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