A city title has built a dedicated web portal focusing solely on knife crime on its patch as part of major new campaign.

BirminghamLive’s real life editor Stephanie Balloo spent three months covering all angles of knife crime in the city, from sharing stories of reformed gang members and stepping behind-the-scenes with gang police, to exposing the influence of social media and cruel grooming tactics.

Her research has now spawned a dedicated website entitled ‘Deep Cuts‘ which amounts to a wide-ranging examination of knife violence in the West Midlands.

The site, inspired by the death of 12-year-old knife crime victim Leo Ross, unearths fresh data about the extent of the problem and seeks to tell the stories of those involved.

In the course of its investigations, BirminghamLive found deadly weapons being sold online for as little as £1.90 and pushed through the letter box, with no questions asked.

However these knives were taken offline as soon as BirminghamLive shared its concerns.

The site revealed data showing how kids are less likely to be punished for knife crime than before the pandemic, with Stephanie witnessing first hand kids walking out of court with a ‘slap on the wrist.’

BirminghamLive is now pushing for change in the form of five key demands: Prioritising after-school clubs, opening conversations with children, parental controls on social media, tougher sentencing for knife possession, and real punishment for weapon sellers.

Said Stephanie: “As funding runs dry for after-school clubs in gang hotspots, they’re left with nothing to do, nothing to eat and nowhere to turn but the streets.

“They’re kids who are vaping from the age of 11, going hungry all day and carrying knives out of fear.”

BirminghamLive editor Graeme Brown, pictured, added: “It’s become increasingly upsetting to see the nature and prevalence of knife crime in the city. It has always been a scourge but we routinely report on incidents involving children who should in in school or playing with their friends.

“We could no longer sit on the sidelines and just report and this wide-ranging project kicks is the start of our involvement in trying to push for better for our children.”