Residents and traders have leapt to the defence of the most crime-ridden neighbourhood in England and Wales – saying they love living there and feel life is now finally improving.
analysis of crime rates across 37,000 neighbourhoods – available to view in an interactive map – this week identified Birmingham’s Ladywood district as being the worst for offences.
The equivalent of almost five people in that inner-city area – home to the city’s main transport hub – were attacked, raped or sexually assaulted each day in 2024.
But locals have now said the revelations are a shock to them – with some insisting that, in contrast, the place feels like a ‘ghost town’ rather than a crime hotspot.
By tapping or hovering over different areas in the map shared below, you can see the total number of violent or sexual offences logged, as well as the crime density – that is, reports per square mile.
The map excludes crimes committed on trains or at train stations because they are dealt with by the British Transport Police, rather than the local force.
The figures include all alleged crimes which are reported to the police and given a crime number, regardless of the outcome of any investigation.
The pop-ups are named by the electoral ward which covers the neighbourhood and the local authority, meaning neighbouring areas may appear with the same name but have different statistics.
Within Birmingham, for example, there are 15 instances of Ladywood – though one particular district, technically called E01033620, has been identified as England and Wales’s violent crime capital.
Some 1,782 violent or sexual crimes were committed in that one-fifth of a square mile area throughout 2024, data analysed by shows – equating to about 8,500 violent crimes per square mile in the area patrolled by West Midlands Police.
When compared with its more than 1,200 population, this gives a crime rate of 1,441 per 1,000 residents – more than double that of the second-worst neighbourhood in England and Wales, an area in Doncaster (766 per 1,000 residents).
But Princess Buthalzi, 54, a carer who has lived in Ladywood for more than 12 years, says crime levels in the district actually seem to have been improving.
She said: ‘In this area it’s better – for me it’s really quiet now compared to five or 10 years ago.
‘I can’t say much as I’m not here all the time but I know it was bad before. I think it’s calm and got really better.
‘I can’t say it’s because of the police. I don’t see police patrolling here, police in this place? No way. I’ve never seen the police here before, only if there’s a crime. Nothing happens here much at all really.’
Dave and Anne Hughes, regular visitors to the Ladywood area, have now told they felt taken aback by the newly-revealed crime statistics – and insisted there were more dangerous places in the very same city.
Mr Hughes, 73, said: ‘I’m utterly staggered by that comment – we never have much of a problem.
‘We don’t come here at night but this area always strikes me as the opposite to what is being claimed.
‘It’s extremely open and friendly. One of the things I like about Birmingham compared to any other city – and it’s not the best by a million miles – is the cross-section of people without aggravation proves otherwise.
‘There’s other areas that are far worse in the suburbs. I’m not just surprised, I’m staggered that anyone is putting this out – mainly because of our experiences.’
His wife Anne, 71, said: ‘It could be at night-time, though – it would be completely different here for sure. But it would be anywhere.
‘I would say, if I came here by myself as a woman I wouldn’t feel threatened, not here – I would feel completely safe.’
Sue Scott, 74, from Ladywood, agrees that the statistics come as no surprise, but she does feel safe in the area.
Living in the neighbourhood for a long time, she says that she feels no danger walking around.
‘The statistics don’t surprise me in recent years. I’ve lived here a long time so I feel safe. I haven’t noticed any dangers here while walking around.
‘At night time, I only go to the local shops so I feel safe. If the police are needed, they are here straight away.’
Retired Colin D’Souza, 63, moved to Ladywood from another area in Birmingham and also says that they have never had any trouble.
He says that he was met with surprise when he told people that he was moving to the area, most of which were saying it’s a mistake.
Colin also mentioned that there are more parking meter attendants than police officers in the neighbourhood.
He said: ‘I’ve lived in Birmingham all my life. When I was moving here, people were saying ‘that’s the biggest mistake you’re going to make.’ But since living here, I’ve had no problem.
‘I’ve not had any hassle from anyone around here. Ladywood’s got such a bad reputation.
‘There’s going to be crime wherever you go. I don’t know about the police, but there’s always parking people around. There’s more parking meter people than police.’
Christopoher Brown, 50, says that the people of Ladywood are ‘respectful’ and also said that ‘there’s nothing wrong with the area.’
He is unemployed, also from Ladywood, and has never had any trouble at all and is more concerned about the cleanliness of the area.
‘There’s nothing wrong with Ladywood. I’ve had no trouble at all. You’re only going to get in trouble if you go out looking for it.
‘All the lads around here are alright, they’ll offer you a drink. No problem at all. They’re all respectful around here. The only problem with this area is that it’s dirty.
‘There’s never any police around here.’
Linsay Hudson, 59, visits Ladywood every day and was at first intimidated by the neighbourhood.
However, she then explained that she has never had any problems at all after getting to know the people.
She said: ‘When I first came here, I did feel intimidated, but as you get to know the people, there’s no problems. I personally haven’t had any problems.
‘I haven’t seen any police around here. I’ve not had any troubles at all. When I do visit, there are no problems.’
Trish, in her 60’s, also lives in the area and disputes that the area is friendly and says that she has never felt threatened.
She explained: ‘It’s a very friendly place. Whatever happens, it doesn’t happen under my nose.
‘I’ve never felt threatened. Statistics can be distorted.’
Jordan Wilson, 38, believes that Ladywood is not as bad as the numbers make out, but does agree that the area becomes more dangerous at night.
He said: ‘It’s not too bad to be fair. As long as you get along with everyone – everyone gets along to be fair.
‘In the night, it’s a different story with the youth running around. You wouldn’t want to be walking through these alleyways here on your own – but other than that, it’s sweet.
‘The numbers don’t surprise me. Things happen. Kids are kids. They get themselves into these mad situations. The authorities should be doing more patrols.
‘There should be more police walking around really.’
While Jordan thinks that people can get along in the area, Angela Mckeever, 58, certainly doesn’t think it’s safe.
The accountant, from Ladywood, says that she will refuse to walk around the area, and will only drive – even with a short journey to the shops.
She also says that the area becomes more active at night.
When asked if she feels safe in the area, she said: ‘No, I don’t feel safe walking outside my door.
‘Even if I go to the corner shop, I go in the car. You can hear them screaming and shouting at night.
‘I’ve been here 20 years. More police should be in the area and there should be better communication. You don’t see police but you see traffic wardens.
‘I don’t go out and I wouldn’t recommend that to anyone.’
Meanwhile, 26-year-old Liam who works at barbershop Shepherds in the city centre, said he had lived in Birmingham for seven years and did not feel the area had a crime problem.
He said: ‘I think you do see something once a day, just like screaming or people getting into fights, general disorder – people in shop fronts, that kind of thing.
‘They get moved and cause a disturbance. I would say if you move out of the area it gets worse – if anything, I think because of the amount of people here I don’t feel unsafe here at all.
‘I live in the Jewellery Quarter and I have to walk there and I haven’t seen anything in about seven years – once or twice I’ve seen police confiscating a knife, but that’s it.
‘I probably wouldn’t say this isn’t the most crime-ridden area. There are a lot of police here, so depending on the statistics, some crime in other areas might go missed because there’s fewer officers around.
‘We have two undercover officers on New Street at all times. But I do think there is a stigma around Birmingham being one of the most unsafe places, but I haven’t witnessed that much. The police are on it.
‘I’m from Stoke-on-Trent and there’s no crime there – I’ve moved here and it’s not much different in terms of that.’
Yet others have raised concerns about crime and anti-social behaviour in their local surroundings.
Ali Pouyan, who owns Polo Pastas, says that the New Street area is rife with drug dealers picking up customers and homeless people.
Mr Pouyan, 49, said: ‘We see a lot of things here. One of the main thing is the homelessness and then the night out crowds cause a lot of trouble in here.
‘I don’t think you want to go around with your kids and see drunk people.
‘Drug dealers pick up their passengers here, they park up – some come on the train and pick them up and it’s a nightmare.
‘Some are giving drugs to the homeless. It’s a hotspot here, because a lot of things happen here.
‘I’ve had my window smashed up a couple of times. Drunk people are the main problem. A Friday night can be frightening for us and there’s no one out there.’
Darryl Osbourne, 35, said Ladywood was like a ghost town and downplayed suggestions the area was dangerous.
Mr Osbourne, who runs T.E Convenience and Off Licence, said: ‘I don’t see anything. I know there are parts of the area which are bad, but I don’t see anything.
‘It’s like a ghost town here. It’s a big area so there are parts which can be bad – in terms of what I see at work, I wouldn’t say it was anything that bad.
‘It’s pretty quiet – we’re open until 9pm and don’t actually see anything. There’s no begging either, there’s not enough people coming past. It’s very community-based.
‘A few years ago I think it was bad, but it’s quiet now – nothing ever really happens here.’
A worker in a cafe along New Street said the main problem locally was homelessness.
The man, who wished to remain anonymous, said: ‘I was born and raised in Birmingham and lived here my whole life.
‘I would say there are way worse areas than the city centre. I think people are cool and calm, people are doing their everyday lives. You just have to keep your wits about you, but that’s true for anywhere.
‘Homeless numbers are strong here and they can cause a bit of an issue. But I don’t have a problem walking to and from work everyday.’
Also in the highest five neighbourhoods for crime in the new analysis are one within Newcastle-upon-Tyne city centre (669) and then the tourist hotspot of Brighton Beach, with a rate of 664 per 1,000 residents.
A total of 6,319 out of more than 37,000 Lower layer Super Output Areas’ (LSOAs), or 17 per cent, have violent crime rates of more than 50 per 1,000 residents – the equivalent of one in 20 residents reporting a crime.
More than 2.2million violent or sexual crimes reported to police across 2023-2024 in England and Wales, according to official Government figures.
That marked one of the worst years on record, while reports of crimes such as assault, GBH, murder, rape and sexual assault have tripled over the last decade.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper vowed to halve knife crime by the end of 2034 in her speech to Labour’s party conference last September.
She said the Government would ban the sale of ninja and samurai swords and that she would ban repeat anti-social offenders from town centres with new ‘respect orders’.
She also wants to bring in 13,000 new police officers and bring more bobbies back on the beat.