 Sandwell Council seizes £120,000 of illegal goods
In July, as part of Operation CeCe, Sandwell Council Trading Standards, in partnership with the Modern Slavery Team, General Licensing Department and West Midlands Police, conducted three raids across Sandwell.
This intelligence-led operation aimed to remove and seize illegal and dangerous vapes and tobacco from the market.
Over £120,000 worth of illegal goods were captured, hidden in sophisticated concealments including behind a false wall, a bathroom mirror and adapted shelving.
Criminal investigations are ongoing, which could lead to subsequent prosecutions and closure orders.
Read the full story of Sandwell Council seizing £120,000 of illegal goods.
Hate crime offender sentenced
It’s Hate Crime Awareness Week this week which puts the impact of hate crime in the spotlight.
In May, a man from Wednesbury went to his neighbour’s flat, assaulted him, racially abused him and damaged his front door.
Following arrest, the man pleaded guilty to racially aggravated assault and criminal damage at his first hearing.
He was sentenced in June at Dudley Magistrates’ Court to an 18-month community order which had been uplifted to reflect the hate crime.
The man was also ordered to pay £300 compensation to the victim, a victim surcharge and prosecution costs.
Advice on how to recognise and report a hate crime in Sandwell
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New CCTV cameras assist police following burglaries
Two men were arrested after a series of burglaries in Wednesbury town centre in August.
Newly installed and upgraded CCTV cameras in the town, funded through the Levelling Up Partnership with the government, played a crucial role in capturing footage of two men breaking into properties, which was subsequently shared with police to help with their investigations.
Read more about how new and upgraded CCTV cameras are benefiting Wednesbury town centre and Friar Park.
Do you have CCTV and doorbell cameras at your premises?
Register your home and business CCTV and doorbell cameras on West Midlands Police’s new CCTV registry. It takes just 60 seconds. Find out more about registering.
Prevent summer workshop
The Sandwell Prevent Team visited Ileys Centre in Smethwick in July to raise awareness of online safety to more than 40 young people, parents and carers.
The workshop was quiz-based around safely using the internet and social media. Treats and prizes were awarded to the teams with the right answers.
The quiz covered topics such as minimum age requirements of social media apps and games, fake news, clickbaiting and safeguarding issues that children may experience online.
The quiz concluded by giving young people and their parents/carers online safety booklets and signposting to various services if they had concerns or wanted further information on the topics discussed.
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Young people to design lessons on internet safety and peer pressure
Schools and colleges in Sandwell will be the first in the West Midlands to teach lessons designed by young people to raise awareness of issues such as sexting, peer pressure, online bullying, gender stereotypes and consent.
The My Tomorrow campaign, funded by the West Midlands Violence Reduction Partnership (VRP) and led by The Positive Youth Foundation, is recruiting 20 young leaders aged 16-21 to co-design PSHE-style lessons.
The Change Makers programme aims to develop critical thinking, leadership skills and character development, to encourage a culture of respect and inclusion, and ultimately empower a community of upstanders.
Police and Crime Commissioner for the West Midlands, Simon Foster, who chairs the Violence Reduction Partnership (VRP), said: “This programme will be taught in schools and colleges across the West Midlands and stands to benefit thousands of young people, who will be better equipped to deal with a whole range of challenging scenarios in their lives.
“The Change Makers Programme will encourage students to take those skills into their everyday life and use them to help their peers; keeping themselves and others safe and improving their wellbeing.
“To put young people at the centre of this teaching is a really innovative approach from the My Tomorrow campaign, and demonstrates young people’s drive to be part of the solution in their communities when given the opportunity.
Operation Advance – stopping crime in Sandwell
Operation Advance was back in Sandwell earlier this year.
Police and partners, including the council, carried out targeted activity across Sandwell.
Drugs and weapons were seized and arrests were made. Operations were conducted targeting off-road bikes; drug warrants; raids on shops suspected of illegal selling; and there was a knife arch along with increased patrols in West Bromwich.
Police arrested an extra 17 people on the Operation Advance day for offences ranging from robbery and possessing drugs to theft and driving offences.
Hear more about Operation Advance from Sandwell Police Chief Inspector Paul Griffiths.
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Wednesbury clean-up day
Local partners, including VINCI, Serco and the Sandwell Community Payback Team, came together with Wodensborough Amateur Boxing Club and Sandwell Council's Community Safety Team for a major clean-up day in Wednesbury in August.
The initiative aimed to tackle concerns raised by residents, such as anti-social behaviour, fly-tipping and litter in a local greenspace near Oxford Street in Wednesbury, which is essential for young people and the community boxing club.
As the boxing club prepared to provide free sports activities and meals for young people, funded by the Police Crime Commissioner's Violence Reduction Fund, it was essential to finish the project in a timely manner.
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In total, over 20 volunteers participated in the large clean-up effort, resulting in several vans filled with rubbish being removed. Landscaping was also worked on throughout the day in the blazing sunshine.
The project offered valuable work experience to people completing community payback, enhancing the local environment while equipping them with skills and purpose aimed at helping to reduce reoffending risk. Partner employees and volunteers mentored participants, with one person receiving support to apply for a job with Serco on the same day.
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Bleed kits distributed
The West Midlands Violence Reduction Partnership, along with Sandwell Council’s Community Safety Team, have been collaborating with community partners throughout Sandwell to distribute Bleed Kits generously provided by the Daniel Baird Foundation.
The Bleed Kits are an additional piece of first aid equipment placed throughout Sandwell. In the event of a serious cut, wound or bleed, the public can locate the nearest kit, potentially saving a life while waiting for emergency services to arrive.
The kits include a QR code that is linked to a system where in the event of serious bleeding, when someone calls 999 for ambulance services, operators can direct the caller to the nearest kit and provide step-by-step instructions if needed. Each pack contains a guide, and several partners are offering Stop the Bleed and Street First Aid training across the borough to support this initiative.
Almost half of the Bleed Kits generously donated by the Daniel Baird Foundation have already been distributed, with more set to be shared. A complete list of Bleed Kit locations will be published in the near future.
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Useful links
More information on where you can find support in Sandwell if you have been the victim of abuse or a crime, whether this is recent or was a long time ago.
Find out what’s happening in your community by signing up to WMNow for updates about crime, safety advice and road closures.
The Just Youth website is the go-to place for children and young people in Sandwell to find something to do, someone to talk to and somewhere to go. Designed with and for young people, Just Youth can help with:
- Advice, guidance and signposting on a wide range of topics
- Finding someone to talk to if they have an issue
- Finding something to do in their local area
- Having their voice heard through a youth forum or group
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