Terror grips Coventry: Residents cower as gangs rule streets

Drug gangs are terrorising the residents of the English city of Coventry. Residents say they are afraid to leave their homes after dark. "I try and forget the horrible things going on around me but it is not easy," said one city resident in an interview with the "Daily Mail".

Coventry is a city located in the county of West Midlands, which in the 20th century was an industrial powerhouse and today is considered one of the most dangerous in the United Kingdom and even in all of Europe. Residents say they are afraid to leave their homes after dark due to the gangs prowling the streets of Coventry.

- We are grateful for a new beginning but feel sad it is in Coventry. There is too much crime, lots of threatening gangs and fights everywhere. The UK is safer than Afghanistan, of course, but where we live and work feels very unsafe at times. It is scary, says an 18-year-old Afghan who came to the United Kingdom four years ago to start a new life, in the "Daily Mail".

- I like the UK but I don’t like Coventry. I hate it! - says the teenager living in the notorious Hillfields neighbourhood, which has become a mix of different cultures.

Life can be brutal here and at times it is very dangerous. I've been attacked on the streets here and I never feel safe - said a 57-year-old Pole, an unemployed chef, to "DM". - I live here because I have no choice - admitted the man.

Another Pole - Artur - who once worked in a warehouse and now lives on state benefits, told "DM": "The streets are full of criminals and working girls and you try to ignore it".

In October last year, a gang of eight men armed with, among other things, knives, attacked a teenager in front of witnesses, causing him numerous stab wounds. The shocking scenes were captured by city surveillance cameras. The gang members (aged 19 to 21) were apprehended. They were sentenced to a total of over 75 years in prison.

23-year-old Marley Severs, quoted by "DM", admitted that during her stay in the city, she witnessed several crimes, including assaults and thefts. Other residents of Coventry say the same. They uniformly agree that the situation has worsened in recent years. Interestingly, even a former member of one of the gangs admits this.

There was a lot of crime in Coventry but a lot of things didn't get reported (...) Things have changed now, the gangs have a divided communities and made the communities scared and they can't even speak out when something goes wrong anymore. (...) Now, neighbours don't look out for each other now. If their house gets smashed, they don't want to say anything because they are too scared of the consequences if they open the mouth to the police - claims the interlocutor of "DM".

City residents complain about the police's slowness. The owner of a mobile phone store told "DM" that in recent years, his store has been robbed at least four times, and "the police did absolutely nothing." The man invested in a large safe and burglar-proof windows.

It used to be a very good area with schools and a city college but it has gone downhill over the years. It is absolutely awful, - complains the man.