Valerie Supports Fight Against Walsall Crime

Serious violent crime has increased in Walsall. I met with the Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster and Chief Superintendent Phil Dolby on 17 March to discuss the recent murders and crime on Milton Street. Jack Lowe, who was 18, Bailey Atkinson and Akeem Francis-Kerr were murdered in and around the town centre. 

On Milton Street, I was told there are prostitutes and drug dealing—shopkeepers are saying they are tired of seeing young people with money in their pockets. 

In 2022 1,937 violence and sexual offences were recorded in the area around the town centre. There were 4,917 offences in the last 3 years total indicating a crime surge during 2022. More must be done by the partnerships to ensure people in Walsall can feel safe especially in the Town Centre.  

I met shopkeepers in Milton Street on Saturday 25 March to discuss their concerns.