SECOND CITY IS FIRST FOR GUNS

Drug gang wars blamed for West Mids topping London

- PHIL CARDY and SCOTT HESKETH

BIRMINGHAM is now the gun capital of Britain following a huge explosion in gang violence, official figures reveal.

Firearms offences in the region have rocketed by 86% - with West Midlands police recording 1,089 gun crimes in the 12 months to March, up from 584 the previous year.

The surge has seen the West Midlands, with a population of 2.9 million, overtake previous gun hotspot London, home to million and where the Met Police the country's largest force - logged 1,087 gun crimes in the same period.

8.8 The shocking figures from the Office for National Statistics suggest little progress has been made since the deaths of Letisha Shakespeare, 17, and Charlene Ellis, 18.

The friends were killed as they left a New Year party in the early hours of January 2, 2003 and were caught in the crossfire of a turf war between rival Birmingham gangs the Burger Bar Boys and the Johnson Crew.

Letisha's mum Marcia, who has dedicated her life to fighting gun and gang crime, said: "Unfortunately, it's not a surprise.

"It's sad that we're back in the same place we were 20 years ago."

VICIOUS CYCLE

Marcus Ellis, Nathan Martin, Michael Gregory and Rodrigo Simms, allegedly Burger Bar Boys, were jailed for life in 2005 for murdering Letisha and Charlene.

Marcia set up the Precious Trust charity and has been awarded an MBE for her work. She blames the surge in gun crime on factors including Covid, poverty and county lines dealers and warns it will get worse without a long-term plan.