Police in Coventry are struggling to meet all 999 calls as a "wave of violent crime" grips the city, it has been claimed.
Councillor Ed Ruane said the shocking admission was made at a police meeting called to see what more could be done to tackle rising youth and gang crime in the city.
Just this month alone there have been two serious stabbings and also a shooting in the city.
One happened on September 20 when a man was left in a critical condition in Hillfields after being knifed in Victoria Street.
Fidel Glasgow, the 21-year-old grandson of Coventry ska legend Neville Staple, was stabbed to death at the start of the month, and two people were injured in a shooting in Far Gosford Street.
Cllr Ruane said it was "extremely concerning" that police were struggling to respond to all 999 calls.
He added: "It does feel like we've reached a new wave of violent crime in the city."
West Midlands Police did not comment on the claims that officers were struggling to respond to all 999 calls.
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But Supt Phil Healy, from Coventry Police, said the force is "determined to deal with the concerns of our communities".
What did the police say?
A statement from police did not address Cllr Ruane's claim about 999 calls but in it Superintendent Phil Healy added: "We had a very productive meeting with Councillor Ruane where we were able to discuss our work around tackling gang and youth violence in Coventry.
"This is not always visible to the public but they should be assured we are determined to deal with the concerns of our communities."
Cuts to officers
Despite the assurances, Cllr Ruane said funding cuts to the force had seen "proactive policing" declining.
He said he feared it would take a "regional or national incident" for those in charge to realise what effect cuts to policing have had.
"The level of proactive policing is declining, therefore for the foreseeable future we will continue to see an increase in knife crime and violent crime as a whole," he added.
"Cuts have reduced police officer and police station levels to the point where they are struggling to meet all 999 calls, so this is an indication of the level of proactive policing they can deliver.
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"The biggest fear is that gun and knife crime will increase to the level where there will be a regional or national incident that will wake people up to the kind of resources the police have. That's when people will say this can't go on."
'Out of control'
Another leading city councillor also agreed violent incidents in the city are “getting out of control”.
Councillor Jim O’Boyle, who represents Hillfields as part of his role as a councillor for St Michaels Ward, said more police officers were needed on the ground to try and stem the tide.
He added that hundreds of police officers had been lost in Coventry as a result of police budgets being cut.
He said: “It’s having a clear effect.
“Clearly as a councillor I am very concerned about it [the stabbing in Hillfields on September 20].
“The three councillors for the area, we have regular meetings with police inspectors and their sergeants about rising levels of crime.
“It is very, very noticeable in our ward, particularly in the village square. There have been loads of incidents, it’s getting out out of control.
“We keep pressing the police to do more and they are telling us they are doing what they can do.
“Clearly we want the police to prioritise Hillfields in terms of their patrolling strategy, they need to put more boots on the ground and infiltrate some of these gangs.
“We want them to do more to keep people safe, and people don’t feel safe at the moment.”
He added: “I just wish the government would listen to the people who really know what is happening. The police have said themselves they just don’t have the resources to deal with everything anymore.”
Earlier this year we reported how students in Coventry were scared to walk on the city’s streets after a number of stabbings and muggings.
It followed three reported stabbings in two weeks in February near to student accommodation in the city.
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Police providing 'poor service'
It is only two months since the chief constable of West Midlands Police admitted budget cuts meant the public were not getting the policing service it deserves.
Dave Thompson said the force sometimes provided a "poor service" that did not meet the public's expectations.
In the interview he said: "The level of calls we're receiving this summer are very challenging [and] sometimes that service that we're providing [at] those peak times doesn't meet what the public expect.
"I get that. Sometimes that service will be a poor service, sometimes actually the service is what we can and say we will offer, and sometimes that might not always be what the public want to see."
Glamorising violence
The meeting with Coventry Police was arranged to discuss youth violence after 'drill' music videos glamorising violence were posted to YouTube by youngsters in the city.
Drill music is a type of hip hop characterised by its distinctive so-called trap-style beat and ominous sounds.
Music videos posted online often feature hooded and masked gangs threatening each other, with lyrics about drugs, guns and stabbing rivals with knives.
West Midlands Police has already had several removed from online.
Cllr Ruane said: "I'm not for a second tarring a whole genre with the same brush and saying it should be banned, but clearly there are gangs using social media to glamorise and glorify gun and knife violence .
"They are talking about acts of violence they want to carry out on each other and this is going out to a much wider audience, including younger people who look up to these gangs.
"This can be seen as a form of grooming where the gangs are inciting others to carry out violent acts. The reality is they are not just talking about it, they are living it, and it's not so much the music videos than about tackling the gangs themselves."
Cllr Ruane has since contacted Coventry Police urging action to be taken on further 'drill' music videos online, including those associated with the RB7 gang.
Superintendent Healy added: "As stated previously we share concerns over music videos which glamorise violence and crime.
"We are working with the Metropolitan Police and social media providers to discuss the withdrawal of such videos and West Midlands Police has successfully done this twice recently.
"However, there is a stringent process and this can only done if all criteria is met."
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