Westside BID is working closely with local police to reassure people that the city centre is still a safe place to be, despite the fatal stabbing at the weekend.
The message to businesses, workers, residents and visitors in the Westside area follows the murder of 17-year-old Muhammad Hassam Ali in Victoria Square at the weekend.
Mike Olley, general manager of Westside BID, said: “Our sincerest condolences go to the victim’s family. We are certain that the perpetrators will not get away with this and will be caught by the excellent police officers working on this case.
“But while this was truly tragic, we can reassure people that incidents like this are extremely rare in Birmingham and the city centre remains a safe place to live, work and enjoy nights out.
“On Westside itself, we work closely with the police to avoid any such cases, aided by CCTV across the area. We have a dozen of our own street wardens on duty seven days a week, helped by more than 250 doormen on doors of local establishments.
“This partnership work means we are always on top of watching over the area, from pre-weekend briefings with the police to constantly keeping in touch by radio and WhatsApp groups.
“The result is that the city centre, especially on Westside, remains as buoyant as ever and, while everyone is very sad at what happened in Victoria Square, this is a very safe city and we aim to keep it that way.”
Chief Inspector Mark Lacey, who represents the Birmingham Local Policing Area at West Midlands Police, said: “I understand and recognise the concerns people have following the tragic murder of 17-year-old Muhammad Hassam Ali.
“My colleagues and I are devastated and our hearts and thoughts are with Muhammad’s loved ones, who we are supporting during this incredibly painful time.
“Our highly skilled homicide team are working diligently to identify whoever was responsible. While the motive remains unclear, there is nothing to suggest this is gang-related.
“We believe this is a tragic case of a young man being killed in what appears to be a case of mistaken identity, although we continue to keep an open mind.
“I fully understand the shock this will have caused, and the concerns raised by the loss of a young life following a stabbing.
“We have seen a reduction in such offences during the last year, but let me be clear: one offence of knife crime is one too many.
“As such, you will see an increase of police and partner over the coming week to help reassure our visitors. We will also be carrying out our usual targeted operations in and around the city centre, focused on reducing knife crime and serious youth violence.”
Chief Inspector Lacey said operations included the Project Guardian Taskforce, where officers specifically target serious youth violence, and a national pilot giving officers extra powers under serious violence reduction orders.
The police also works with the Violence Reduction Partnership, with specialist officers in schools daily, offering additional support.
He added: “At the forefront of our minds is preventing the grief felt by the loss of a loved one at the hands of a knife. We will always do all we can to catch those involved and bring them to justice.”
Anyone with information about the incident could contact them via Live Chat on West Midlands Police’s website, or by calling 101 and quoting log 2619 of 20/1/24.
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