Students fear to leave homes as knife crime incidents remain high across Midlands
ITV News Central Reporter Ravneet Nandra spoke with students ahead of the zombie-style knife and machete ban
Students have told ITV News Central they are scared about the rise in knife crime incidents in the Midlands - with some saying they fear to leave their homes.
St Michaels C of E School in Rowley Regis said have been running regular sessions on youth violence for students aged 12 to 16 years old.
They have been discussing why there might be a rise in knife crime incidents in the region, and what strategies could be in place to reduce the rate.
It comes as the government is to introduce a new ban on Tuesday 24 September when it will be a criminal offence to possess a "zombie-style" knife or machete.
JJ O'Meara, who is 13, said: "It makes me feel like daunted and worried because it's such a serious topic because there is so much going on, it makes me feel worried and scared about what's going to happen.
"It's a good ban but I think there could be more. The ban is good because it's going to stop that type of knife off the street, but I still feel like you can go to a kitchen and get a kitchen knife. You can get a knife from anywhere.
In a recent Freedom of Information request looking at knife crime incidents under West Midlands Police, between November 2020 and October 2023, 11,286 knife crime incidents were recorded.
Over half were recorded in Birmingham alone, increasing year after year.
Eleice Bromley, who is 15, said her generation has never known a life without knives in the media.
"Seeing someone carry a knife or hearing about someone carrying a knife, that isn't normal.
"That shouldn't be normalised. But in our generation, it's very much normalised.
"That's going to make everyone scared to leave their house. I mean I used to be terrified to leave my house when it started skyrocketing.
The sessions also come in the week two 12 year old boys are being sentenced for the murder of a 19 year old in Wolverhampton- the youngest to be convicted of murder in 30 years.
Shawn Seesahai was attacked on Wolverhampton's Stowlawn playing fields in November 2023.
He died from being stabbed with a machete, and being beaten, and kicked, which caused a fracture to his skull.
The boys are believed to be youngest defendants convicted of murder in Britain since Robert Thompson and Jon Venables, both aged 11, were found guilty in 1993 of killing two-year-old James Bulger.
I spoke with West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner, Simon Foster, ahead of the ban and the sentencing of the two 12 year old boys.
He said he welcomes the ban but it must work hand in hand with other strategies to reduce youth violence in the region.
He told ITV News Central: "We have to make sure that West Midlands Police are delivering robust and tough policing so that those who are responsible for causing harm to others are held to account and face the consequences of their crime.
"But more importantly, we must invest in prevention and early intervention, diversion and addressing the underlying causes of violence and knife crime in the West Midlands and indeed across the country.
Mr Foster goes on to say the force is seeing reductions in serious youth violence year on year currently at 12%, with knife crime down 17%.
But said he is not complacent as a consequence to that.
"I am absolutely laxer focused to hold West Midlands Police to account...to make sure we are preventing and tackling serious youth violence...and most important of all, saving lives."
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