:00:00. > :00:07.Good evening. for the news where you are.
:00:08. > :00:09.Knife crime is a growing problem across the Midlands.
:00:10. > :00:12.On average, there are 180 offences a month involving a knife
:00:13. > :00:14.in the West Midlands police force area.
:00:15. > :00:18.In September that figure reached 187.
:00:19. > :00:22.In the last year, there havd been 11 murders using a knife.
:00:23. > :00:25.Now the police are searching parks and open-land in a hunt
:00:26. > :00:28.It's thought criminals are using the areas to keep
:00:29. > :00:35.Beside a children's park in Aston, police officers
:00:36. > :00:44.There will be searchers in parks in the Birmingham area in the last
:00:45. > :00:48.couple of days and we found a large kitchen knife under a bush `nd a
:00:49. > :00:52.Not discarded but hidden for safe-keeping -
:00:53. > :00:55.West Midlands Police believd areas of open land are the playground
:00:56. > :01:01.So they can have access to them in the future if they need to get
:01:02. > :01:04.But also to disassociate themselves from any
:01:05. > :01:08.previous offending they have done before.
:01:09. > :01:11.Look what else they turned tp during Operation Sceptre,
:01:12. > :01:14.a national police campaign to tackle knife crime.
:01:15. > :01:17.And judging by incidents in recent weeks, some say West Midlands Police
:01:18. > :01:27.Police have named a man who died after being stabbed in the stomach
:01:28. > :01:30.A 19-year-old man has been charged with murder after a
:01:31. > :01:32.fatal stabbing outside a Birmingham off-licence...
:01:33. > :01:35.Here, in broad daylight, on Saturday afternoon,
:01:36. > :01:38.a 24-year-old man was stabbdd and later died from his
:01:39. > :01:44.It was the third stabbing in Dudley Borough in the sp`ce of
:01:45. > :01:48.Whilst police say these incidents are rare, it does
:01:49. > :01:56.not stop people living here being any less concerned.
:01:57. > :02:06.It is bad, you just wonder what has caused it.
:02:07. > :02:09.DCI Ian Parnell is the West Midlands top cop for bringing knife
:02:10. > :02:13.There were three stabbings hn Birmingham over the last eight days,
:02:14. > :02:16.three stabbings in Dudley over a week, one of which was fatal, have
:02:17. > :02:21.Those individual offences are devastating
:02:22. > :02:24.to the families involved and our sympathy goes out to them.
:02:25. > :02:26.It highlights that the work we are
:02:27. > :02:28.doing today and this week is imperative to remove dangerous
:02:29. > :02:39.Weapons like the so-called zombie knife, no
:02:40. > :02:43.Altogether, over the four police forces in this region,
:02:44. > :02:44.violent crime, not just including knife
:02:45. > :02:46.offences, has risen by 28% on
:02:47. > :02:50.Police, however, are keen to reassure, saying that in
:02:51. > :02:59.Our special correspondent Peter Wilson has been
:03:00. > :03:15.Certainly, the figures appe`r to be dramatic. There was a 26% increase
:03:16. > :03:21.in knife crime across the Wdst Midlands last year and that. Violent
:03:22. > :03:26.crime across the whole of the country. It means that therd were an
:03:27. > :03:30.extra 450 or fences. But thd police say the public should not bd
:03:31. > :03:35.alarmed, that part of that was due to changes in the way that they
:03:36. > :03:38.record crime. They also point out that overall knife crime is still
:03:39. > :03:45.down from what it was five xears ago. And what other actions are the
:03:46. > :03:48.police taking to tackle this? Well, West Midlands Police say th`t the
:03:49. > :03:53.spate of knife crimes in thd black country in Birmingham aren't
:03:54. > :03:57.connected. They are also trxing to work closely with trading standards.
:03:58. > :04:03.They have been doing test ptrchases. A 16-year-old boy was sold for
:04:04. > :04:08.blades. Those shops concerndd have been given warnings. And tonight,
:04:09. > :04:15.there is a call for more advice and information to go out to schools and
:04:16. > :04:20.parents are being asked to sit down with teenagers and have difficult
:04:21. > :04:24.conversations, making it cldar that carrying a knife can cost a life.
:04:25. > :04:28.Peter Wilson, thank you. It seems like a simple idea,
:04:29. > :04:30.but it could save lives. Sandwell General and Birmingham city
:04:31. > :04:33.hospital are to become the first in the region to trial a new scheme
:04:34. > :04:36.to help prevent cot death. They're going to give
:04:37. > :04:38.all new Mums a baby box. The boxes are made from verx thick
:04:39. > :04:41.cardboard, contain a foam m`ttress and the design helps
:04:42. > :04:43.to prevent babies from rollhng They've been used in Finland
:04:44. > :04:47.for nearly 80 years - and have helped reduce infant
:04:48. > :04:49.mortality rates dramaticallx. Three week old Logan is 17-xear old
:04:50. > :04:56.Alisha's precious first born... I thought a baby in a box is mad
:04:57. > :05:05.but when you look at it, thdre is nothing for him to suffocatd on
:05:06. > :05:08.it is comfortable for him The boxes are free and have been
:05:09. > :05:12.given out by Sandwell and Wdst There, boxes have been handdd out
:05:13. > :05:17.by the state to excpectant mums there since the 1930s and h`ve
:05:18. > :05:26.helped reduce infact mortalhty rates from over 60 per 1000
:05:27. > :05:34.to two per 1000 today. This baby left for just 17 days
:05:35. > :05:40.and her mother says she did not even know that babies go
:05:41. > :05:43.to die suddenly and inexplicably. Losing Lola has probably made me one
:05:44. > :05:46.of Britain's most angriest Not because I think
:05:47. > :05:52.it is their fault but... Because why did they not
:05:53. > :05:54.stop it from happening? She is expecting again,
:05:55. > :05:56.this time it is a boy and he will be
:05:57. > :06:01.taking a baby box. As will all new mothers givhng birth
:06:02. > :06:04.at a city hospital from But only after they have signed up
:06:05. > :06:08.with this card to watch 12 They are going to have
:06:09. > :06:11.to watch video clips about breast-feeding, safer sleep,
:06:12. > :06:13.alcohol, drugs and maternal mental health and then they will bd
:06:14. > :06:16.able to get the box. So these are issues
:06:17. > :06:18.you Yes, they're public health
:06:19. > :06:20.messages that we need Something so little and simple
:06:21. > :06:24.could potentially save Organisers say if the baby
:06:25. > :06:58.boxes save just one The BBC understands that a ligrant
:06:59. > :07:03.boy who was separated from his father has been reunited with his
:07:04. > :07:06.family. The teenager was sedn in an interview with Lily Allen on
:07:07. > :07:18.be back with his family. Sttdents be back with his family. Sttdents
:07:19. > :07:24.dressed up as victims of thd Smiler roller coasters accident. They had
:07:25. > :07:30.been seen on social media. They were heavily criticised. They have
:07:31. > :07:34.reserved unapologetically - they have apologised unreservedlx. They
:07:35. > :07:42.said it was a traditional costume but it is not traditional to have
:07:43. > :07:43.legless costumes. The poll `sked if it was offensive and over 70% of
:07:44. > :07:55.Babel said it was. A wildlife century has been
:07:56. > :07:59.inundated with unwanted exotic pets. It has seen a dramatic rise in the
:08:00. > :08:01.number of abandoned or unwanted creatures. It now has a waiting list
:08:02. > :08:07.after referrals quadrupled. Our love for unusual
:08:08. > :08:10.pets is on the rise, with 40% more exotic animal
:08:11. > :08:12.licences issued last year in the West Midlands
:08:13. > :08:14.than a decade ago. But for the Gentleshaw Wildlife
:08:15. > :08:16.Centre in Eccleshall, an increase in the number
:08:17. > :08:18.of creatures being neglected or abandonned means they're busier
:08:19. > :08:19.than ever. We have had to set up
:08:20. > :08:22.new bird enclosures, we have got animals
:08:23. > :08:28.on a With things like social medha,
:08:29. > :08:34.it is relatively easy to get hold of breeders and the prices havd dropped
:08:35. > :08:37.and there are no regulations so you can buy whatever
:08:38. > :08:42.animal you fancy. With a population of residents
:08:43. > :08:44.outgrowing their number of cages the wildlife centre needs to find
:08:45. > :08:48.long term solutions. Homes like the one belonging
:08:49. > :08:51.to the expanding Hargrave Mum, Dad, seven-year-old Jaxden
:08:52. > :08:55.and one-year-old Ava. Plus one dog, four cats,
:08:56. > :08:59.a bearded dragon and three snakes, including the latest addition
:09:00. > :09:03.adopted from Gentleshaw. We have got the space
:09:04. > :09:06.and we know what we are doing. You would not have a child `nd then
:09:07. > :09:13.just leave them with If you take on the responsibility
:09:14. > :09:18.of an animal, you are taking on the responsibility of another lhving
:09:19. > :09:21.being so you make sure they are fed I am definitely one of thosd that
:09:22. > :09:25.you have an animal for life and if you cannot
:09:26. > :09:27.offer it a home for life then you need to think
:09:28. > :09:30.about whether you are going to take With food, water, warmth
:09:31. > :09:34.and affection all this repthle needs Emma Thomas, BBC Midlands
:09:35. > :09:53.Today, Staffordshire. Hello. A very good evening to you.
:09:54. > :09:56.Well, it was disappointinglx cloudy today in the sun we did get did not
:09:57. > :10:00.stay for long. It is not grdat timing but that cloud will lelt as
:10:01. > :10:05.we head into tonight. It is good news from one respect and that is if
:10:06. > :10:08.you're looking out for the leteor showers which are peaking tonight.
:10:09. > :10:12.There could be up to 20 shooting stars per hour. We have cle`r skies
:10:13. > :10:16.for it because this high prdssure is still in control and this error that
:10:17. > :10:23.is feeding Ingleby dry, helping to break up that cloud. Winds coming in
:10:24. > :10:26.from the East will be lightdr this weekend so any mist that develops
:10:27. > :10:31.could take some time to lift and disbursed. We have also got a touch
:10:32. > :10:34.of frost on the cards. We h`ve that tonight as well. Under thesd clear
:10:35. > :10:39.skies, temperatures will dip to near freezing in the countryside. Or
:10:40. > :10:43.Celsius elsewhere. We're getting that patchy fog and develophng into
:10:44. > :10:47.the morning tomorrow, espechally in rural spots. It is a dry st`rted the
:10:48. > :10:52.day and month that Folger dhsperses it is Sunshine all the way. That dry
:10:53. > :10:56.air is upping to break up any club that develops along the way through
:10:57. > :10:59.the day and temperatures br`king to about 11-14dC. The national forecast
:11:00. > :11:01.is next with more details.