20/10/2016 Midlands Today

Good evening. for the news where you are.

Knife crime is a growing problem across the Midlands.

On average, there are 180 offences a month involving a knife

in the West Midlands police force area.

In September that figure reached 187.

In the last year, there havd been 11 murders using a knife.

Now the police are searching parks and open-land in a hunt

It's thought criminals are using the areas to keep

Beside a children's park in Aston, police officers

There will be searchers in parks in the Birmingham area in the last

couple of days and we found a large kitchen knife under a bush `nd a

Not discarded but hidden for safe-keeping -

West Midlands Police believd areas of open land are the playground

So they can have access to them in the future if they need to get

But also to disassociate themselves from any

previous offending they have done before.

Look what else they turned tp during Operation Sceptre,

a national police campaign to tackle knife crime.

And judging by incidents in recent weeks, some say West Midlands Police

Police have named a man who died after being stabbed in the stomach

A 19-year-old man has been charged with murder after a

fatal stabbing outside a Birmingham off-licence...

Here, in broad daylight, on Saturday afternoon,

a 24-year-old man was stabbdd and later died from his

It was the third stabbing in Dudley Borough in the sp`ce of

Whilst police say these incidents are rare, it does

not stop people living here being any less concerned.

It is bad, you just wonder what has caused it.

DCI Ian Parnell is the West Midlands top cop for bringing knife

There were three stabbings hn Birmingham over the last eight days,

three stabbings in Dudley over a week, one of which was fatal, have

Those individual offences are devastating

to the families involved and our sympathy goes out to them.

It highlights that the work we are

doing today and this week is imperative to remove dangerous

Weapons like the so-called zombie knife, no

Altogether, over the four police forces in this region,

violent crime, not just including knife

offences, has risen by 28% on

Police, however, are keen to reassure, saying that in

Our special correspondent Peter Wilson has been

Certainly, the figures appe`r to be dramatic. There was a 26% increase

in knife crime across the Wdst Midlands last year and that. Violent

crime across the whole of the country. It means that therd were an

extra 450 or fences. But thd police say the public should not bd

alarmed, that part of that was due to changes in the way that they

record crime. They also point out that overall knife crime is still

down from what it was five xears ago. And what other actions are the

police taking to tackle this? Well, West Midlands Police say th`t the

spate of knife crimes in thd black country in Birmingham aren't

connected. They are also trxing to work closely with trading standards.

They have been doing test ptrchases. A 16-year-old boy was sold for

blades. Those shops concerndd have been given warnings. And tonight,

there is a call for more advice and information to go out to schools and

parents are being asked to sit down with teenagers and have difficult

conversations, making it cldar that carrying a knife can cost a life.

Peter Wilson, thank you. It seems like a simple idea,

but it could save lives. Sandwell General and Birmingham city

hospital are to become the first in the region to trial a new scheme

to help prevent cot death. They're going to give

all new Mums a baby box. The boxes are made from verx thick

cardboard, contain a foam m`ttress and the design helps

to prevent babies from rollhng They've been used in Finland

for nearly 80 years - and have helped reduce infant

mortality rates dramaticallx. Three week old Logan is 17-xear old

Alisha's precious first born... I thought a baby in a box is mad

but when you look at it, thdre is nothing for him to suffocatd on

it is comfortable for him The boxes are free and have been

given out by Sandwell and Wdst There, boxes have been handdd out

by the state to excpectant mums there since the 1930s and h`ve

helped reduce infact mortalhty rates from over 60 per 1000

to two per 1000 today. This baby left for just 17 days

and her mother says she did not even know that babies go

to die suddenly and inexplicably. Losing Lola has probably made me one

of Britain's most angriest Not because I think

it is their fault but... Because why did they not

stop it from happening? She is expecting again,

this time it is a boy and he will be

taking a baby box. As will all new mothers givhng birth

at a city hospital from But only after they have signed up

with this card to watch 12 They are going to have

to watch video clips about breast-feeding, safer sleep,

alcohol, drugs and maternal mental health and then they will bd

able to get the box. So these are issues

you Yes, they're public health

messages that we need Something so little and simple

could potentially save Organisers say if the baby

boxes save just one The BBC understands that a ligrant

boy who was separated from his father has been reunited with his

family. The teenager was sedn in an interview with Lily Allen on

be back with his family. Sttdents be back with his family. Sttdents

dressed up as victims of thd Smiler roller coasters accident. They had

been seen on social media. They were heavily criticised. They have

reserved unapologetically - they have apologised unreservedlx. They

said it was a traditional costume but it is not traditional to have

legless costumes. The poll `sked if it was offensive and over 70% of

Babel said it was. A wildlife century has been

inundated with unwanted exotic pets. It has seen a dramatic rise in the

number of abandoned or unwanted creatures. It now has a waiting list

after referrals quadrupled. Our love for unusual

pets is on the rise, with 40% more exotic animal

licences issued last year in the West Midlands

than a decade ago. But for the Gentleshaw Wildlife

Centre in Eccleshall, an increase in the number

of creatures being neglected or abandonned means they're busier

than ever. We have had to set up

new bird enclosures, we have got animals

on a With things like social medha,

it is relatively easy to get hold of breeders and the prices havd dropped

and there are no regulations so you can buy whatever

animal you fancy. With a population of residents

outgrowing their number of cages the wildlife centre needs to find

long term solutions. Homes like the one belonging

to the expanding Hargrave Mum, Dad, seven-year-old Jaxden

and one-year-old Ava. Plus one dog, four cats,

a bearded dragon and three snakes, including the latest addition

adopted from Gentleshaw. We have got the space

and we know what we are doing. You would not have a child `nd then

just leave them with If you take on the responsibility

of an animal, you are taking on the responsibility of another lhving

being so you make sure they are fed I am definitely one of thosd that

you have an animal for life and if you cannot

offer it a home for life then you need to think

about whether you are going to take With food, water, warmth

and affection all this repthle needs Emma Thomas, BBC Midlands

Today, Staffordshire. Hello. A very good evening to you.

Well, it was disappointinglx cloudy today in the sun we did get did not

stay for long. It is not grdat timing but that cloud will lelt as

we head into tonight. It is good news from one respect and that is if

you're looking out for the leteor showers which are peaking tonight.

There could be up to 20 shooting stars per hour. We have cle`r skies

for it because this high prdssure is still in control and this error that

is feeding Ingleby dry, helping to break up that cloud. Winds coming in

from the East will be lightdr this weekend so any mist that develops

could take some time to lift and disbursed. We have also got a touch

of frost on the cards. We h`ve that tonight as well. Under thesd clear

skies, temperatures will dip to near freezing in the countryside. Or

Celsius elsewhere. We're getting that patchy fog and develophng into

the morning tomorrow, espechally in rural spots. It is a dry st`rted the

day and month that Folger dhsperses it is Sunshine all the way. That dry

air is upping to break up any club that develops along the way through

the day and temperatures br`king to about 11-14dC. The national forecast

is next with more details.