POLICE were back on the streets of a Birmingham suburb as the hunt for the serial knife attacker behind a bizarre string of stabbings continued.
Officers flooded Lozells last night, exactly a week after the last attack in which a man was stabbed twice in the back.
Detectives have linked seven random knife attacks on innocent people in a small area of Lozells since June.
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In each of the attacks, the man has walked up to his victims, all lone men aged between 19 and 56, stabbed them in the back or threatened them with a knife before escaping without saying a word.
The last attack happened at about 7.15pm on December 23 in Leonard Road. The 40-year-old victim initially thought he had been hit with a snowball but later discovered two stab small wounds in his back.
Det Insp Wayne Jones praised the public response. He said: “Everybody has been helpful especially over the Christmas period when we have been out making inquiries and stop checks.
“We have also been working with community leaders to make people a little bit more aware of their personal safety.”
The random nature of the attacks has baffled investigators, who have so far not been able to determine a motive, however, they have ruled out robbery and hate crime.
The first took place on June 9 followed by another on July 7. After a 14-week break, he struck again in October. They have become more frequent with three in December
It is thought the offender lives in Lozells or is familiar with the area. Four of the attacks have happened on a Tuesday suggesting that if he doesn’t live there he may have a reason to be in the area.
Officers have consulted national experts in the behavioural and geographical profiling of offenders but research has found no other examples of similar crimes anywhere in the West Midlands. They are poring through files of hundreds of previous offenders to see if anyone has links to this type of offending
Det Insp Jones, who is leading the hunt, said: “It would be a surprise if the offender hasn’t had some mental health intervention before.
“I would urge people, including health care professionals working in the area, to look at the CCTV to see if they can make out whether it is anyone they know.”
The offender is black, aged 18 to 30, 5ft 8in to 6ft and slim, often wearing a blue bandana with white blotches.