A council leader has warned his own town’s streets are “lawless and dangerous” after a number of recent violent incidents.
The warning comes after a number of crimes rocked Walsall, in the West Midlands, including the murder of Bailey Atkinson, 20, at the weekend by outside an Asda superstore.
A number of stabbings and shootings have also been reported in the last 12 months, raising fears for people’s safety.
Far from moving to belay fears, Walsall Council’s leader Mike Bird has agreed the market town’s streets are not safe at night.
He told Birmingham Live: “Gangs are, and have been for some time in Walsall, lawless and as a result we have to liaise with the police to find out what we can do to make the streets safer.
“It's something which has been festering for the last two or three years and rescuing our streets from these individuals is extremely difficult.
"Any violence makes people very uneasy, there are meetings going on today to see what we can do.
"One issue is the night-time economy in Walsall is a dangerous place to be. It happens in other parts of the country.
“Police have got a difficult job to do when you've got people of this calibre who are prepared to kill."
Since the weekend murder of Bailey Atkinson police have introduced stop and search powers of people suspected to have been involved in the violence.
It covered the areas of St Matthews, Bloxwich West and East, Blakenall, Birchills and Leamore.
Sergeant Phil Upton, Neighbourhood Policing Supervisor, said: "We don't take the decision to use S60 lightly and only after careful consideration.
"These powers allow us to stop and search people we may suspect may be involved in violence, or carrying weapons, without the need to have reasonable grounds. Our aim is to keep everyone safe.
“We will have increased patrols in these areas and uniformed officers. The increased presence of officers and the additional powers helps us to keep our communities safe.”
A spokesman added the murder investigation into Bailey's death was ongoing and officers “are working around the clock” to identify those behind his killing.
A number of stabbings and shootings have been reported in the town in the last year.
In December two stabbings in the space of a fortnight shocked Walsall, including one person attacked while he was riding a bus.
