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A police chief has warned gun crime remains a major problem in Birmingham, despite dozens of arrests.

West Midlands Chief Constable David Thompson told the Police and Crime Board in January that shootings were happening in the city with “concerning regularity”.

He used the same forum today to say that despite arrests, convictions and 84 firearm warrants in just five months the battle against guns had “not gone away”.

A gun crimewave gripped the city over the last year after four fatal shootings, with gang turf war being blamed for at least 20 of the firearm incidents.

WATCH: Shocking video which shows the extent of gun crime in Birmingham

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Mr Thompson said: “In January I talked about how I was concerned about the increasing number of shooting incidents in Birmingham.

“We went from not having a fatal shooting in two years to having four in a very short space of time.

“Nothing is more corrosive in our communities than gun crime and our efforts to bring people to justice is ongoing.

“We are absolutely intolerant of these offences but I am still concerned that there is a high level of availability of firearms.

“The problem has not gone away and our work will continue. This challenge will be with us for a long time to come.”

Mr Thompson spoke about the combined 50 year sentences handed to Leon Frye and Philip Baillie for the murder of Connor Smith. He also spoke about the 200 years of sentences handed to gun runners led by Burger Bar Boys ‘godfather’ Nosakhere Stephenson.

The 16-strong gang sold antique firearms and ‘custom-made’ bullets to criminals and had sentences increased in March after the earlier sentences were judged to be unduly lenient.

Mr Thompson also said a number of people had been arrested and charged as part of ongoing investigations into three other murders.

He added: “Many of these are pending court cases, but I wanted to speak about the level of work that is going on behind the scenes.

“Many of the shooting incidents themselves attract a lot of coverage, but the work that goes on afterwards does not.

“The sentences that have been given in recent months for those convicted of the murder of Connor Smith and for those involved in the supply of weapons have been very severe.

“The sentences for firearm possession in the UK are some of the most severe in Europe and when I speak with some of my colleagues in other countries about the sentences the jaws sometimes drop.

“It should act as a really strong warning to those involved in gun crime, that we are unrelenting in our efforts and that when you do go before the courts you will go to prison for a very long time.”

Mr Thompson also praised the work of Crimestoppers in the fight against gun crime. He added; “Many people are very fearful about providing information about gun crime but Crimestoppers provides a phenomenal opportunity to come forward without being identified.

“Many of the warrants have been conducted because of information provided via Crimestoppers and the public can be confident that we will act upon information that is received.”

A new gun and gang commission was launched earlier this year with the help of Crime Commissioner David Jamieson.

Mr Jamieson used the news pages of the Birmingham Mail to call on mothers, sisters, wives and girlfriends to back his campaign to get guns off the streets.