Still time to have your say on Community Safety Strategy

The Safer Sandwell Partnership's consultation invites you to share your views on community safety and the forthcoming Community Safety Strategy for Sandwell.  By helping us to understand your thoughts and feelings on what local concerns are, you can help us to ensure we take the most appropriate actions to tackle the issues identified.  We encourage you to participate in the survey. Additionally, we would greatly appreciate your assistance in sharing the survey with colleagues, friends and family. Should you have any questions, please email the Community Safety Team. Have your say in the Community Safety Strategy consultation before 3 October 2025. Thank you for your support.

A named police officer for every area of Sandwell Sandwell now has a named officer dedicated to every area of the borough. These officers will focus on three key areas: Problem-solving – tackling persistent local issues through long-term solutions. Targeted activity – proactive interventions to address crime and disorder. Community engagement – building relationships and ensuring residents have a say in policing. Each dedicated named officer is supported by a wider team of neighbourhood officers. Visit the West Midlands Police website and search on your postcode to discover the name of your area’s dedicated neighbourhood officer.

Donation of a bleed control kit cabinet at the Brasshouse Community Centre in Smethwick

Brasshouse Community Centre in Smethwick recently took delivery of a bleed control kit cabinet that is now available for the local community to use. The bleed control kit cabinet was donated by Bishop Dr Desmond Jaddoo MBE as part of Yes2Life Project along with John Duthart of Fire & Evacuation Services Ltd. John stated: "The benefit of having a bleed control kit cabinet on the fence outside of the centre is that even when the centre is closed people in the local community can still access the bleed control kit if they ever came across someone that had encountered catastrophic blood loss incident." Bishop Desmond said: "A kit is no good without training and also it is important for ease of access in order to save a life. I am pleased that we have provided this valuable asset to Brasshouse Community Centre."

During March 2025 Brasshouse Community Centre held a bleed control kit training session. Over 20 people from the local community attended this free training opportunity and from this training the idea of having a bleed control kit cabinet was born.   Jennifer Harrison BEM, Chief Executive Officer of Brasshouse Community Centre, said: "The addition of the bleed control kit cabinet along with our existing defibrillator makes a great statement to our community that there are two major pieces of lifesaving equipment available if it was ever needed."

Safer 6 campaign 2025 – key highlights

Our 2025 Safer 6 campaign ran from 9 June to 20 July, focusing on community safety across Sandwell’s six towns. The campaign aimed to raise awareness, engage with local communities, address key concerns and highlight the year-round support and services available to help residents stay safe. Each week spotlighted a different town with targeted activities and events. We would like to say a huge thank you to all the Safer Sandwell Partnership organisations, teams and community members who supported and took part, with more than 200 Safer 6 activities taking place in total over the six weeks across Sandwell's six towns.

Check out the full list of activities that took place by visiting our Safer 6 activities webpage.

Your involvement made Safer 6 a success and helps make Sandwell a safer place for everyone, as our partnership work continues day in, day out throughout the year.

Hate crime has no place in Sandwell

Sandwell Council and our partners take a zero-tolerance approach to hate crime. No one should ever be targeted because of their race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability. Hate crime will always be treated as a serious offence and perpetrators will be held to account.

Reported hate crime is prosecuted

A 38-year-old man from Sandwell has received a suspended sentence for a racially aggravated offence under the Public Order Act.

On 21 April 2024, the defendant was arrested for being drunk and disorderly. While in police custody, he became racially abusive towards a police officer. He was subsequently charged with a racially aggravated public order offence, to which he pleaded guilty.

On 8 July 2025, the defendant was sentenced to an 18-week suspended prison sentence, uplifted from 15 weeks to reflect the hate crime element. He was also ordered to pay £50 in compensation to the complainant.

How to report hate crime

If you are a victim or a witness, please don’t stay silent – report it. Every report helps us protect our communities, support victims and stop perpetrators from offending again.

• Emergency: Call 999 if someone is at risk of immediate harm
• Non-emergency: Call 101 or report online via West Midlands Police
• Anonymous: Call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or use the True Vision website
• Third-Party Reporting Centres: If you don’t feel comfortable reporting directly to the police, you can go to one of Sandwell’s local centres trained to take reports and offer support

Find out how to identify and report hate crimes in Sandwell, including finding your local reporting centre.

Together, we send a clear message: hate crime will not be tolerated in Sandwell.

Back to school

Heading to secondary school is an exciting but busy time, and it’s essential to talk to your child about staying safe. Here’s some advice from West Midlands Police: 

• Walk or drive the route with your child and point out safe places. Encourage them to use a buddy system and avoid shortcuts through isolated areas. If they use public transport, remind them to stay in well-lit areas and be aware of their surroundings.
• It’s crucial your child knows what to do in an emergency. Remind them never to talk to or accept rides from strangers, and ensure they have your contact information and that of another trusted adult.
• Label personal items and advise your child not to take valuables or large amounts of money to school.
• Consider using location-sharing apps on yours and your child’s phones and enable two-factor authentication to make it harder for others to access them. Always keep a record of your child’s phone’s IMEI number in case it’s lost or stolen. 
• Remind your child not to share their school routine or location on social media. Talk to them about cyberbullying and encourage them to report any harassment. 

Get more advice on your child starting secondary school. You can also watch this video with your child or someone you know who has recently started secondary school. 

CCTV Control Room: Recent highlights

Our CCTV Control Room team continues to deliver outstanding service across Sandwell, demonstrating excellence in the way it supports and responds to community needs.

In the first half of 2025, staff recorded and responded to over 5,000 incidents and calls, including crime, anti-social behaviour and tenant assistance requests ranging from general advice to calling emergency services for serious incidents.

The team maintains a strong CCTV presence in town centres, providing evidence and disrupting  anti-social behaviour, and deployable cameras have supported responses to serious issues helping reduce incident rates. Staff provide daily intelligence to partner agencies. In the first half of 2025, 112 pieces of CCTV footage have been shared with police to support criminal investigations.

In addition, the Control Room supports the borough-wide Nuisance Bikes Action Plan, sharing footage for enforcement and supporting Operation Hercules investigations related to car cruising and street racing.

The 24-hour Concierge Service continues to be a lifeline for tenants through safeguarding assistance, regular welfare checks and facilitating essential maintenance. The team also continues to tackling high-rise block nuisance, using captured footage to enable support interventions and keep these spaces safe.

Success for Sandwell shop crime team

A dedicated Police retail crime team in Sandwell has made dozens of arrests in six months, with prolific offenders jailed.

In its first six months, Sandwell South Retail Crime Team has targeted the most prolific shop thieves which has resulted in hundreds of weeks of prison time issued at court.

Here are some of their results in July:

• A 41-year-old man was charged with 11 offences and jailed for 22 weeks.
• A 34-year-old man received six weeks in jail after being charged with one offence.
• A man aged 29 was charged with nine offences and jailed for 16 weeks.
• A 49-year-old woman was charged with seven offences and received a 16-week prison sentence.
• A man aged 42 was charged with six offences and was jailed for 10 weeks.
• A 27-year-old man was jailed for eight weeks after being charged with three offences.

Businesses can get free security advice on the West Midlands Police website.

Cash reward for crime information

Know who’s responsible for crime in your area, but do not want to talk to the police?

The Crimestoppers charity pays cash rewards of up to £1,000 if the information you give them leads to an arrest or is of significant use.

Crimestoppers is not the police and nobody will ever know that you have helped them. They will never trace your call or your computer’s IP address.

You can share information on things like those responsible for dumping rubbish, people suspected of carrying knives, selling fake cigarettes and much more.

Useful links

We have more information on where you can find support in Sandwell if you have been the victim of an abuse or crime, whether this is recent or was a long time ago.

Find your nearest Hate Crime Third Party Reporting Centre if you wish to report a hate crime through local organisations rather than to the police directly. Hate Crime Third Party Reporting Centres staff are trained on dealing with reports of hate crime and can help you get the support that you may need after experiencing or witnessing a hate crime.

Get the latest updates on the policing priorities for your area, from the local inspector. You can visit the West Midlands Police website or get them emailed to you regularly by subscribing for free WMnow email updates.

Register your CCTV and doorbell cameras with today on West Midlands Police CCTV Registry to receive alerts when your footage may help catch criminals operating in your area.

Operation Snap – send the police your footage of careless and dangerous driving, and they'll do the rest.

Find out more about the Black Country-wide street racing injunction. Sandwell Council has taken 13 people to court for breaching the injunction on the borough's roads. All 13 people have received suspended prison sentences. Please report incidents to the council online or to the police by calling 101.

Report nuisance caused by off-road motorbikes and other off-road vehicles. People riding illegally face arrest and having their vehicle seized and crushed.

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, the website provides:

• Advice, guidance and signposting on a wide range of topics
• Help to find someone to talk to if they have an issue
• Help to find something to do in their local area
• An opportunity to have their voice heard through a youth forum or group

Find out more information about the Safer Sandwell Partnership.