Police urge students to ‘engage with the facts’ on safety in Selly Oak

Police in Selly Oak have hit back at ‘inaccurate’ reports that crime in Selly Oak has rocketed over recent weeks, referring to statistics which suggest the recent spike in crime may have been exaggerated, and warning against ‘social media gossip’.

In an official statement, Superintendent Paul Minor of Birmingham Police said, ‘I understand people’s crime concerns and while one crime is clearly one too many, the figures speak for themselves.’

‘All crimes across Selly Oak are down since modern crime recording methods were introduced in 2010. What we’ve seen over the past three months is a slight rise − a rise often seen across the UK in winter − but a rise that we’re tackling robustly’.

The statement points out that despite robbery rates having been raised as ‘a cause for concern’ by locals, statistics show that rates have remained largely static, with detectives investigating seven robberies in January 2016 — three more than in December and just one more than the previous January.

Statistics show that crime rates have remained static

These statistics are at odds with the letter accompanying the recent petition demanding ‘increased action and constant police control within Selly Oak area.’ The petition claims ‘a huge increase in crime’ in Selly Oak, also suggesting that Selly Oak has ‘always been a particularly high-crime area’ and that ‘very little seems to have been done on the streets themselves’, all statements that now appear to be inaccurate.

In a Q&A on Twitter this afternoon, Selly Oak police officers responded to questions about safety in Selly Oak. One tweet reiterated the fact that robbery figures have remained static, adding that ‘social media gossip’ has ‘added fuel to [local concerns]’, referring to a number of posts on the Fab N Fresh Facebook group reporting muggings in the Selly Oak area, as reported by Redbrick last week.

The claims made in the petition now appear to be inaccurate

When asked later in the Q&A whether students should avoid the mugging-related posts on social media, the police replied ‘please engage with Selly Oak Police for the facts’.

This appeal by the police to engage only with facts comes at a time when a number of students have stated they no longer feel safe in Selly Oak. This is an issue that is unlikely to be improved by the spread of unverified claims or use of emotive language when talking about crime in the area.

The statement also rebukes claims that the police ‘aren’t doing enough’, stating that ‘officers are working around the clock to keep people living in the area − including students − safe with uniformed and plain clothed patrols taking place at all hours of the day.’

Supt Minor offered explanations for two commonly suggested reasons for the low rate, which may come as a surprise to many students. ‘There will be people suggesting these rates are low because people are not reporting offences to the police — there is no evidence for this’, he said. ‘Burglary and robbery rates are good indicators of what is actually happening on the streets, because people need to report them to make insurance claims.’

Supt Minor also pointed out that, because student homes count as multiple dwellings, every person who has property stolen during a robbery would be counted individually, even though there has only been one offence committed, which is not the case when a family home is targeted. This suggests that, if anything, burglary statistics in a student area can be skewed upwards. ‘Given the number of people who live in the area and the issue of multiple dwellings, crime rates compare favourably to other areas in the city’, he added, referring to the fact that Selly Oak’s crime rate in December 2015 was the 19th-lowest of Birmingham’s 41 neighbourhoods.

One student tweeted asking whether the police supported the possibility of CCTV being implemented in Selly Oak, adding that ‘clearly we can’t expect 24hr patrols’. The police response was that ‘CCTV is cost-prohibitive, however it is always a consideration if funding streams can be found’.