THE FIGHT against robberies in parts of Solihull is coming out on top after crimes rates have halved in the past year.
West Midlands Police crime statistics show that in the Solihull north wards of Castle Bromwich, Chelmsley Wood, Kingshurst and Fordbridge and Smiths Wood, robberies are down by 51 per cent from April last year.
The force added robberies across the entire borough have dropped by almost 26 per cent during the same period with youth violence, burglary and theft also going down.
The police say these results have been achieved through increased patrols and other proactive operations across the neighbourhoods, providing a visible deterrent to would-be offenders and a reassuring presence to members of the community.
The force said much of the work has focused on dealing with the problems caused by off-road bikes and e-bikes, which are often aggressively ridden across neighbourhoods and public spaces, and are commonly used by criminals during robberies as a means of escape.
And since April a total of 86 off these types of bikes have been seized.
Inspector Andy Bridgewater, the neighbourhood policing manager for the northern part of the borough, said: “We’ve intensified our efforts to reduce robberies through joined-up operations with specialist teams, making full use of the different resources, skills and expertise that they bring.
“We’ve also been targeting the illegal use of e-bikes as we know they’re increasingly being used during street robberies, so we’ve been taking them out of action and working to secure prosecutions against those using them for criminal purposes.”
The police also been working closely with Solihull Council, the region’s safer travel partnership and other support agencies to tackle antisocial behaviour and crime through a combination of enforcement activities, improved communication with residents and intervention.
Solihull Council is currently holding a consultation on their plans to put a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) in place in Chelmsley Wood, which if successful, will impose strict conditions on the use of e-bikes, scooters and motorbikes in the area, as well as placing limits on gatherings and other potentially antisocial behaviour in the area.
Inspector Bridgewater added: “We’re here to prevent crime as much as to respond to it so we’re working with others to achieve this through education and getting out and speaking with members of the community, victims and perpetrators of crime, as well as those who are generally causing a nuisance and who may end up getting into more serious trouble.
“It’s a long-term process but vital to our efforts if we’re to successfully continue to bring down robberies and other crimes in our neighbourhoods.”
