Working on a busy high street, staff at Subway in Kings Heath, Birmingham, are used to dealing with tricky customers.

Teenagers leaping over the counter to steal entire trays of crisps and cookies, however, is not something they were prepared for.

The fizzy drinks fridge has been ransacked numerous times over the summer, the front door and windows smashed. Customers who were unfortunate to witness the attacks have been verbally abused, with one also having his bike vandalised.

“We’ve had a number of staff leave recently,” one worker says. “They should not have to come to work in fear.”

Along the road at Greggs, the gang has rushed in to steal armfuls of food. On one occasion, a female worker who tried to lock the doors to stop them was assaulted by a teenage girl.

A convenience store has been targeted so often they have to keep the doors locked all evening, the manager says as he scrolls through CCTV images of thefts and vandalism.

At Coustis hair salon, where hairdressing siblings Tina Bartlam and Antonio Constantinou have been for 40 years, the windows are boarded up after being smashed.

Kings Heath is known for its good schools, independent shops, lively music and art scene and strong community spirit.

But in recent months, the actions of a few have caused many to feel unsafe and unsure of who is in control.

Community groups on Facebook are filled with eyewitness reports of crimes taking place almost daily, fuelling anger and questions about why no-one seems to be able to put to a stop to it.

Insp Hayley Thompson, who oversees policing in Kings Heath, said the force took anti-social behaviour “incredibly seriously” and they were working to make the area safer.

But Matt Powell from Enjoy Kings Heath, the area’s Business Improvement District (BID), who has been taking calls from distressed shop owners for months, is sceptical.

“This community has been let down by the police,” he says.

“People feel like they’ve been abandoned.”

He has had a good relationship with officers over the years, but feels the lack of reassurance to the public about the recent crimewave has created a “vacuum” for people to consider vigilantism.

An even bigger problem, he says, is drug dealing taking place openly in the streets. Shoplifting is another major issue.

Powell says he understands the pressures of modern day policing and assumes something is happening behind the scenes they may not be privy to.

But “the lack of visible policing is surely making people feel like they can get away with it”, he says.

In July, West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), Labour’s Simon Foster, said £12.2m funding had paid for 150 new police officers in neighbourhood teams along with 20 police community support officers (PCSOs).

Another 139 officers are being redeployed into local teams to focus on a “prevention and problem solving approach”.

Talking to people on the high street, they feel it was a mistake to shut Kings Heath police station. It closed for good in 2025, 10 years after its front desk stopped taking inquiries from the public.

Officers from the neighbourhood policing team are based just over a mile away at Moseley Police Station, but there are concerns Kings Heath falls down the list of priorities.

Others waiting to speak to police are the parents of four boys who were threatened with a knife at Kings Heath Park.

The boys, aged 11 to 14, had gone there in the early evening of 29 August while their parents were at a function in the Red Lion pub.

They were approached by three teenagers and a scuffle ensued. A youth brandished a knife and told one of the visiting boys to “get on your knees”, which, terrified, he did.

“They managed to escape – my brother ran and knocked on the door of the nearest house but no-one was in so they ran back to the pub,” the boy’s older sister says.

Her 11-year-old son and his friend had run away in fear but found a couple walking their dog who returned them safely to their parents.

While they spoke with police on the night, the family says no searches or arrests were made in the area, and a week after the ordeal they have still not been contacted by officers.

The force told the BBC it was unable to comment on this case.

Recently installed Lime scooters and bikes near the new Kings Heath railway station have been spotted being used by children as young as 12, who are dangerously weaving in and out of traffic and kicking cars.

The bikes should only be ridden by over 18s and identification is required for anyone setting up an account.

Lime says it is working with police to help prevent underage riding and wants members of the public to report incidents to it.

It also urges adults not to unlock vehicles for children, adding it is a “shared responsibility”.

The crimewave led Councillor Jordan Phillip to write a public letter to West Midlands Police asking for a meeting to discuss the force’s plan of action.

“There is a growing perception among residents that the problem remains unaddressed and the situation is continuing unchecked,” he wrote.

His Green Party colleague, Councillor Hamzah Sheikh, is the lead on anti-social behaviour for the ward and also sits on the West Midlands Police and Crime Panel.

“I’ve lived here for three years,” he said. “It has changed to the point that people don’t feel safe walking up the high street.”

When asked if the area had been let down by police, he nodded.

“Neighbourhood policing is at breaking point,” he says.

“They have a hard job and they don’t have the resources to do what they’ve got to do.”

A woman who was assaulted near the railway station says police have kept her informed during their investigation. Two shop owners say they have been visited by officers but agree much more needs to be done.

Sheikh says he has spoken to the parents of some of the youths accused of running riot.

One mother has received death threats, possibly triggered by anger on social media.

“The mother is distraught. She’s doing everything she can,” he says of the struggle to control her child’s actions.

Many people are sympathetic and want to help. A number of residents say a multi-agency approach is needed – that it is not just about the police, but also education, structure and support from social services and the community.

Al Carns, the MP for Birmingham Selly Oak which includes part of Kings Heath, says he is well aware of problems, with more than 100 offences thought to have been committed by the same group.

“It started as petty anti-social behaviour pre-Christmas and has escalated to significant shoplifting and theft. We’ve got to put an end to it,” he says.

He says neighbourhood officers have increased by 49% in a year, which is significant, and urges people to get in touch with him if they continue to have issues.

On Wednesday, two boys aged 13 and 14 were charged with theft of a motor vehicle as part of police’s efforts to crack down on crime in the area.

The force said it could not respond to a number of questions from the BBC because of the live case.

“We want everyone to enjoy living or visiting Kings Heath and not be intimidated,” Insp Thompson says.

“Making our communities safer is a priority for us and we’ll continue to work with partners to achieve this.”

The PCC says the “serious concerns raised have been immediately escalated to the Chief Superintendent of Birmingham Local Policing Area”.

“I expect the local Neighbourhood Team to tackle the crime and anti-social behaviour as a matter of urgency,” he added.

He said West Midlands Police had 500 fewer police officers and 500 fewer PCSOs than in 2010 but “the majority of other police force areas have more than they have ever had”.

“I have been repeatedly calling on government to ensure our region receives its fair share of officers and funding for over five years, but unfortunately government will not listen and will not act,” he said.

A Home Office spokeswoman says it is delivering “the biggest reforms to policing in over 200 years to allow forces to focus on protecting their community”.

“Police force funding this year is at a historic high of £18.5bn, with West Midlands Police seeing a cash increase of 4.1%.”

A wider review of the police funding formula will also take place to ensure it is “fair and responsive to local needs”, a statement added.

The feeling of lawlessness has galvanised the community in many ways. A petition has been started, external urging authorities to work together to protect residents.

The councillors say they are committed to helping to turn things around.

“I’m fighting for this community. I want to be here for the rest of my life,” Sheikh tells the BBC.

Coustis’s Tina Bartlam says they have been feeling “abandoned and vulnerable” but that swift, hard work is needed to recover.

“This is redeemable, but it needs to be done quickly,” she says.

“We need a short, sharp shock.”

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