More than 10 years ago, the West Midlands was dubbed the gun crime capital of England and Wales.
It was an area suffering from high-profile shootings. Gun fights between rival gangs were happening regularly.
Figures at the time reflected that notoriety – there were more firearms offences per head in the West Midlands Police force area than anywhere else.
“Back then, there were shootings every day, reported shootings every day and unreported shootings every day,” says Simeon Moore, also known as Zimbo, an ex-Johnson crew member – one of the Birmingham’s most notorious gangs in the noughties.
New figures seen by News show shootings in the West Midlands force area – covering Birmingham, Wolverhampton, the Black Country and Coventry – have dropped significantly over the past six years.
“Things have calmed down dramatically since the early 2000s,” Zimbo, who now mentors youngsters, said.
While the numbers are not directly comparable, due to the criteria in the way they were gathered and published, in 2002-03 the force recorded about 1,300 gun crimes, external, compared with 504 in the 2024 calendar year, external.
A more direct snapshot of the past six years also shows things are improving.
In 2020-21, there were a total of 157 firearms discharges, while a year later in 2021-2022 there were 148.
By last year, the number of discharges had dropped to 69 and in the first seven months of 2026, there had only been 30, according to figures from West Midlands Police.