Lozells residents in policing plea after city murder

Residents in policing plea after death A man who lives opposite a murder scene in Lozells has said he and his neighbours do not feel safe because of a lack of police there.

Mahmood Iqbal said officers rarely responded to reports of drug dealing and anti-social behaviour in the area.

Birmingham City Councillor Waseem Zaffar, who grew up in Lozells, is to meet the West Midlands police and crime commissioner to discuss concerns over how police resources are allocated.

In a statement, West Midlands Police said it was working with partners to ensure the area was safe.

Mr Iqbal, who lives in Hunters Road, described how he was woken in the middle of the night to a heavy police presence and saw "two people knocked over and one stabbed".

"The first I heard was my son running into my room and saying somebody's run into our back fence with a car," he said.

He said although crime, anti-social behaviour and drug abuse was rife, he rarely saw police in the area.

Mr Iqbal said he had made "countless calls" to police but no action had been taken, despite providing them with "actionable evidence", such as descriptions of people dealing drugs.

"The police don't even care," he said.

"If it had been Sutton Coldfield, or anywhere like that, [an] upper middle class white area, I think things would have been sorted out a long time ago.

"There are people walking around with knives and machetes. Police need to do something because none of my neighbours feel safe."

Mr Zaffar said a police impact team had made progress, but officers were now expected to cover a much wider area.

He said: "For some of the local police constables and police community support officers to be dragged away from areas such as Villa Road, Lozells Road and the wider Lozells neighbourhood to other areas is a real, real, real shame, because we desperately need them here."

West Midlands Police said: "We have met with partners, including the local authority, and we are working together to ensure that the area is a safe environment for both residents and business owners.

"There will be an increased presence in the area and we encourage members of the public to... share their concerns."