Inside Birmingham's most violent area where hundreds of offences happen every month

These are the streets which are statistically the most violent in Birmingham. More serious crimes happen here than anywhere else across the city - over 2,400 were recorded last year by overworked police officers.

It's a small pocket in the north west of the city which experiences most problems; the Lozells and East Handsworth policing area. It's an area which has suffered high-profile problems with gang crime, while poverty and deprivation also has an impact on the offending rate. In just the last few days there was a shooting here in which the victim was rushed to hospital with injuries.

It's a relatively small area but a lot goes on here. The main road running by this policing area is Hamstead Road, as well as Lozells Road. Handsworth Park also comes within the boundaries.

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In the 12 months to September, there were over 2,400 violent or sexual offences within this small but busy and heavily populated area. That's around 200 every month and makes it statistically Birmingham's violent crime hotspot, ahead of neighbouring Aston.

Closer analysis of West Midlands Police crime statistics for September this year shows shows the highest number of offences happening close to the border of Villa Road and Hamstead Road. This area is lined with takeaways and other businesses, which means people are likely to go out in the area later at night.

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And this is exactly where the latest shooting happened on Sunday, November 10. The victim, a man in his 30s, was treated for serious leg injuries after shots were fired at around 1am but his condition was not thought to be life-threatening. Police vowed to step up patrols to ease local concerns.

Neighbours have complained of not feeling safe and police chiefs said they were "aware" of "concerns" raised by residents and business owners in Lozells. The area has been a notorious setting of gang violence in the city over the years.

The southern end of Handsworth Park, near Holly Road, is another hotspot for offending and an area where youths could congregate and there could be potential for problems. Violent/sexual offences are by far the most common crime reported to police, ahead of antisocial behaviour a long way back.

Lozells councillor Waseem Zaffar said he was worried about levels of crime and wants more police resources to be focused on the area. He said: "We've got some huge battles. We have seen crime and antisocial behaviour which we take very seriously. These are issues we need to get a grasp of.

"I was born and bred in Lozells. We've always had people using drugs but now they are blatantly using drugs in the open air. It's something we're all seeing and people have reported it in parks and close to schools."

Cllr Zaffar added: "We need more resources. A greater level of priority should be given to Lozells because of the huge challenges we are dealing with."