The 10 most dangerous cities in Europe have been revealed – with two UK towns listed among them. Six of the deadly cities are across the Channel in France, where Marseille reigns as worst of them all. The city reached the top spot after narcotics-related crime claimed the lives of 47 people and lead to 118 people being injured.
While Marseille may be the worst, two UK cities came a close second and third. Police in Coventry, which was rated second most-dangerous city, recorded 385 separate knife-related offences in the year ending March 2024. They also recorded a crime rate of 346.7 per 100,000 people.
The West Midlands town sees a 25 per cent higher overall crime rate when compared to the region’s average. Meanwhile, number three Birmingham, had the highest number of knife possessions in the whole of the UK. When looking at the past three years, there were 5,880 incidents. Police are also trying to tackle huge gang-related violence and drug trafficking issues.
Coming in at number four is Naples, the hometown of the notorious Camorra – which rules the city’s criminal underworld. In recent years, violent crime and drug trafficking crimes have been seeing a grim resurgence. Back to France for number five, Montpellier is also experiencing a rise in gang violence and drug-related offences.
Liège in Belgium isn’t a city you’d automatically equate with crime, but it’s had its own issues, which law enforcement is working to bring under control with targeted operations, according to The Sun. The final four include Grenoble, Nantes, Paris, and Lyon, where arrests for drug trafficking rose by nearly 50 per cent last year.
A new BBC documentary sees former footballer Ashley Cain exploring the dark criminal underworld of Marseille, where he spoke to a hitman of blasting a contract’s head off for just €15,000 (£12,848).
The port city is perfectly placed as a highway connecting Morocco – with its hashish exports – to France and the rest of Europe. France is currently considered the leading consumer of cannabis in the whole of Europe.
Users order the substances through the popular teen Snapchat app, with dealers riding around the city on scooters to drop off the goods. “It’s spooky. I can’t believe how organised they are, but f*** me it was good to find out,” Ashley told The Sun.
In one of the most shocking scenes of the entire series, the former Coventry City player arranged a meeting with a shotgun-wielding contract killer, hoping to find out how he justified his heinous job. He showed off his small arsenal, saying: “On the streets of Marseille we use Kalashnikov rifles, revolvers and pump action shotguns. Basically anything that can be used to shoot. I have a preferred weapon, it is my revolver. It is very very powerful. It is discreet and works all the time.”
Then pulling out a pump-action shotgun, he explained: “That’s to clear everything. Finished, that’s to eliminate. No more head, nothing. It’s for when you’re faced with a lot of people. When you have to use it, you use it.”
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