By Police declare major incident after city stabbings horror
Multiple people have been stabbed in Birmingham city centre and police have declared a major incident.
West Midlands Police were called to reports of a stabbing at around 12.30am today (Sunday) and a number of other stabbings were reported in the area a short time after.
A spokesperson for the Force said: “We are aware of a number of injured people, but at the moment we are not in a position to say how many or how serious.
“However, all emergency services are working together at the scene, and making sure that those who are injured receive medical care.
“This has been declared a major incident.
“Work is still going on to establish what has happened, and could take some time before we are in a position to confirm anything. At this early stage it would not be appropriate to speculate on the causes of the incident.”
They continued: “The emergency services have well-rehearsed plans for dealing with major incidents. Our response is ongoing in Birmingham city centre and will be for some time. Cordons are in place, and there are some road closures.
“The public’s safety is our priority. We are now reviewing our policing across the city and will make any necessary changes. You may see a greater police presence in the area.
“We would urge you to remain calm (but vigilant) and to stay away from the area. To keep updated on what is happening please follow the @wmpolice twitter account.”
One eyewitness told the BBC: “Working on the club scene for over two years, I’ve always seen quite a lot of fights but it was nothing like tonight. The body language and demeanour was quite different.
“The amount of things that I’ve heard have happened tonight in the space of three hours, with the stabbings that have happened, the car crashes and multiple other things it’s such a huge shock to me.”
The police cordon is near the area known as the Gay Village in the centre of Birmingham, the BBC’s Simon Jones reported.
Many people had been seated at outdoor tables eating and drinking on Saturday evening.
The streets in the area had already been closed to traffic due to coronavirus restrictions.
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