Perry Barr’s high unemployment fuels shoplifting, with gangs selling stolen goods. Locals cite benefit issues and job scarcity.
Perry Barr in Birmingham has high unemployment. About one in six people lack work, which is around 12,800 people. The area looks bad with trash everywhere despite hosting the Commonwealth Games recently.
Locals think benefits are too good, and they say finding jobs is hard. This situation fuels crime. Security guards say poor people steal together, and gangs sometimes recruit them. They steal from shops daily using tricks.
Darren, 42, drinks cider outside the job center. He used to take many drugs, and he says the area is scary. He has seen kidnappings and fights and is too sick to work now after drinking heavily.
Darren takes pills to avoid getting sick and says job center staff do not care. He feels they treat him badly, and they just want to go home.
Many people are outside the job center building. One man, in his 50s, will claim benefits. He worked for 27 years but is now sick. A job center worker thinks people get paid too much on benefits.
Mark, also in his 40s, is homeless and says Perry Barr wastes its potential. He feels he cannot return to work because his mental health is poor. He sleeps on the floor with rats.
Locals are frustrated by a lack of jobs. Sohail Taj, 45, leaves for Pakistan because he couldn’t find work here. He has a one-way ticket and says the job center does not help, arguing that they just give money and job websites.
Taxi costs became too high, and expenses cut his earnings in half. He now relies on benefits. His housemates can only find jobs far away. It would take hours to get there on unreliable transport.
One housemate is an Afghan refugee who is stuck on benefits. He does not speak English, and Sohail helps him look for jobs. The young man feels depressed.
Job center workers say language is a problem and that Perry Barr’s jobless rate looks high because they took on clients from another location. Health and motivation impact job searches.
A drunk man yelled about benefits. This shows the challenges staff face. Security at a shopping center blames joblessness and says it makes people steal.
Some thieves give goods to people in cars. The guard thinks these are crime bosses. Some shoplifters fear someone else if they don’t steal, saying there are no jobs available.
The guard saw a woman who steals, and she ran away from him. Two men drink cider nearby. This guard says one “sends people to steal” and that they get caught on purpose as a distraction. Beggars tell thieves how to escape.
The security guard says police take hours to arrive and that thieves know nothing will happen. He says they quickly return after being banned.
Shoplifting is common in Britain and increased in Birmingham. Many crimes go unreported. Perry Barr has the highest unemployment in the UK, and this concerns residents.
People think benefits are too good. Millions of working-age people claim them. Jobseeker claims went up. Some think people do not want to work for the pay.
Linda Ross, 63, thinks benefits are appealing. She says bills are covered, plus they get cash. Kieron Moseley, 43, agrees that benefits are appealing and says some jobless people have more money than workers.
Officials say they will help create jobs. Police say they work to stop crime in the area, patrolling often and working with local businesses.