don't really care

02:10about. And there's more places to hide and overall there's more connections with other

02:16areas, so it's easier to go through.

02:18West Midlands police don't even pay attention here no more. They've given up on the area.

02:22That's right, yeah.

02:24I have my point of opinion, and he'll agree with me as well. If there's a fight or a disturbance

02:29happening down the road here, they won't bother. Until the crime's over, until someone's murdered,

02:33then they'll come. But where there's clash areas, like, for example, Sutton Coalfield,

02:38Wormley, go over them sides. They'll go there straight away.

02:42Straight away.

02:43Probably I'd say there's a lot of people that need help around here. Homeless people, people

02:46with addictions and that are not getting help. I'd say help them is probably solving a lot

02:50of the problem. Myself, I think they're treated as criminals when they should be treated as

02:57people who need medical help.

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