'I feel like I can't let my kids go out' – Worried parents speak out after teen stabbed at Wolverhampton park sparking murder probe

Those are the words of a Wolverhampton mum who has spoken of her fear after a teenager was fatally stabbed in a city park.

The woman said she knew something "major" had happened when she saw police cars rushing to the scene of the incident at West Park at around 4.30pm on Thursday.

A murder investigation has launched into the death of the teenage boy, whose identity officers are still working to confirm.

It is the latest in a long line of stabbing deaths to take place in Wolverhampton and not the first time a young person has lost their life in West Park.

In 2018, 14-year-old Viktorija Sokolova was killed by 17-year-old Ayman Aziz in a terrifying rape and murder that shocked the nation.

Aziz was later convicted of his crimes and jailed for life with a minimum term of 19 years.

The latest incident has sparked concern among parents, with one mum claiming she is frightened to let her kids go out.

She said: "I saw obviously the police coming yesterday and I knew straight away something major had happened.

"Then there were police dogs and armed police. It just made me really upset because I have got kids myself.

"Obviously I don't know the ins and outs of it but over the years it has got worse around here.

"I think it is more heightened when you have got kids. It is just getting worse with what is going on with guns and knives – you just don't feel safe."

Another mum said it is was "frightening" to see knife crime on the rise, but acknowledged that the issue is "worldwide" and not just in Wolverhampton.

She said: "Knife crime is exceptionally prevalent anyway, but it is just getting worse and it is the fact that there are younger people dying.

"This is shocking isn't it but I think we have had quite a few deaths recently over the last probably two years we had about three or four people in this near proximity dying.

"It is really frightening and I am not 100 per cent sure what we can do about it because it is a wider problem.

"The fact that it has happened here is shocking. It is young lives, that is two families whose lives have been absolutely changed. It is not just the victim's family but the perpetrators family as well.

"It is really sad, I have got two children of my own and I am not 100 per cent sure how we can tackle this problem. I think there is a society change that needs to take place.

"I don't feel safe walking around at night unfortunately but it is not just Wolverhampton, it is worldwide. Nobody feels safe walking about, it is not just due to Wolverhampton – every city is the same."

She went on to praise the work of police and emergency services, but said "there is only so much they can do".

A third mum, who has lived near West Park for more than 20 years, said she still believes it to be a safe place.

She added: "When we heard what had happened it was just devastating and it scared me a little bit.

"I woke up this morning and thought about the family and the parents (of those involved). I still feel safe walking around, we don't know what has happened.

"I think it is an isolated incident. I feel bad because people will think 'oh West Park don't go there'.

"It is a lovely old Victorian park, it is really lovely but we are where we are, it is the way of the world."

West Midlands Police confirmed on Friday morning that officers were yet to mark an arrest in connection to the fatal stabbing.

Wolverhampton Council said West Park currently remains closed to the public.

Anyone with information about the incident has been asked to contact West Midlands Police via Live Chat on the force's website, or by calling 101, quoting log 3259 of March 7.

Alternatively, people can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.