Police and council chiefs will be called to a special knife crime hearing following a spate of murders in Birmingham.
Deputy Police Commissioner Yvonne Mosquito and James McKay, council cabinet member for community safety, will be asked to attend the summit.
The meeting of the council’s social cohesion and community safety scrutiny committee was called in the wake of the stabbings of teenagers Azim Azam and Joshua Ribera.
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But it was only last year that the committee last held an inquiry into knife and gun crime. Conservative spokesman on community safety Coun Gareth Moore (Erdington) said: “In light of the recent stabbing incidents that occurred over the last few weeks in Birmingham, I strongly believe it worthwhile us discussing this at committee.”
He suggested a full review of the work of police and the education service in combatting knife culture and crime.
“Given that the reputation of Birmingham is being damaged by the publicity and the tragedy of such young people losing their lives it is of paramount importance that we look at this issue,” he added.
The committee’s Labour chairman Coun Waseem Zaffar (Lozells and East Handsworth) is unlikely to support a full inquiry so soon after the last one, but has agreed to a special meeting to review the knife crime situation.
“Our inquiry last year hit headlines saying that in Birmingham knife crime has reduced by 50 per cent in the last decade. Obviously, far from perfect but progress.”
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Coun Zaffar said that in the last week he had been in daily contact with the police and crime commissioner and Birmingham Community Safety Partnership and had asked representatives to attend a meeting of the committee.
He said: “I have asked them to brief councillors and the public on issues surrounding knife crime.”
He added that the committee would also be given the chance to discuss the possibility of a full inquiry.