WMP declares major incident following multiple stabbings
West Midlands Police has declared a major incident and opened a murder investigation after one man died and seven others were injured during a series of stabbings in Birmingham city centre.
Officers were first called to reports of a knife attack at around 12.30am on Sunday (September 6) and further stabbings were reported over the course of the next two hours.
The incidents are believed to be linked but the person responsible has not yet been located.
The stabbings are not though to be linked to terrorism but the number of armed and uniformed officers patrolling the city has been increased to provide reassurance to the public. Crime scenes have been cordoned off in a number of locations including Livery Street, Irving Street and Hurst Street.
Chief Superintendent Steve Graham, responsible for policing in Birmingham, said: “The events during the early hours of this morning are tragic, shocking and understandably frightening.
“Please be assured that we are doing absolutely everything we can to find whoever was responsible and try to understand what exactly happened.
“We have well-rehearsed plans for dealing with major incidents. Your safety is always our priority and that’s why you’ll see an increase in officers on the streets.
“In the meantime, we’d ask anyone who’s in the city to remain vigilant and report anything suspicious to us.”
The West Midlands police and crime commissioner David Jamieson said: “Last night’s events are truly terrible and have shocked the people of Birmingham, the West Midlands and the country.
“My first thoughts are with the victims and their families at this time.
“I have every faith in West Midlands Police who are working extremely quickly on this investigation. My thanks also go to the ambulance and hospital staff who are working around the clock to help those who have been injured.”
Mr Jamieson said a rise in violence should be expected due to the lockdown and pandemic, although he added that Sunday’s incident may not be connected.
He continued: “I have been saying for some time, in the context of Covid-19, that a lot of the pent-up feelings that people have, and not being able to get out, and combine that with people who are now unsure about their future and about their jobs, it was almost inevitable that we would see a growth in violence.
“I’m not saying that this is directly related to that, but nevertheless we are seeing now a growth of violence among younger people, particularly younger males, we’re seeing that growing across the region.
“My fear is that if we don’t address that and some of the underlying problems with some urgency then we could see that grow.”
